Audi A6 Allroad

Download Audi A6 Allroad photo. Find Audi A6 Allroad images.

Wallpaper Audi A6 Allroad

Se você acompanha as novidades automotivas do mercado brasileiro com certa frequência, com certeza lembrará que o ano passado foi muito importante para a Audi no país. Tivemos toda uma ampliação de sua linha, com modelos de todos os tamanhos e preços chegando sem tanto atraso e até acompanhados de outros até pouco tempo atrás improváveis. As novidades de 2013 também têm enorme importância, mas cada uma pelos próprios motivos. A primeira é esta perua, que segue uma tendência muito famosa no Brasil.

Suspensão elevada, revestimentos externos em plástico preto, detalhes como rack de teto e estribos laterais, cabine um tanto mais “rústica”… A receita dos chamados “aventureiros urbanos” começou em meados dos anos 1990 com duas peruas, uma na Europa e outra no Brasil. Volvo V70 Cross Country e Fiat Palio Adventure deram duas interpretações diferentes ao nicho de mercado que de início fez fama por representar a união entre a vocação familiar de uma station wagon com toques mais aventureiros vindos dos SUVs. A questão é que em poucos anos esse conceito convergiu aos crossovers, de forma que hoje em dia essas peruas têm um público bem mais restrito e precisam de maiores esforços para continuar agradando. Em outras palavras, é necessário que estejam em perfeita sintonia com o que seus clientes desejam. A faixa de V70 e A6 Allroad tem enormes diferenças da de Palio Adventure e VW Space Cross, mas todas vêm apenas em decorrência das faixas de preço – o conceito, no entanto, é o mesmo. O segundo batalhão é bem mais conhecido pelo brasileiro, em que as peruas compactas focam numa profusão de acessórios maiores e menores mas sempre em especial no exterior, para conseguir um visual bem diferenciado das versões comuns. O interior até recebe mudanças, mas ali a regra é oferecer o pacote de itens mais completo. Ou seja, o resultado é uma versão de topo com visual exclusivo e algum preparo para o off-road leve, mas sem investir demais.

Já quem faz parte do mercado de luxo e decide levar uma perua do segmento que também inclui a Peugeot 508 RXH tem outros objetivos. Eles também gostam da ideia de jovialidade trazida pelos acessórios exclusivos, mas não perdem o gosto pela discrição. E os que precisam se afastar dos centros urbanos ainda apreciam os equipamentos que trazem real aptidão para o fora-de-estrada, como a tração integral. No caso da Allroad, os vários protetores em preto e prata com revestimento em aço inoxidável dão um destaque interessante por não destoar do carro e nem tentar fazê-lo parecer outro. A jovialidade implícita pelas belas rodas é continuada no interior, em que os detalhes cromados fazem um par de ótimo gosto com os revestimentos em couro marrom. Os itens de série incluem ar-condicionado bizona, central de entretenimento com GPS e tela retrátil, teto solar panorâmico e volante esportivo. Já a segurança vem com os vários tipos de airbags, câmera de ré e indicador de pressão de pneus, entre outros. Vale observar a suspensão a ar adaptativa, que em terrenos acidentados eleva o veículo em 35 mm, mas em altas velocidades privilegia a performance e o rebaixa em 15 mm. Ele traz o motor 3.0 V6 TFSI, que gera 310 cv e acelera de 0 a 100 km/h em 5s9, e que ficou 20% mais econômico: a marca informa média de 8,93 km/l, sempre usando tração integral quattro e câmbio S-Tronic de sete marchas e dupla embreagem. Foi confirmado o preço de R$ 354.900.

Like? Audi A6 Allroad for wallpaper? Shar this image to Audi A6 Allroad for your friend.

Infiniti Q50

Download Infiniti Q50 photo. Find Infiniti Q50 images.

Wallpaper Infiniti Q50

Have you ever noticed that some automakers can become really confusing with the alphanumeric codes used to name their cars? BMW and Mercedes-Benz at least stick to numbers no longer according to the car’s engines, but other strategies seem to be understood only by their own creators. A few days ago Infiniti has announced some changes to theirs in order to simplify it, but also showed some very interesting small teasers. So what could be a better way to release that new naming method than with a whole new car using it?

There are many cases of cars which couldn’t succeed marketwise mostly because of a bad name choice, even when they were good on everything else – you might want to check out what caused Alfa Romeo 164 to fail in China, Buick LaCrosse in Canada and even Mitsubishi Pajero in Spanish-speaking markets. But even though Infiniti’s nomenclature hasn’t such deep problems, the brand needed some struggle time before prospering. It was founded in 1989 with the exact same goal as Acura and Lexus: escape of dealing with Nissan’s lower-cost image to have better chances at the competition with the German luxury cars. Whether for the not-so-inspired design, bad publicity or neglecting some of the customers’ preferences, the 1990s ended with Infiniti very close to extinction, but they didn’t give up. There was adopted a whole new strategy, with several all-new vehicles focusing at sporty luxury including SUVs. At that moment there were FX35, G35 and a new Q45, not to mention the cars which have followed them. It were still the mid-2000s, but Infiniti was starting to discover what in nowadays is some sort of a “success recipe”: an automaker needs to give what the customers are used to expect from luxury cars, but treating this as a standard: it’s also important to combine that with any “extra features” that make it worth for them to give up other brands.

Q50 was chosen for this new turning point because it’ll fill a very important spot for this brand. After all, it’s intended to replace G37, which was an upgraded G35, which in turn was nothing but the very first Infiniti to become successful. They really wanted big changes once again, so Q50 presents a much more modern style. It’s very nice to see that the success of crossovers such as FX have made their influence at items such as the sedan’s long, round front section and the overall shape of all the items. This car carries the classic touch wanted by most of the luxury buyers but without looking old-fashioned at all. Besides these organic shapes could fit very well at most of the European cars, it’s nice to observe some very creative points such as the rear window cut – details like that denote a high-quality project, just like everyone wants to buy. The interior pictures show a huge level of sophistication wrapped in a very attractive design, crafted with high-quality materials and plenty of technology; the Infiniti InTouch system, for example, brings not one but two big touchscreens. This car will start with two V6 engines, a 3.7L with 328 hp and the hybrid 3.5L, which will be paired to the electric unit to result at 350 hp, but diesel options are expected for later. Besides, it’ll always use automatic seven-speed gearbox and rear-wheel-drive, with optional AWD.

Like? Infiniti Q50 for wallpaper? Shar this image to Infiniti Q50 for your friend.

Lexus IS 3

Download Lexus IS 3 photo. Find Lexus IS 3 images.

Wallpaper Lexus IS 3

Do you know what does “L-finesse” stand for? This is Lexus’ latest design language, like Ford’s Kinetic or Hyundai’s Fluidic Sculpture. Toyota’s luxury brand is starting to succeed at the long-term desire of creating a more inspired style for their cars, an initiative that has recently received great help from LFA’s production. They’ve already renewed the bigger brother GS and facelifted the even bigger LS, but the entry-level became much more different. This article will show a little more about this “entry-luxury” sedan.

As it has been mentioned several times by the specialized press, each automaker has created their own visual identity in order to distinguish their cars from the competitors. Besides, this came in handy for the Eastern brands because of their own design issues of that time: those cars were excessively alike until the 1990s, all of them with too classic lines and plain shapes. The Japanese started to change that around the early 2000s, but the Korean took some more years. Lexus’ problem, in turn, wasn’t creating good-looking designs but more appropriate ones. The bigger complaints went to the fact that they didn’t look like the upscale vehicles they are, which led many people to mistake them for cheaper cars. Acura and Infiniti faced the same problems at some time, too, but neither took too long to solve it: Honda’s brand decided to follow the North-American luxury cars, with smoother volumes and straighter lines, while Nissan’s division tries to follow the Europeans: the organic shapes contrast with stronger creases and very well divided volumes, which helps to give a high-performance impression. And now Lexus seems to have found the path to follow by looking at its own homeland. The new IS proves that Lexus is investing on acute angles and strong creases, which have all been the Japanese recipe for sportiness for decades.

