More pictures of the Citroen C4 Picasso in Vigo

It seems that everyday we get new pictures of the new Citroen C4 Picasso. This were also taken in Vigo, Spain, near the factory where they will be produced and i assume in this color the car doesn't look that bad. The angle and quality of the pictures also help.

The car is schedule to have its debut at the Geneva Motor Show, next month. It will be both lighter, thanks to the use of the new EMP2 platform, and more efficient because Citroen did a lot of work to reduce friction in the drivetrain. On the inside we will have a new infotainment system.

Source: autocar

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Nissan will build a new C-Segment car in Barcelona, Spain.

In total Nissan will invest 110 million euros, almost 150 million dollars, in their factory located in Barcelona, Spain, so they can start building a new passenger car from July 2014. The vehicle is rumored to be a new C-Segment car, possibly with some styling cues taken from the Nissan Invitation concept shown almost a year ago (In reality this concept gave birth to the Nissan Note).

This investment will allow for an additional 80,000 units of annual capacity to Barcelona, and the creation of 1,000 direct and 3,000 indirect jobs. Really good in a country getting close to an unemployment rate of 30%.

But this isn't the only investment at the Barcelona plant. Nissan will invest 14 million euros (19 million dollars) to increase the annual production capacity by 24.000 units of the 1-Ton Pickup, and 6 million euros (8.15 million dollars) for the assembly of the gearbox for the Nissan LEAF and Nissan eNV200.

Of course Frank Torres, Nissan Motor Ibérica Managing Director, was really happy with this investment by say that: "I have the pleasure of sharing with you the fruits of the competitiveness agreement reached last week, which have opened the door to new production opportunities. The most important thing now is to be able to ensure the successful launch of these products and keep the competitiveness commitment. If we do, I am sure new opportunities will come."

Adding that "In the coming years, Barcelona plant will work at full capacity, with an annual output over 200,000 units while maintaining its attractiveness to produce new models. Given the current crisis environment, this is not only a great achievement for Nissan, but for the entire industry in this country."

Source: Nissan

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Spain will get another major investment from a carmaker

The German company Volkswagen said last week it would invest around 785 million euros ($1 billion) in a plant in northern Spain over the next five years, making it the third company in recent months that announced a major investment in that country with severe economy problems.

First it was Ford that said they were going to move production from their Belgium factory to Spain, then Renault announced it was hiring 1.300 new people, but just last week Nissan canceled the plans to expand production of a new model in Spain because they didn't reach an agreement with union workers adding that Spain was losing 4.000 jobs and an investment of 130 million euros.

The Volkswagen plant is in Pamplona in the region of Navarra, can produce up to 1.400 vehicles every day and provides work for 4.600 people, so this was good news for the struggling country. But the Spanish government boasted that these investments happen because "they are the result of a labour market reform that makes the country more competitive for businesses and also makes it cheaper for companies to hire and fire employees.".

I am not sure if its a good thing to make it cheaper to fire people but it seems that's what the companies want.

Source: reuters

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2013 Seat Ibiza Cupra

The new Ibiza Cupra will soon be available to order and now Seat released more pictures of the small city car with a "sporting performance for every day". The car is fast but while the look isn't that exciting, it does not look as bad as some of its adversaries, with the exclusive 17-inch alloy wheels, the black gloss exterior mirrors, bi-xenon lights, the redesigned bumpers and tinted windows.

It does the 0 to 100km/h (62mph) sprint in just 6.9 seconds and achieves a top speed of 228km/h (142mph), and all that from a 1.4 TSI engine with a a supercharger and a turbocharger that develops 180hp (132kW) at 6,200rpm and 250Nm of torque from 2.000 to 4.500rpm. Helping drive the wheels is the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission (DSG) from the VW Group.

Still the car is quite efficient with a fuel consumption of just 5.9liters/100km and CO2 emissions of 139 grams per kilometer. The car, in Spain, will cost close to €23.000 or $31.000.

Source: Seat

 

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BottPower BOTT XR1 is made from spare Buell parts

 

After waiting for almost 2 years, the Spanish company BottPower finally finished the BOTT XR1, a custom motorcycle made for, and imagined by Ramón Bellosta.

The engine is an air-cooled v-twin motor borrowed from a Buell XB with around 100hp for a bike that which weighs close to 170kg (375lb), so you know it will be agile and fast. The style is a little bit old school, with the flat track, even if it has a lot of carbon fiber to make it look sportier and also lighter.

 

Let's get technical. The front fork, the silencer and the eight pistons brake caliper all come from a Buell 1125. ISR levers for the front brake and the clutch with an Öhlins rear shock, a flat handlebar from Easton and a Motogadget display. It will also be available as a kit for the Buell.

Source: BottPower via Asphalt and Rubber

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Short News: Smart Feber Buggy will take part on 2013 Dakar [Video]

The smart can jump and with the number 382, the Spanish driver Jose Luis Alvarez, "JL", will race in the 2013 Dakar on a Smart Feber 1000 all alone and without assistance. At least that's what it says in the youtube page, on their website they tell another story, revealing a support team.

He will race in the Light Buggy class. The buggy specifications are not known and while the car doesn't seem to be incredibly fast, it will certainly be agile. Their objective? Just to finish. Oh, and they are looking for sponsors.

 

The rally will start (January 5) in Peru for the first time in its history, cross Argentina and will finish in Santiago de Chile on January 20th.

 

I wish them good luck.

Dakar Smart

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BMW 316i, the new entry level 3 Series

A few years ago most car makers had only one objective, increase the power in their cars, but now downsizing is the way to go, and BMW is no exception.

 

If a brand wants to survive they have to sell cars and with increasing fuel prices and with an ailing economy people just don't want to spend that much in a car. So BMW introduced the 316i, a car that will pay less taxes thanks to its 1.6liter engine connected to a six speed manual gearbox that produces 136hp and emits only 134g/km of CO2.

Needing only 5.8 liters to drive 100km, the fuel consumption is relatively low. And it isn't slow, requiring 8.9 seconds to reach 100km/h and is able to reach 210km/h.

It will cost a little over €30.500 ($39.500) in Spain.

Source: AutoBlog.es

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