So called Ford concepts at Sao Paulo Auto Show present new Fiesta pieces

Let's check if you are a good observer. Pay attention to the images below and say: what do these cars have in common? Obvious answers, such as "they are Ford cars" or "they are concepts", do not suit.





The answer is that they are Fiesta predecessors. Verve was the concept model over which Fiesta was conceived. As for the green and orange and black vehicles, respectively Ka Beauty and Ka Beast, they anticipate the new generation of Fiesta in Brazil and South America. External rear mirrors in the concept-Ka vehicles are identical to Verve's. Better saying, they are a little different, since they have changed when they became mass-production pieces in order to fit the new Fiesta. Have a look.





Now, check the same rear mirror in Ka Beauty. Even the colour is the same:



Beast uses the same rear mirrors. This is an indication suppliers in Brazil have developed these pieces. Since the car will be built in Mexico, it means one of these two things: or Brazilian suppliers will send the rear mirrors to Mexico or Brazil will produce Fiesta for South American countries, while Mexico will take care of North and Central America.

Another common part among the car is the steering wheel, the same one used in Fiesta. Have a look:







If any of you has any information on this, please feel free to contact us at the e-mail address at the top of the page. As for the readers that do not have any information but the one we have, especially if you are from South America, be aware: the new Fiesta will soon be around, and it has already taken too long.

Source: Ford and MotorTips

A new sportscar is born at Sao Paulo Auto Show: San Vito S1

This story tells us a lot about how Brazil works. Great achievements are always taken by medium class or poor people, since rich people are not concerned in creating, but only in buying abroad. This applies especially for the car world. We have already show great supercar projects here at MotorTips, but no one from Brazil has ever proposed making these cars become true to their designers. This is why all Brazilian cars are always the product of dreams, such as the one Vito Simone, a retired designer from Ford, has had. And now the name of this dream is San Vito S1. Important detail: Simone is not Brazilian. He is Italian.



S1 is a small (3.74 m long, 1.70 m wide and 1.15 m tall, with a wheelbase of 2.16 m) and light (only 930 kg) vehicle powered by a turbo petrol 1.8-litre VW engine that runs solely on ethanol, develops 150 bhp at 7,000 rpm and is mounted ahead of the rear axle. Wheels are 18" in the back and front and tyres are 225/40 ZR18 for the front wheels and 235/40 ZR18 for the rear wheels, responsible for pushing S1.

According to Simone, this allows S1 to reach 220 km/h of top speed and to reach 100 km/h in 6.5 s. Fuel consumption is 6 km/l in the city and 8 km/l on the road. The car is exposed at the Carro magazine stand.

Sales are about to start. The car still has to be approved by Brazilian authorities to be sold. Prices, therefore, haven't been defined so far. But won't take long to be. Let's hope they are affordable enough to make this car become more than just a dream.











Source: San Vito

Troller T4 makes its first public appearance at Sao Paulo Auto Show

For 4x4 fans, there is another attraction at Sao Paulo Auto Show: Troller T4. This Brazilian SUV that has been sold to some countries when its company was independent. It has been bought in 2006 by Ford, who was seeking for new tax exemptions to increase its production capacity in Brazil. Most fans of T4 have feared its production would be ended up, but Ford apparently is investing in the vehicle's development, as it is clear with the presentation of the 2009 model. Check out its picture at the event.



T4 has had small exterior changes, such as a new removable front grille, to make engine repairs easier, as well as a curved windshield (the old one was flat), more resistant and less vulnerable to small rocks. The interior has been extensively revised and uses Ford components, what makes it look a lot like EcoSport from the inside. The only difference is that Troller T4 is a real off-roader, with known 4x4 capability.

The engine is still the 3-litre inline 4-cylindre MWM/International, able to produce 163 bhp at 3,800 rpm and 380 Nm between 1,600 rpm a 2,200 rpm. Prices will most certainly remain the same or be reduced, due to production process improvements and scale benefits.













Source: Troller and MotorTips

Can there be BlueMotion with no diesel? VW bets it can

VW has created BlueMotion vehicles in Europe with great success. With increasing concerns about CO2 emissions all over the world, the German carmaker has decided to bring the same concept to Brazil. The only problem is that all known BlueMotion cars are diesel powered, but diesel is not allowed for passenger vehicles in Brazil. So how will these cars be so fuel efficient as European BlueMotion car? We are also still trying to figure that out, but it is very likely Volkswagen believes ethanol-powered cars are cleaner than a regular one, what is only true when it comes to CO2 emissions, and not entirely.



What ethanol allows us is to keep CO2 levels constant, since ethanol is "built" from the CO2 that already exists in the atmosphere, while petrol, diesel and all fossile fuels make a CO2 that was buried for ages emerge again. Apart from that, ethanol is less powerful than petrol (it has about 70% of the energy contained in the same amount of gasoline), what makes it have a smaller range.