That’s what explains this front design which will certainly turn each and every neck from which this car passes near. Whether for the tuning-like aggressive air intakes, the headlights with separate-but-visually-connected LED part or the most imponent spindle-shaped grille you’ve ever seen, taking inspiration from the LF-CC concept car has worked very well for what’s Lexus’ sports sedan now more than ever. The sides preserved the elegance of few creases and taller windows, but with a hint of sportiness that will be finished with the rear section: that elevated rear window cut without following the door handles line comes from the very first IS, taking the memory back to 1999. The second generation made it more visible and imponent, giving a very nice look with the chrome contour. Now there weren’t big changes to its shape, but it became paired to a very strong line born beneath the B column: it rises in the exact same proportion as the rear windows, creating the very nice impression that the car is always moving – it’s a complete change from the first IS, where all those horizontal lines made it too bulky. And the Grand Finale is made by these tail lights which seem to take more space from the sides than the rear. Paired to the absence of many lines, they give the last section a slim look which could easily be found at many current sporty coupes. This is definitely the right car for who doesn’t appreciate “limousine-like” sedans.

The first official pictures show only the F-Sport version, so the ones who didn’t like the scarlet seats shouldn’t worry. However, it’s hard not to notice the beautiful interior, with plenty of black and chrome as most of the sportier cars. But Lexus states there’s much more to observe: the bigger wheelbase improves the internal comfort, while the whole cabin became more ergonomic. The luxury extremes were restricted to IS’s bigger siblings, but the F-Sport version brings aluminum pedals, perforated leather steering wheels and even metal details with 3-D effects. This car will be officially presented at the upcoming Detroit Auto Show at all its versions: IS 250, IS 350 and IS 300h – the hybrid one being the first one to bring the Lexus Hybrid Drive. The respective engine options will be a V6 2.5L with 200 hp, a V6 3.5L with 300 hp and a four-cylinder 2.5.

Like? Lexus IS 3 for wallpaper? Shar this image to Lexus IS 3 for your friend.

Audi SQ5

Download Audi SQ5 photo. Find Audi SQ5 images.

Wallpaper Audi SQ5

That unmistakable dark blue was first chosen for the concept car exposed at the Paris Motor Show, and now the same unmistakable dark blue will be hitting the streets right before you know. But it was realized that not everyone appreciates moving a sports car with diesel. So Audi decided to stop being so cruel… and decided to make their new crossover use two types of fuel. And if you’re wondering what this car will bring to be the best, it’s time to click this article’s title and enjoy SQ5’s complete text.

It’s very strange to see Audi releasing such an important version of this crossover when it’s about to turn five years old worldwide, because at that age most of the automakers are used to wait the car’s half-age facelift or at least using the new version to give bigger importance to that facelift, like Ford has recently done with Fiesta ST. Nevertheless, it’s always exciting to remember the unusual letter combination at this car’s name reminds this is Audi’s very first sports crossover. This is an important moment because represents when the S versions’ tradition meets the recently created Q family – Audi has been releasing sports versions for decades, but their first crossover came only in 2005. Besides, it represents one more example of the luxury brands’ most recent practice: in order to increase sales, they’re investing more than ever at entering new categories and, whenever it’s possible, creating them. There are luxury minivans and hatchbacks, four-door coupes, sporty crossovers… And they never take too long to receive their sports varieties: there are sports versions (like Audi S, BMW M and Dodge R/T), even sportier versions (like Audi RS and Dodge SRT) and only the accessories kits (usually referred with the previous labels but followed by “Package” or “Line”). Of course, it’s always nice to see a company working for please its customers, but this easily leads to wondering if some limit will be ever achieved.

However, if there was some kind of restriction about joining crossovers to very-high-performance versions, BMW has broken it years ago with X5 M and X6 M and now became followed by Audi. It consists at nothing more than applying the widely known Audi S formula to this slightly taller and tougher vehicle. There’s an aerodynamical kit including new bumpers, side and rear spoilers, bigger wheels and chrome details, as always, but it’s interesting to notice the effect it was produced at this particular car. There are many specialized texts stating that the luxury crossovers may look like a true SUV but never worry about copying their off-road characteristics. Audi Q family confirms this with only looking to its cars: Q7 has a big family car look, while Q3 never denies it’s a tougher A3. The middle sibling, in turn, manages to stand out by a bigger SUV look. Q5’s capacities at the hardest tracks aren’t compared to a Land Rover’s, but it does have bigger size than Q3 along with a nimbler impression than Q7’s, making it the best Audi option for the ones who doesn’t like an excessively urban crossover. With that considered, it becomes impossible to forget the thought that a sporty version erases this Q5’s potential. Sports car demand smoother surfaces, more painted exterior items and lower ride height, being the perfect opposite of the off-roads. In other words, this is the Audi for who prefers Q3 and Q7’s proposal but couldn’t decide the size to take.

That engine matter mentioned at this article’s beginning is also important because it’s related with the fact that SQ5 is also the first Audi S to use a diesel engine – in this case, the concept car was first shown with a twin-turbo V6 3.0L of 314 hp. But, as it was mentioned, most of the important markets outside Europe would prefer gasoline engines, which made Audi give it a TFSI propeller. More specifically, the twin-turbo V6 3.0L with 354 hp used in S5, but here paired to quattro traction system and eight-speed automatic gearbox. They end up delivering similar performances because if the TFSI brings more power, the diesel engine delivers more torque and at lower RPM rates, giving it the best acceleration time among them – 5s1 for it and 5s3 with gasoline, both with the electronically-limited 115 mph top speed. Not to mention the better average consumption rate of 30.6 mpg against 25.9 mpg. Entering this car reveals a very well-equipped cabin, with the best trim level available for Q5 in a 1.2 inch lowered ride height. The owner can choose aluminum, carbon fiber or wood details, sport seats in Alcantara or Nappa and the lots of standard technology and safety items. This car will use 20” wheels with an optional 21” set, but the dark blue won’t be the only option: it’ll also come in black. Audi is already projecting new crossovers and therefore new sporty versions, so you’ll might be seeing an R added to their names soon. Or expect they come up with better solutions than showing cars which could be easily mistaken for an “Audi répondez s’il vous plaît”.

Like? Audi SQ5 for wallpaper? Shar this image to Audi SQ5 for your friend.

Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabrio and Coupé 2014

Download Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabrio and Coupé 2014 photo. Find Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabrio and Coupé 2014 images.

Wallpaper Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabrio and Coupé 2014

Some weeks after the traditional-family versions’ release, now it’s time to get some renewed E-Class to that bachelor uncle, too. It would be a nonsense to hope this facelift would've been applied only to the sedan and the station wagon, but these first official pictures show that Mercedes hasn’t gone too further in some aspects. The bright side, however, becomes very easy to see when we remember their goals here. This article will show why doing this leaves everyone with a “mission accomplished” thought.

It’s very pleasant to see an automaker perform the true interpretation of a vehicle’s version. This consists basically in deciding how far the new option will go from the original one, in order to find a nice proportion of individual personality and physical and/or conceptual resemblance with its own line. In other words, in fact it is possible to visually stretch a hatchback’s lower rear section and create a sedan. Than stretch the upper one too and achieve a station wagon. Take off the rear windows to have a pick-up. Cut them all and the rear doors to obtain a convertible, and cover it all to end up with a coupé… but even the fairly acceptable projects from nowadays already invest much more in differentiation. Therefore, climbing to the Mercedes-Benz level leads to results such as what these pictures show. Okay, the updates have the exact same labels of the four-door versions, such as “new single-unit headlights with LEDs” or “redesigned bumpers”, but it’s interesting to notice how they match the slight visual differences brought by these two. For instance, they feature exclusive rear fenders, with a much more appealing design in order to highlight that these are the sporty E-Class options. Not to mention it enables bigger differentiation from the other Mercedes sports cars: they became more opulent than the two-door C-Class and, at the same time, more classical than CL or SL.

This means presenting more particular designs is only those last mentioned ones’ proposal, which is totally appropriate for them because each one is its entire own line. These Cabrio and Coupé, in turn, show a different interpretation of their E-Class genes: the headlights use the same basic structure but in a more casual design, with irregular shapes and a different LEDs drawing, while the front grille received a bigger and more aggressive design. These differences may seem small, but the fact is they are the true responsibles for achieving what was stated at the last paragraph’s start. It isn’t necessary to invest that much into a vehicle’s new version, but achieving this “new personality” is really useful to attract better sales. After all, if a given automaker sold the exact same car only with more or less doors and with or without roof (like the Opel Corsa or Renault Mégane families in the mid-1990s, for example) there wouldn’t be many reasons to sell a particular one, leading most customers to end up with the biggest or the cheapest one – this situation could be translated into one or two variations selling very well and the others having much smaller numbers. Following the opposite strategy allows the car family to divide their public more equally, because each member brings exclusive details to please only a specific part of those buyers.

Entering these vehicles shows smaller updates, such as the redesigned dashboard with a central analog clock and the relocated gear selector, which went from the central console to the between the front seats. As what was seen in the four-door E-Class, there are much bigger improvements at the technical field: the power steering now uses an electromechanical system, which allows a self-parking function. The stereoscopic camera can monitor a much bigger surroundings’ area, the Collision Prevention system is now a standard item, and the optionals list brings a lot of similar technologies, such as lane-keeping, Pre-Safe, adaptative cruise control and the mentioned parking assist systems and 360°-camera. The only AMG-related information released so far is the item package, like what was seen at the new E-Class station wagon and now at the Coupé: exclusive bumpers and wheels are the responsibles of the more aggressive look, but the full-modified versions mustn’t take too long to appear. These cars won’t have lots of surprises about their engine options: they’ll surely maintain the E250, E350, E500 and E550 trim levels, each one with a different engine or a particular engine configuration but always using excellent transmissions, such as the seven-speed automatic gearbox. The complete E-Class will make its official debut at the upcoming Detroit Auto Show.

Like? Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabrio and Coupé 2014 for wallpaper? Shar this image to Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabrio and Coupé 2014 for your friend.

Chevrolet Captiva 2013

Download Chevrolet Captiva 2013 photo. Find Chevrolet Captiva 2013 images.

Wallpaper Chevrolet Captiva 2013

The mid-size crossover produced in Mexico has received last-minute minor updates in order to maintain its good market participation for some years. There are new 17” alloy wheels and both bumpers were slightly redesigned to became more imponent, although nothing of that changes the fact this seven-year-old project will need a new generation soon. Internally, the seats and the door panels received new coatings, and the upper rearview mirror received a small screen dedicated to the reverse-gear camera images.

Like? Chevrolet Captiva 2013 for wallpaper? Shar this image to Chevrolet Captiva 2013 for your friend.

GMC Sierra 1500

Download GMC Sierra 1500 photo. Find GMC Sierra 1500 images.

Wallpaper GMC Sierra 1500

If Silverado received a new generation, why wouldn’t Sierra? And since they’re twins, why one of them would have to wait more? GM has shown what could be named as good parenting skills, and gave the new generation to both pick-ups at the same time. Besides that, this mother has also realized that they’re no longer a pair of babies, so allowed them to get bigger differentiation – each one has a much more individual design than their previous generations. With all that in mind, how about meeting the second of these siblings?

Badge engineering is a very tricky concept, and you must’ve heard this a lot of times – even without leaving this blog. There are many variables to consider, so using the set A or the set B is the biggest responsible for the car’s success or failure. When it comes to these two pick-ups, this new generation turned Sierra fancier than its sister, not only because of what differences were applied but also for how. GMC’s truck also received the aluminum hood, improved chassis with hydroformed front section, doors which now don’t reach the roof and other items to reduce the weight and obtain better aerodynamics, but the style changes manage to produce great effects without being too extensive. The intention seems to be creating conceptual differences, rather than more explicit ones. The bumper, for instance, is as chrome as Silverado’s, but received a more complex design. The grille must have the same size, but received big frames in order to reduce the size impression. Besides that, there’s a bigger external-color-painted contour around the elements, which helps to visually disconnect the items and gives a solidness impression. But nothing says “this is GM’s fancier truck” better than the headlights: can you notice that they’re shared with Silverado? Well, if at Chevrolet they come in pairs, Sierra avoids the extravagance by bringing only two, and wraps them in elegance with LED daytime illumination.

GMC also updated Sierra with Silverado’s new safety package, including the camera-based system to prevent forward collisions and lane-keeping system with sound and seat vibration alerts. There’s also electric steering for all versions, in a redesigned cabin whose biggest differences from Chevrolet’s truck are the red details, to contrast with the black and silver of the internal coatings. Sierra also received the latest version of IntelliLink in an 8” touchscreen: it isn’t hard to guess this is nothing more than GMC’s version of MyLink. The bed options depend on the cabin type: extended cab is paired only with the 6.5-feet one, while the regular cab adds only the 8-feet and the crew cab adds only the 5.8-feet, 8-inch option. There are two or four-driven wheels options, and three engines: like what’s seen on Silverado, Sierra now uses a 4.3L V6, a 5.3L V8 or a 6.2L V8, always with a six-speed automatic transmission. Those engines have several technologies to improve the efficiency, such as direct injection and cylinder-deactivation: when riding with light loads, the V6 turns off two and the V8 four of them. In other words, the biggest difference between Sierra and its Chevrolet twin sister is purely conceptual, like two more separate trim levels of the same vehicle. They will hit the streets early next year, but until now there’s no information about the price lists.

Like? GMC Sierra 1500 for wallpaper? Shar this image to GMC Sierra 1500 for your friend.

Chevrolet Silverado 3

Download Chevrolet Silverado 3 photo. Find Chevrolet Silverado 3 images.

Wallpaper Chevrolet Silverado 3

It’s nice to observe that each country has a very strong connection with a particular car category. The Europeans love hatchbacks, the Australians are crazy about sedan-based pickups, the Brazilians are very fond of sedans… and the North-Americans can’t resist a big, powerful pick-up truck. Their biggest competition is among the mid-sized ones, such as Ford F-150 and RAM 1500. While those needed only slight restyles, it was time for Silverado to receive a whole new generation. And what a great one it is!

These trucks’ sales are so big and stable that they don’t really need to perform big visual changes, since they seem to already have found what their public wants. That’s why, like its competitors, Silverado didn’t make a design revolution from its previous phase. It’s nice to see that it managed to become more modern along with becoming more imponent: the increased fenders are just the right addition to the cleanly-shaped sides, while the rear directs the attention only to the big tail lights and the brand’s logo. But the front is what surely deserves the bigger compliments: not only became tougher with the big grille and the chrome details, as also features a very stylish interpretation of the brand’s classical trucks design: the headlights are also divided in two, just like the 1998 model. But pick-up trucks doesn’t attract clients only with good looks. Silverado’s aerodynamics became much better not only because of the softened design but also because of the new doors, which were improved at fixation and size in order to reduce the internal noise. Besides that, the redesigned chassis uses hydroformed front section and lots of high-resistance steel at the cabin, resulting at a much bigger collision resistance. All of that is offered in Crew Cab and Extended Cab, whose box options go from 5’8” feet to 8’, depending on the cab option.

Another nice feature of the most recent pick-ups is the cabin. Since the 1990s they’ve been receiving so many luxury and comfort improvements that in nowadays it wouldn’t be very hard to mistake them with sedans or minivans. There are several contrasts in this cabin, which are actually very nice to observe: the new dashboard still brings many gauges like any big pick-up demands, but right next to it there’s the new console with a huge touchscreen signing that this car also has the new MyLink entertainment system, packed with multiple USB ports, Bluetooth connection and additional commands at the steering wheel – all the pick-ups have a very wide central armrest, right? Well, Silverado’s is a cover to this very big storage space, divided for fitting smartphones, laptops and other electronic devices. However, none of that has distracted Chevrolet that this is a pick-up truck: the box has LED lights beneath the rails, its corners have built-in steps for easier access and a great safety pack: there are electric steering, four-wheel disc ABS brakes, forward-collision-warning system with cameras and lane-keeping system with seat vibration and audible alert. All of that moves with the Ecotec3 engine family: direct injection and variable valve timing are some of the components used in the three available options. There’s a 4.3L V6, 5.3L V8 and 6.2L V8, all of them with cylinder deactivation when with light load.

Like? Chevrolet Silverado 3 for wallpaper? Shar this image to Chevrolet Silverado 3 for your friend.

Mercedes-Benz E-Class 2014

Download Mercedes-Benz E-Class 2014 photo. Find Mercedes-Benz E-Class 2014 images.