The first BlueMotion to be sold in Brazil will be a Polo, but up you see a Gol Bluemotion and below also a Fox BlueMotion, what indicates these two cars will also reach production under the BlueMotion label. What they have in common with their European diesel cousins are some improvements in aerodynamics, such as an almost closed front grille, lower height and low-resistance-to-friction tyres.

What would really help these cars be more efficient would be the use of direct injection systems, as well as downsized engines, such as the 1.4 TSI, but most Volkswagen cars in Brazil are TotalFlex, or else, they work both with petrol or ethanol in any proportion. Costs to make a flexible direct injection engine must be high, but they would pay in a long term, since this technology could also be applied to cars sold all over the world. Brazilian BlueMotion cars may only seem as a marketing move, but we hope this is the first step of something bigger. Let's see how things go from this point on.









Source: VW and MotorTips

TAC Stark presents itself to the public at Sao Paulo Auto Show

Our readers already know something about TAC Stark. The new utility vehicle will be on the market from mid-2009 on, will be built in Santa Catarina, on the South of Brazil, and will get a FTP turbodiesel engine, the S23. It is a 2.3-litre four-cuylindre powerplant able to produce 127 bhp at 3,600 rpm and 300 Nm at 1,800 rpm. What most must not know its that this Brazilian product is displayed at Sao Paulo Auto Show. And we have more interesting details about it to offer, as well as much better pictures of it.



The fuel tank of Stark holds 75 l of diesel and it located ahead of the rear axle. Weight is 1,580 kg and distribution is close to the perfect 50%/50% fraction (still not disclosed because the vehicle is still under development). Chassi is a steel space frame, which is apparent in some parts of the body, made of plastic reinforced by fibreglass.

The gearbox is a five-speed manual transmission Eaton FSO-2405D, also used by some Iveco trucks. Stark will be a four wheel drive utility vehicle, equipped with a BorgWarner reduction gearbox and 44.3 Dana differentials, with rear locking. Suspension is independent in all four wheels, with a system of double A arms, with two shock absorbers for each wheel. Course is 18 cm. Ground clearance is 25 cm and attack and escape angles are respectively 45º and 48º. Brakes also use discs on all wheels.

Plans to export TAC Stark will only take place when Brazilian demand proves to be enough for production to keep its levels. When Stark is a more mature product, with all its qualities tested and assured, it will meet its buyers abroad. Prepare your wallets, my friends!









Source: TAC and MotorTips

Renautl Sand'up is nothing but a chopped up Sandero

What could have been something for Renault Brazilian engineers to become proud of turned into something... frustrating. Largely anticipated by Renault, Sand'up Concept could present a glimpse of what will become the future small SUV from the French carmaker, based on the B0 platform, the same one used for Logan, Sandero and the upcoming Nissan Livina and Grand Livina. Instead, it became a tuned Sandero Stepway. It was pleasant to see, but not even by far an SUV. No AWD, no different front end, not a larger body... Nothing unusual.



We may be to blame, since we have expected more than anyone has promised (Renault didn't promise anything at all), but the first concept car from the French automaker should be something more than a tuned and chopped up Sandero. Some tried to see it as an anticipation of a Sandero pick-up truck, but we gave up on believing it anticipates anything at all. It only shows what customisation people already do for years.

All Renault line-up, by the way, has been tuned in order to become an attraction. Mégane Sedan receive a new equipment package, called Extreme, Logan and Sandero got a F1 fitting and Sandero appeared in its Stepway version. Nothing that Brazilian customers couldn't do themselves, or see very soon in any dealer. If you get the chance to go to Sao Paulo Auto Show and really want to see something new and interesting at Renault's stand, look at the women. They wear much less make-up than the cars.









Fonte: Renault

Can an engineless concept be called a real one?

Stola has started this practice, as well as Fiat, with FCC I, and GM with Prisma Y. In 2006, Stola has promised to bring Maybach Exelero to Brazil, but all the Brazilian audience has seen was a mock-up of the car. Just a shell. Apparently, Sao Paulo Auto Show still needs to gain importance in order to receive the real stuff, as this year's edition has shown.

The first example of that are Chevrolet's main attractions. Neither GPiX nor the Volt presented here are real. Anyway, at least they have real glass on the windows...





Another one that was just a shell was Land Rover LRX. The mock-up, according to the press relation staff of Land Rover, costs US$ 1.5 million, but we wonder how can it be so expensive if it does not even have real windows. The real car, the hybrid, the vehicle that changes the colours of its interior lights depending on how you drive it, has been reserved to Russia (be proud, Russian readers, your market deserved it). It must cost at least ten times more than the mock-up. Summing up, the real car would have impressed us much more.





The last of fake concepts list is Suzuki Kizashi. The big Suzuki sedan is about to be world wide presented, but the concept that has introduced it has been kept in Japan.




When this situation with Stola happened, it was frustrating to tell readers about an engine the car did not have, or see the fake (and thinner) brake discs, or the empty engine compartment. This year's edition was not different, almost as frustrating as the chopped Sandero Renault decided to call Sand'up. Let's hope more vehicles such as Fiat FCC II appear in future events. There are the ones that deserve to be named concepts.

Fonte: MotorDicas