Wallpaper Mercedes-Benz E-Class 2014

When it comes to selling cars, building traditions can be as tricky as not having them. Some brands decide to keep a successful concept over the years only performing updates, while others prefer fresh starts for each time they have to replace a vehicle. These strategies are equally capable of leading both to success or failure, so each case must be considered individually. Mercedes-Benz has decided to follow the first path decades ago, so each time it becomes more impressive to see how they manage to keep this success.

Creating an entire new idea for each generation of a given car allows the brand to adapt it with the current times much easier, such as what Fiat has done with their medium-sized hatchbacks: Tipo’s straight lines were very common at the late 1980s, but when the following decade’s trends became to appear they had to respond. This reaction came with not one, but two cars: using two names enabled Brava and Bravo to give much better interpretations of two-door and four-door hatchbacks separately, but both with very creative designs. Later, if the 2000s brought the straight lines back but with more imponent shapes, creating Stilo was much better than discharacterizing the previous cars. And when the car world associated organic lines to a nostalgic trend, Fiat showed a modern reinterpretation of Bravo. Meanwhile, one of the opposite examples can be given with Golf: straight lines, round lines, bigger shapes, organic shapes… Volkswagen did their best to follow each and every trend along with keeping traditions such as the overall shape and iconic details like the “C column”’s big width. Sometimes they did it better and sometimes worse, but it’s undeniable that those years built a very strong image to its customers. Like BMW, Mercedes-Benz follows the traditional path even more strictly – cars like CLS and B-Class are much more younger than E-Class, for example.

However, the last years have seen some conceptual changes even at this brand’s most classical cars. C-Class used to act as a miniature of the other Mercedes, but it was noticed that there were many possible buyers that didn’t take one because of the high prices and the “too classical” style. So the Germans decided to create cheaper versions, but along with a “cooler” design, much more casual than the previous generations. On the other side, S-Class now needs to fill the late Maybach’s gap at the very high luxury market, so what’s left for the middle brother? This facelift proves that the answer must be to stick to the tradition: apply the best current technologies to improve an already well-stabilished car. The new headlights could be a nice example of that: they’ve turned into an only piece for the first time in eighteen years in order to receive LEDs illumination, but with a two-parts shape that clearly reminds the previous design. There are several other elements which connect Mercedes’ current cars with the older ones, such as the big front grille with the SLS-like shape or the tail lights with horizontal components. This is only a half-age facelift, so the Germans wanted only to rejuvenate it. It’s easy to see that this mission was accomplished because both sedan and Touring versions now give a more dynamical impression, obtained with slightly bigger elements and less lines.

Nevertheless, a Mercedes would never be a Mercedes if there wasn’t the typical “limousine impression” that has earned so much admiration through the years. C-Class now follows a slightly different path, but E-Class doesn’t make any effort to hide that it is a typical “rich people’s car”. Not that this is a bad thing: there are no doubts that this is one of the most classy cars of its price range. This facelift came with a new dashboard and a new entertainment center which even includes Internet, and finishes to compose a really sophisticated interior, which will pamper its five occupants with lots of luxury items but also with an impressive safety system: there’s active cruise control, automatic lane-keeping, brake assistance and an optional stereoscopic camera on the windshield, that can recognize three-dimensional shapes and movements in order to improve collision preventions. As usual, Mercedes will offer a big variety of engines paired with an even bigger of versions, but no single market will have all of them. Using gasoline, there will be a 2.0 turbo for E200 and E250, a 3.5 V6 with direct injection for E300 and E350 and together with an electric one for E400 Hybrid and a 4.7 V8 twin-turbo for E550, not to mention the also double-turbined 5.5 V8 for E63 AMG – the diesel options must be E250 and E300 BlueTec. Some of those will offer the 4Matic all-wheel drive, but all of them will bring start/stop system.

Like? Mercedes-Benz E-Class 2014 for wallpaper? Shar this image to Mercedes-Benz E-Class 2014 for your friend.

Acura RLX

Download Acura RLX photo. Find Acura RLX images.

Wallpaper Acura RLX

Twenty years ago, who could imagine that LEDs would become such an important component even at car illumination? These little devices have proven themselves resistant enough to bigger uses than at home appliances, while the massive production has taken care of reducing their cost. From a more decorative debut than actually working, their use in cars evolved into providing the daytime lights, and now there’s this Acura enabling them to give one more big step. This article will introduce you to the first car to use 100% LED illumination.

Planned to arrive in 2013, this sedan will replace RL as Acura’s flagship car. This means RLX will be the responsible of competing with Germans like Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Italians like Maserati Quattroporte, Koreans like Hyundai Equus and compatriots such as Lexus LS. Since there’s never enough luxury for these cars, each automaker needs to find other ways of taking the attentions, specially from the Europeans’ and North-Americans’ worldwide huge appeal. That’s why Nissan’s high-end division uses a much more refined interpretation of their design identity on Infiniti cars while Toyota has created an entirely different style for Lexus’ cars using aggressive sporty lines – on the other hand, Hyundai and Kia’s of also creating luxury divisions reveal they seem to have finally understood that it’s impossible to attract wealthier customers with the same brands that sell cheap vehicles. And Honda restrain their Japanese style to their own cars, letting Acura follow a more classic path, being elegant without seeming old-fashioned. And this is the reason you won’t see strong cuts and creases in RLX, for example. Instead of turning all the necks like a Cadillac, this sedan uses imponent volumes created with discreet lines, resulting in a very classy car. The more observant looks may find German inspirations, but the fact is this sedan has its own personality.

Have you seen how many cars are using big LCD touchscreens at the central console? Well, if using one of those has become common for you, RLX uses two: one of them allows you to control the entertainment system, while the other works exclusively for the GPS navigator. This anticipates this car’s trim level, which includes tri-zone air-conditioner, AcuraLink traffic monitor, 18” or 19” wheels and a sound system with up to fourteen speakers. When it comes to the safety, this car brings lane-changing alert, adaptative cruise control, panoramic reverse-gear camera and anti-collision systems. And opening the hood reveals a V6 3.5, which uses direct injection to produce 310 hp, and three-cylinders deactivation to achieve the 23.52 mpg consumption rate, always using a six-speed automatic transmission and four-wheel traction. These are Acura’s first information for RLX, but there was also announced a hybrid version for soon, which will bring a double-clutch seven-speed transmission to command three electric engines and even a rear steering axle. Always with the beautiful headlights which use ten very sophisticated LEDs each, being capable of emitting up to twenty light beams in four different angles… and giving the definitive dismiss to the lamp illumination.

Like? Acura RLX for wallpaper? Shar this image to Acura RLX for your friend.

Volkswagen CC

Download Volkswagen CC photo. Find Volkswagen CC images.

Wallpaper Volkswagen CC

Outro dos lançamentos reservados para o recente evento da VW foi a nova fase de seu cupê de quatro portas. Como a família Passat ainda está longe da época de mudar de geração, depois de sedã e perua receberem seu primeiro facelift na fase atual, agora chega a vez de atualizar o irmão “subversivo”. Mas em vez de lhe aplicar uma mera re-estilização, os alemães buscaram aproveitar seu conceito diferente para lhe dar independência, com mudanças pequenas mas de importância conceitual muito grande.

Esta mudança de nome foi o perfeito símbolo para a ideia que se quer passar com este carro a partir de agora. Assim como o carro que lhe serviu de inspiração, o conterrâneo Mercedes-Benz CLS, o então Passat CC surgiu como uma alternativa mais informal à tradicional linha de luxo da VW. A intenção é cativar a parcela dos clientes que aprecia as qualidades desses carros mas não gosta da sobriedade que lhes caracteriza. Então, assim que esse nicho foi detectado bastou deixar o bom gosto trabalhar para aliar esportividade e elegância no que seria o “traje esporte fino” dos carros: a própria denominação “cupê de quatro portas” já antecipa a dualidade de conceitos que esses carros carregam. Esta versão do Passat vem se mostrando um tiro certeiro tanto quanto o CLS, com o agravante de que sua dirigibilidade tão elogiada é um excelente par para a proposta que ele traz. Então, a VW aproveitou a época de redesenhar o carro para investir mais nesse novo conceito. As linhas mais retas que ganhou lhe dão personalidade própria, em especial quando se lembra da ditadura estilística que enfrentam os modelos mais recentes da marca. O CC ficou ainda mais elegante porque abandonou a esportividade explicitada por spoilers e aerofólios para apelar ao potencial de seu próprio conceito, reforçando elementos como a largura da carroceria bem maior que a altura.

Entretanto, por mais independente que este carro tenha virado na nova fase, sua relação com os Passat convencionais não se perdeu. Primeiro porque eles compartilham o projeto e são muito parecidos visualmente, mas a principal razão é que a VW realmente não tem motivo de desvencilhar este carro da linha que só perde em sofisticação para o Phaeton, mas que em seu segmento conta com muito mais carisma que aquele – eles só deixaram implícito o parentesco entre o CC e seus irmãos sedã e Variant. E como era de se esperar, este carro teve diversas melhoras de equipamentos: sua lista ganhou o sistema OPS de câmeras para exibir os arredores do carro em 360° e a nova geração do Park Assist, o famoso assistente de baliza. Todo o demais se manteve, o que vai desde itens como ar-condicionado digital, entrada sem chave e farois bi-xenônio com LEDs diurnos e um pacote de segurança que inclui seis airbags, sensor de fadiga e controle de estabilidade até toda a qualidade dos materiais usados na cabine, com acabamento impecável. O motor é o mesmo 3.6 V6 FSI de antes, com potência de 300 cv e torque de 35,6 kgfm e que usa o câmbio DSG de seis marchas com tração integral 4Motion – este carro vai de 0 a 100 km/h em 5s5 e chega à velocidade máxima de 250 km/h. Ele conta com oito opções de cor externa, duas para o painel e três para o couro Nappa. O CC começa em R$ 208.024, fora os opcionais.

Like? Volkswagen CC for wallpaper? Shar this image to Volkswagen CC for your friend.

Chevrolet Impala 10

Download Chevrolet Impala 10 photo. Find Chevrolet Impala 10 images.

Wallpaper Chevrolet Impala 10

Happy times for the automakers were the 1950s, and they didn’t realize it. There was plenty of space for newcomers, each brand had to please only their homeland and some neighbor countries, and since cars were a luxury item there wasn’t any concern of reducing the costs. However, today’s scenario is so competitive that it’s necessary even to “divide” a car’s release, from teasers to the sales start, to multiply its attention from the media. Here you will see why the new Impala deserves each and every one of these spotlights.

Impala is such an important car not only for the five decades of selling in the North-American market, but for what it represents for GM. While this group has always had Cadillac at the high-luxury market, the car initially sold as coupe and convertible could find its way to the success for being a halfway between what was already offered at that time, using the best quality Chevrolet could offer (it came above the very famous Bel-Air) but without a price overlap with the richer brothers that would stop Impala’s sales in favor of them. Besides that, it’s very nice to observe that this car was always up-to-date with each moment’s conceptual trends: the first generation, for example, offered lots of colors options, both inside and outside. The second one came already two years later and already completely restyled, using a very opulent design characterized by tailfins and huge sizes both in length and engine options. In 1961 there were some style containments which were followed by the fourth generation, making Impala finish this decade with a very classy and elegant style, including the famous Coke bottle trend. The 1970s began with much more straight lines and still lots of V8 engines, but the sixth generation suffered downsizing in order to meet the current demands. At that time, this car was starting to forget the coupe’s origins in favor of the sedan and station wagon’s sales.

However, since Chevrolet had been selling Caprice above Impala since the 1960s, it was needed a whole new strategy to keep both excellent sales. The two sedans received a huge restyling in the early 1990s, dropping the straight lines in favor of a more aerodynamical design. But since they would compete for almost the same public, it was decided to sell Impala only at the sporty version SS, as a high-performance option for Caprice. Both were discontinued after some years without successors, but the Impala badge was resurrected in 2000. There were more efficient engines, reduced sizes and even front-wheel traction, all because the car received a whole new platform. This modern idea was updated with the ninth-generation in 2006, including a new SS version, a 50th anniversary edition and even a Flex-Fuel version, prepared to use E85. But the times started to change very fast in the latest years, and Impala needed to follow them. The original idea was to go back to the rear-wheel-drive, but GM decided to use the very modern Epsilon II platform. This means Impala is able to bring all the cutting-edge technologies already developed by the group and to receive the future ones: this includes hybrid engines, comfort items such as the new MyLink entertainment system and all kinds of safety equipments.

The tenth generation is by far the best Impala ever produced. The new price list wants to reduce the overlapping with Malibu in order to separate each one’s public, giving the more classic customers to what is now the biggest Chevrolet sedan available. This car will start from US$ 27.535 at the LS version, US$ 30.760 at LT and US$ LTZ, initially only with the 3.6 V6 of 300-hp. Later, there will be a smaller 2.5 with 195 hp and even the eAssist version, using an 185-hp 2.4 option, but there isn’t much known about it so far. The pictures reveal a very spacious interior, with a very elegant interpretation of Chevrolet’s double-cockpit concept in two colors. Impala shows that even a classic car can take the advantages of the modern times, including the new MyLink version in a big touchscreen, a very beautiful dashboard and even the blue night internal lights, to give a more creative illumination than what’s usually seen. There are notable price differences between the trim levels, but even the cheapest one dazzles the customers with 18” alloy wheels, ten airbags and automatic six-speed transmission – the LTZ level is the red car seen at some of the pictures. Impala will wait until the next March to hit the streets in this new generation, and it’ll compete with other very traditional sedans: its main competitors are Dodge Charger and the also recently-restyled Ford Taurus and Toyota Avalon.

Like? Chevrolet Impala 10 for wallpaper? Shar this image to Chevrolet Impala 10 for your friend.

Honda Crosstour 2013

Download Honda Crosstour 2013 photo. Find Honda Crosstour 2013 images.

Wallpaper Honda Crosstour 2013

Some articles ago this blog has mentioned the huge importance of respecting each market’s preferences when it comes to cars, due to the simple reason of this being how to give the customers what they want. The eighties have proved that imposing the same vehicle to many countries doesn’t sell well, although the mathematics prove that sharing parts between several cars reduces production costs. This “economical art” is what stimulates the release of cars such as the Nissan Titan of said article, and the crossover you’ll read about here.

Crosstour is a good example of that combined strategy because it filled a gap in Honda’s North-American showroom without demanding an exclusive project. In other words, if CR-V is a small crossover and Pilot is a full-size SUV, they managed to put the new car between them in size and with a much more sporty proposal, so the three don’t converge into attracting the same public, using no more than the US Accord’s platform. This car is a conceptual rival for Toyota Venza, and both of them work as cheaper versions of BMW X6’s idea: starting from the typical crossover base, they exchange the five seat’s space for a much more casual style, giving a urban look instead of resembling an SUV. 2013 will see a slightly facelifted Crosstour, whose biggest visual changes are a cleaner-designed and more imponent front. The front and size pictures show that this car has a really elegant resemblance with the youngest Accord and Pilot, but Honda’s problem was don’t knowing when to stop: there’s a black plastic part right above the rear license plate, which tries to remind CR-X’s (and its hybrid successor CR-Z’s) two-party windshield – besides those cars used this solution to improve the aerodynamics, splitting it with a big spoiler makes this area unattractive to a crossover with much bigger size.

However, it’s undeniable that Honda’s crossover is very stylish. This fastback-like design gives it a bigger dynamism sensation than Venza and even X6 because those ones have taller rear ends. But if they haven’t done their best with the rear design, the interior has improved a lot. There are design changes to give a “tougher look”, material changes to improve the overall quality and a new multimedia entertainment system, with a big touchscreen on the central console. Opening the hood reveals the biggest improvement: Crosstour has received the new Earth Dreams engines. This new family uses lots of technology to reduce consumption and emissions, and here is shown with a 192-hp 2.4 and a 278-hp V6 3.5, this one with full traction available. Those are a more sophisticated interior and more efficient engines to a car which preserves the huge internal space seen at the pictures. Since this car’s sales are exclusively focused in North America, it makes total sense that Honda showed the concept-car at the last New York Motor Show and now plans to show the official version at the Los Angeles show. Its sales will begin right after, starting from US$ 27.230.

Like? Honda Crosstour 2013 for wallpaper? Shar this image to Honda Crosstour 2013 for your friend.

Toyota Avalon 4

Download Toyota Avalon 4 photo. Find Toyota Avalon 4 images.

Wallpaper Toyota Avalon 4

After debuting its new generation at the last New York Auto Show, Avalon now receives its new price list. This means Toyota is about to start selling one of their most important vehicles of the latest times, considering the changes that were applied and the market category in which this car competes. While some competitors focus at their tradition, like Chevrolet Impala, this sedan wants to prove that it’s possible to please the wealthier families offering the luxury they’re used to have with a style that never had followed it before.

Avalon could achieve all that mentioned boldness without big limitations only because it was time to receive a whole new generation. This comes from the fact that even though the brand decides do change their style rules at some time, those updates will always take some time to be effectively seen. They can start them by releasing one new model as a symbol of what to expect from the next years, but there’s always the fact that a big automaker’s cars are always each one at a particular moment of its lifecycle. This means that some already need a new project, but others can have only a half-life face-lift and others don’t even need to change at all, and all those conditions need to be respected not only to avoid the financial losses from making big investments without the previous ones being satisfactorily recovered, but also to avoid a massive customer complaint, since they would see their cars becoming outdated in much less time than what’s expected. That’s the reason why the North-American Toyota’s showroom (to restrict this text to the market where Avalon is sold) has received Camry’s current generation one year ago while the Prius family (started in 2010) will remain unchanged for some years and Corolla will receive its new generation soon, since the current one arrived in 2009.

In fact, the biggest Toyota sedan of that market was so acclaimed that it was said it’ll be the visual inspiration for the next Corolla, planned to be revealed in 2013. This approval starts with the stylish exterior, composed of modern lines who follow Toyota’s nice idea of applying the most recent trends in car design without forgetting the typical Japanese cars’ ones. This explains why Avalon brings European ideas such as a much shorter third volume to remind the coupe rear (like Mercedes-Benz does with CLS) but also the design of the lights and air intakes, with visually aggressive cuts like most of the Eastern cars of the past few years. This “recipe” is common among the latest Honda, Hyundai, Kia or Mitsubishi cars, for example, but usually at compacts, crossover or sports cars because those categories tend to attract young customers, and because of that focus at emotional appeals. However, a family sedan, specially at the US, deals with the strong traditions built around them. Their main public are older couples, who twenty years ago used to drive Chevrolet Impala, Chrysler Concorde and Ford Taurus, therefore used to much more classical cars.

As its compatriot Honda Accord, Avalon’s previous generations actually followed those rules because of the Japanese automakers’ decision of starting North America’s operations with more neutral cars in order to achieve better sales at that first time. Today they all are much more than popular around there, but if the eighth Accord still offers a classical style, Toyota’s sedan seems to want to revolutionize this category. Sharing platform with its “richer cousin” Lexus ES, it not only has a sophisticated construction as brings lots of comfort and technology items: the interior’s wooden details come with three-zone air-conditioner, heated leather seats, GPS navigation, sunroof and the multimedia system with a 7” touchscreen at the central console. The basic Avalon had a 6,6% price reduction from the previous generation and now starts at US$ 30.990. Its trim levels will be XLE, XLE Premium, XLE Touring and Limited, but the engine options will be the V6 3.5 with 268 hp with automatic six-speed transmission and the hybrid one, an Atkinson 2.5 along with the electric engine and a 244 volt battery, to achieve the final 200 hp using a CVT transmission. With the last option and the most expensive trim level, Avalon reaches US$ 41.400.

Like? Toyota Avalon 4 for wallpaper? Shar this image to Toyota Avalon 4 for your friend.

Chevrolet Trailblazer

Download Chevrolet Trailblazer photo. Find Chevrolet Trailblazer images.

Wallpaper Chevrolet Trailblazer

C’est fini. Depois do processo que levou quase dois anos, o Salão do Automóvel foi o palco de inauguração das duas novidades que encerram o ciclo de renovação da Chevrolet brasileira. Se o Onix chegou para atacar nos segmentos de entrada, a Trailblazer é outro projeto totalmente brasileiro mas que disputa o outro extremo da gama da marca. Agora a filial da GM em nosso país se encontra em sintonia quase completa com os mercados estrangeiros, a qual você pode conhecer mais um pouco com a novidade deste artigo.

Vale lembrar, no entanto, que o novo SUV traz um nome com certa tradição. O mercado norte-americano já oferecia uma Blazer desde os anos 1970, mas a geração que também chegou ao Brasil foi a de vinte anos depois. Ali também se oferecem a irmã maior Tahoe e a bem maior Suburban, mas como se trata do que deve ser o maior consumidor de veículos grandes do planeta, ainda havia uma lacuna válida de preencher. O nome Trailblazer surgiu como uma versão de luxo para a Blazer em 1999, mas três anos depois virava um modelo separado e maior que a ascendente. Essa linha tão organizada só se pôde manter nos Estados Unidos, porque nenhum outro mercado apresenta interesse parecido em veículos desse porte. Isso fez a GM abusar da criatividade (ou de sua falta) à hora de batizar os SUVs que começou a lançar: além das derivações vendidas sob as marcas-irmãs Buick, GMC e Oldsmobile, a própria Chevrolet exportou a Tahoe como Grand Blazer por alguns anos, para mercados que incluíram o Brasil. Hoje em dia a GM reservou a gama de SUVs aos Estados Unidos e priorizou crossovers e minivans para os demais mercados, mas a saudosa Blazer ainda tinha uma clientela fiel, ao lado de sua versão picape S10. Esse potencial teve direito a um modelo dessa vez projetado já com foco fora dos EUA, e começou a chegar às nossas revendas com a picape, em fevereiro deste ano.

Engana-se, entretanto, quem pensar que o novo SUV é apenas uma versão fechada do modelo com caçamba. A nova Trailblazer (nome agora exclusivo deste carro) elevou o luxo da linha além do nível já interessante da S10, buscando as famílias com exclusividades como os sete lugares – a cabine agora ostenta enorme espaço interno, digno das minivans médias e grandes e seguindo o conceito Dual Cockpit de desenho interior. Já o lado de fora ganhou desenho exclusivo a partir das portas traseiras, não só para realçar as boas-vindas aos ocupantes como também para dar personalidade própria ao SUV: os paralamas abaulados ajudam na sensação de imponência iniciada com a dianteira, ao passo que as janelas de perfil baixo com as últimas unidas ao vidro traseiro ajudam na leveza e dinamismo visual – o resultado ficou bem diferente da impressão de carro comprido vista no Traverse norte-americano, por exemplo. Esse alto nível coloca a Chevrolet brasileira de novo em posição de competir num segmento há tempos dominado pela concorrência. Afinal o Captiva disputa outro público, e com isso só consegue atender uma parte dos clientes do segmento, que já não olhavam para a Blazer antiga porque suas sucessivas tentativas de barateamento já não compensavam a idade do projeto.

Por trás do nome “incrementado”, a Trailblazer encerra as críticas com um projeto global de última geração, que será distribuído para várias partes do mundo – o primeiro deles foi a Tailândia, alguns meses atrás. Voltando ao Brasil, este carro ficará num patamar pouco acima da S10, na mesmíssima estratégia que a Toyota faz com Hilux e SW4, e que a Ford em outros tempos fazia com Ranger e Explorer. No caso da Chevrolet, o SUV começa as vendas no Brasil em novembro apenas na versão LTZ, por enquanto. Isso significa o pacote completo da S10 mas acrescido de luxos como sistema de som multimídia de qualidade premium, touchscreen de 7” como acessório, e a segunda e terceira fileiras de bancos rebatíveis no estilo Flat Floor: trata-se de sistema parecido ao de minivans como a Zafira, em que os bancos dobrados formam uma continuação plana ao assoalho do porta-malas. Outra novidade interessante se esconde sob o capô da versão LTZ: a chegada do 2.8 Duramax turbodiesel e seus 180 cv já era certa, mas a Trailblazer volta com os tempos áureos da antecessora ao oferecer uma opção V6: os fãs da antiga Blazer Exclusive poderão desfrutar de um 3.6 V6 a gasolina (que não é o do Captiva) de 239 cv por R$ 175.450, enquanto a versão a diesel fica em R$ 145.450.

Like? Chevrolet Trailblazer for wallpaper? Shar this image to Chevrolet Trailblazer for your friend.

Dodge Durango

Download Dodge Durango photo. Find Dodge Durango images.

Wallpaper Dodge Durango

O mundo automotivo já está repleto de resumos e definições sobre a história da rápida e intensa ascensão do conceito de crossover no mercado mundial. Basicamente, o segredo desses carros consiste em aliar o máximo possível do que há de melhor em três ou quatro categorias como minivan, perua e sedã, embalar com um desenho moderno e chamativo e oferecer a receita em vários tamanhos e preços. O novo Durango mostra como esse filão mereceu até uma interpretação do outrora tradicionalíssimo mercado norte-americano.

Este carro surgiu no final da década de 1990 como a versão fechada da Dakota, picape que chegou a ser fabricada no Brasil por alguns anos. Ele chegava como um dos primeiros a já nascer um SUV, conceito que começava a entrar em moda na época mas viria a ganhar força total com o BMW X5. Sem inovações, o Durango partia da valentia off-road emprestada dos primos Jeep mas entregava o desenho típico dos carros urbanos da época, com proliferação das linhas limpas e arredondadas. Era uma fórmula parecida à dos arquirrivais Chevrolet Blazer e Ford Explorer, e trouxe boas vendas até a chegada da segunda geração. Esta chegou em 2003 mais moderna e requintada, mas o estilo virou um problema porque parecia ter perdido o rumo: assim como vários contemporâneos, ele queria parecer a evolução do anterior e ao mesmo tempo em sintonia com o resto da gama da marca, mas ainda não sabia como. E quando sua época de mudar se aproximou, a crise de 2008 pôs muitas empresas do nível do Grupo Chrysler em alerta vermelho. Essa situação só veio melhorar depois da aquisição da Fiat, porque além da injeção de dinheiro significou o começo de um futuro muito diferente do que a Chrysler de dez anos atrás preveria.

Os tempos haviam mudado, e o sucesso passava a estar em adaptar-se o quanto antes. Entre a ascensão de híbridos e elétricos e o surgimento de novas categorias, o conceito de identidade corporativa nunca esteve tão em voga. Cada marca agora formava uma espécie de clã com seus modelos, para lhes firmar atrativos mais fortes e assim fazer uma oferta mais sólida ao cliente. A princípio isso se tornou ruim para a Dodge porque significou duas perdas dolorosas: as picapes mais famosas se emanciparam formando a marca RAM, ao passo que há menos tempo o esportivo Viper se reinventou já sob as mãos da divisão esportiva SRT. Mas as vantagens começaram a vir assim que se começaram a promover novas atualizações na linha remanescente. A Dodge sempre foi o braço esportivo do grupo, então os novos tempos veriam isso se ressaltar mais do que nunca. Reeditaram ícones do passado como Challenger e Dart, cortaram os modelos de baixas vendas e modernizaram todo o resto da linha, o que inclui o modelo destas fotos. O Durango de terceira geração chegou aos EUA em 2010 com uma personalidade muito interessante, composta por volumes fortes associados a linhas suaves para passar sensação de imponência sem rebuscamentos visuais que pudessem acelerar o envelhecimento do conjunto. Mas o seu toque especial ainda é outro: com tamanho de SUV e espaço de minivan, ele se destaca por não se devotar nem ao fora-de-estrada e nem às famílias.

Também há o fato de que seu grupo tem a Jeep e a Chrysler para esses dois públicos, mas fato é que o Durango atrai por seguir o conceito de crossover sem alardeá-lo. Com isso, ao comprador ficam como agradáveis surpresas ver que por baixo deste desenho matador se têm equipamentos como tração integral e sete assentos, que se podem configurar em 22 opções diferentes. Ou seja, é um carro focado no uso urbano mas que tem todo o potencial para agradar tanto em viagens de família como em trilhas off-road sem excessos, sempre contando com a segurança de um pacote que inclui airbags frontais, laterais e de cortina, alerta de presença nos pontos cegos e sistema que controla a velocidade de acordo com a distância do carro à frente, entre outros. O Durango terá sua estreia brasileira feita neste Salão do Automóvel, mas já se sabe que o enorme pacote de itens é característica tanto da versão Crew como da Citadel, par escalado para o nosso mercado. E se você já estava começando a vê-lo como um irmão maior, mais bonito e ainda mais estiloso que o Journey, o parentesco termina de se explicitar sob o capô: aqui também se usará o famoso motor 3.6 V6 PentaStar, que gera 286 cv e tem consumo de 6,8 km/l na cidade e 9,8 km/l na estrada.

Atualização 11/01/2013: As vendas do Dodge Durango no Brasil começaram em forma oficial. A versão Crew sai por R$ 189.900 e traz seis airbags, ar-condicionado com zonas de temperatura individuais, bancos de couro, controles de tração e anticapotamento, freios com ABS e EBD, rodas de liga leve aro 18”, sistema de entretenimento multimdía com touchscreen de 6,4”, sete lugares e disco rígido de 30 GB. Já a versão Citadel começa em R$ 209.900 e soma farois de xenônio, grade dianteira cromada, rodas de 20”, outra central multimídia com tela de 10” para os passageiros dos bancos de trás, teto solar e volante com regulagens elétricas.

Like? Dodge Durango for wallpaper? Shar this image to Dodge Durango for your friend.

Cadillac ATS

Download Cadillac ATS photo. Find Cadillac ATS images.

Wallpaper Cadillac ATS

Right after officially debuting at the Paris Motor Show as the North-American version, ATS now packs its bags to be sold in Europe, too. This car represents the GM Group’s new global strategy, which includes more flexibility from their brands, to expand the sales by adapting each one’s main focus to more car categories. To the US this means a whole new kind of Cadillac sedan, while the Europeans now can finally enjoy an authentic one in this price range. You can discover why this car is so nice by reading this article.

Although Cadillac is GM’s luxury brand, the latest ten years have shown that it’s impossible to survive by only relying at this status. If automakers such as Porsche entered the SUVs world, VW attempted entering the high luxury’s and Volvo has even reprojected its entire design philosophy, the luxury brands discovered that the only way of avoiding big losses with all those market changes was changing themselves, too. There were released lots of new crossovers, some sports cars and limited editions, there were sales started at countries inimaginable ten years ago, too, but the trick was not complete: another very effective way of attracting more customers is to leave the comfort zone and start to fight in lower price ranges. The German trio came up with new minivans and hatchbacks and widened the sedans’ options, but the North-American similars can relegate the first ones to their smaller-budget sisters Chevrolet, Dodge and Ford. The car seen on those pictures, therefore, is Cadillac’s very well-tasted attempt to fill a gap of their current line: although CTS was priced near 3-Series, C-Class and A4, it is much longer than any of them. In this category bigger size doesn’t mean a better car because most of those buyers look for a more casual style, achieved with some sporty features but specially a nimbler appearance, far from the opulent limousine-impression brought by a longer body.

However, Cadillac’s answer to this problem turned out much better than what was expected. They didn’t thought of downsizing CTS or Chevrolet Impala, and at the same time remembered what happened when they upgraded the third Opel Ascona for themselves as Cimarron at the 1980s. ATS deserved the entirely new Alpha platform, which surely will be shared with GM’s future big sedans. With that, one more time they enjoyed the good part of starting from zero: although it brings a considerable cost, it was possible to project a light and compact sedan, with lots of technology but specially the much more casual design lacked by its bigger brother – the new one doesn’t try to avoid the very angular lines, but gives a slightly smoother interpretation of them, completed by the headlights expanded through the hood and the third volume smaller than CTS’s. It remains a very elegant car, but without that visual seriousness, length, size and even size: the ATS project team states that this car weighs as much as a two-generation-old 3-Series. Nevertheless, a more casual car doesn’t imply a worse car at all: ATS boasts a very classy interior, composed of a more discreet way of repeating Chevrolet’s “dual cockpit” concept combined to several options of dashboard colors. As it was expected, this car matches its main competitors when it comes to trim levels but also in performance: there will be a 2.5 Ecotec, a 2.0 Ecotec Turbo and the 3.6 V6 used by the bigger sibling.

Like? Cadillac ATS for wallpaper? Shar this image to Cadillac ATS for your friend.

Mercedes-Benz SL

Download Mercedes-Benz SL photo. Find Mercedes-Benz SL images.

Wallpaper Mercedes-Benz SL

Agora a alta sociedade brasileira conta com mais uma opção para deslocar-se em grande estilo. Em continuidade ao plano de expansão da linha no país que se iniciou com a chegada da nova Classe B, a Mercedes-Benz agora inicia as vendas do membro mais elegante da sua linha de “descapotáveis”, nome que esta categoria recebe em Portugal. Lançada no início deste ano, a nova geração do SL recebeu melhorias que só reforçam sua proposta de criar um irresistível meio-termo entre a pompa da Classe S e o charme do SLK.

Uma primeira vista pode alegar que oferecer o SL não preenche nenhuma lacuna significante, já que o SLS Roadster tem o apelo emocional de um superesportivo e o SLK custa menos, mas a diferença entre eles vai muito além disso. Basta analizar a questão da proposta que cada conjunto traz, de acordo a aspectos mais subjetivos como a proporção das linhas ou a lista de motores. O SLS surgiu como um topo-de-linha em desempenho e dirigibilidade, de forma que seu tipo ideal de comprador costuma levá-lo a passeios mais “apimentados” em circuitos de corrida, e até então se via indeciso entre Porsche, Ferrari ou Lamborghini, por exemplo. Já o desenho compacto do SLK evidencia que seu foco maior é o estilo. Sua fórmula de linhas fortes aliada a itens como ao já clássico teto rígido de acionamento elétrico até oferece versões de alto desempenho para agradar aos homens, mas é o público feminino quem se delicia mais com o charme do seu visual bem-feito concentrado em um tamanho reduzido. A linha SL, portanto, consegue se diferenciar porque foca na elegância. Seu desenho tem a mesma identidade estabelecida entre os Mercedes-Benz pelo SLS, mas aqui se vê aplicada a uma carroceria larga e um tanto longa, que lhe dá um ar bem mais classudo.

Ele chega ao país em duas versões com públicos bem diferentes, mesmo dentro da proposta comum já mencionada. A versão SL350 traz um 3.5 V6 que gera potência e torque de 306 cv e 37,7 kgfm que, aliado ao câmbio 7G-Tronic Plus de sete marchas e ao menor peso da carroceria feita em alumínio, leva o carro de 0 a 100 km/h em 5s9, com velocidade máxima limitada em 250 km/h. Aqui o destaque maior fica para o capricho do interior, com revestimentos em várias opções de cor e a fartura de itens de luxo, segurança e tecnologia típica dos carros da marca, mas dessa vez em um espaço restrito a duas pessoas. Já o outro rouba as atenções com o que traz sob o capô: basta dizer que se trata de SL 63 AMG para dar brilho aos olhos dos aficionados. Além da cabine recheada de equipamentos, ele traz o pacote AMG Performance de série, capitaneado pelo 5.5 V8 biturbo de 564 cv e 91,8 kgfm, mais do que suficientes para que ele cumpra as marcas já mencionadas em 4s2 e 300 km/h, esta novamente limitada eletronicamente. Tanta diferença em desempenho sinaliza que a primeira versão tem como principal ponto forte as vantagens de vir da marca que vem, o que permite inferir níveis muito altos de qualidade e sofisticação, ao passo que a outra procura seduzir os amantes da velocidade (e como consegue…). O SL 350 custará US$ 269.900 e o SL 63 AMG passa a US$ 399.900.

Like? Mercedes-Benz SL for wallpaper? Shar this image to Mercedes-Benz SL for your friend.

Audi S4

Download Audi S4 photo. Find Audi S4 images.

Wallpaper Audi S4

Mais um mês se inicia e a Audi já marca sua presença no calendário de lançamentos do Brasil. A enorme atualização da linha já passou literalmente de A1 a R8, e agora chega a uma de suas linhas mais cultuadas pelos entusiastas. Trata-se dos mais novos S4, que se não causam nenhuma revolução visual, receberam uma série de melhorias em requinte e em especial em desempenho, que é o real motivo de sedução desta dupla. Tanto em sedã como perua já estão disponíveis nas revendas, e você poderá conhecê-los neste artigo.

Carros como estes comprovam que o espectro dos carros de luxo apresenta subsegmentos com razões de existência muito parecida às que fundam as categorias dos modelos mais acessíveis. Um exemplo é a categoria que já se pode chamar de “aventureiros urbanos”: eles trazem dos SUVs o visual de porte mais imponente e o melhor preparo para condições adversas mas sem se afastar demais do conforto dos carros urbanos. Se essa receita se aplica aos carros de menor preço, o foco em reduzir os custos converge a modelos como Ford EcoSport, que é um crossover compacto com a base de um hatchback, o Fiesta, ou mesmo a Palio Adventure: a pioneira desses carros no Brasil é uma versão bem modificada da pacata Palio Weekend. Já entre os clientes que não têm problema com dinheiro, a receita original ganha liberdade para ir um pouco mais além, como no caso de VW Passat Alltrack e Volvo XC70: carros deste nível passam a alterações como tração integral de série e suspensão alterada, mas sem abandonar o nível de requinte que faz a fama de suas versões comuns. Portanto, enquanto a versão dedicada à esportividade de um Nissan March não passa de aplicar spoilers e adesivos e focar em oferecer mais itens, a ideia de conciliar vocação para cidade e circuito ganha um matiz diferente para carros como o Audi S4.

Aqui o foco não passa por oferecer acessórios chamativos ou dotar o carro de algum pacote de itens superior porque a proposta destes carros realmente é outra. O S4 aposta na discrição típica de carros de nível mais alto, dedicando-se a itens externos mais comedidos que só mesmo os entusiastas reconhecem com facilidade. A atual fase da linha A4 traz o desenho dianteiro levemente remodelado, com a interessante novidade da iluminação diurna formar um desenho contínuo, em vez da linha pontilhada que até então era a única solução vista. O visual agressivo da grade hexagonal encontra resposta no forte vinco que retira a monotonia da lateral, apesar de que o formato com três janelas e linhas limpas seja típico dos alemães. Já a traseira tem como principal novidade o parachoque: se na dianteira os modelos S trazem entradas de ar mais esportivas, quem lhes vê por trás sabe do nível do carro por causa dos quatro canos de escape. Entre os destaques de uma cabine que exala tecnologia, o sistema Audi Music Interface oferece a qualidade de som Bang & Olufsen, DVD player, conexão Bluetooth e GPS. Também temos teto solar, isolante térmico para os vidros e partida sem chave, além de uma série de equipamentos de segurança.

Tudo isso colabora para criar um ambiente digno dos R$ 345 mil que a Audi cobra pela versão sedã, pomposamente chamada Limousine, e que passa a R$ 350 mil para os interessados na perua Avant. Até agora essa descrição parece condizente até demais com um pacato carro de família, não? Mas se o lado familiar é uma característica da linha A4, basta abrir o capô dos S4 para que a outra parte da frase anterior desapareça. Estes carros trazem a usina de força que atende pelo nome de 3.0 V6 TFSI, e gera potência e torque de 333 cv e 44,9 kgfm. Com o câmbio automatizado S-Tronic e a tração integral quattro, a prova de 0 a 100 km/h se faz em 5s3 para o sedã e 5s4 para a perua, ao passo que as velocidades máximas empatam em 250 km/h por causa do limite eletrônico. Como se não bastasse, o aspirante a piloto ainda pode escolher como desfrutar deste motor através do Audi Drive Select: é possível alterar uma série de parâmetros de dirigibilidade do carro segundo os modos Auto, Conforto, Dinâmico e Eficiência, com o detalhe de que o último permite o interessante consumo em ciclo misto de 10,6 e 10,3 km/l, na ordem. Todo esse potencial só reforça a investida da Audi na faixa inicial dos sedãs de luxo, mas com o enorme diferencial do apelo emocional que a linha S4 possui, eternizada por ícones como o logotipo com fundo vermelho.

Like? Audi S4 for wallpaper? Shar this image to Audi S4 for your friend.