Automotive Spot

There is an old adage- every picture tells a story. It certainly does in this instance. In my humble opinion among the myriad BMWs to choose from the 325xi is far and away the best buy. In this day and age of SUVs and crossovers the 325xi is one, no nonsense automobile. Ask yourself the question-exactly what it is that you need ? Do you really need one of those wobbling SUVs to carry little Johnny and three of his friends to the soccer game? Can you really afford to pour in gallon after gallon of extremely expensive gas each of which will take you for about 12-13 miles? Do you need a huge and often ancient V8 engine to get from A to B? Or, would you prefer a sensible, relatively economical, comfortable, reliable, fast and well made BMW 325xi? Not only is it one of the least expensive BMWs it is also good value for money. Not necessarily at the –all extras included- retail price of just under 50 thousand dollars I hasten to add. Reason? Well, you may not need all the extras we had on the test car.


You have a few choices in the European sports wagon department: Audi, Saab, Volvo. Mercedes-Benz built a lovely C320 4-matic wagon until this year, when it didn't. But for the simple, syrupy perfection of a well-stroked piece of machinery, you can do no better than the BMW 325xi wagon, in the mid-$40s. Classic, impeccable, enviable - an entire wardrobe of cars in one package. The 2006 edition of the 3-Series wagon is based on the chassis and interior design launched with the sedan last year; it's powered by the same 3.0-litre inline six that puts out 215 horsepower. This engine is almost too fine a place for the dirty business of internal combustion. The block is a composite aluminum-magnesium casting. The 24valve inline cylinder head uses BMW's Valvetronic system, varying lift and duration depending on engine load - thus dispensing with the need for a conventional butterfly throttle. On top of the engine is variable-geometry induction. Smooth? Championship bowling balls don't get this kind of polish.



The "x" in the nomenclature refers to BMW's all-wheel-drive system, which the company, known for its devilish German wit, calls "xDrive." A fully intelligent AWD unit, xDrive uses a multi-clutch differential to split torque between the front and rear axles, varying the split depending on available grip. A new feature - and instantly lovable - is the start-off assistant, which prevents the car from rolling back while the driver is shifting into first gear (it holds the brake for a one-count after the driver lifts his or her foot). It's a lot easier than trying to heel-and-toe the throttle and brake. Like the sedan, the wagon has double-pivot front suspension and five-link rear suspension. To create a little more cargo space under the load floor, the car uses run-flat tires, like those on the X3. I am not wild about these tires, although they are getting better. The wagon's suspension has been carefully tuned to take the characteristic zing out of the run-flats - the sidewalls are very stiff and transmit sharp impacts to the chassis and steering column. Only occasionally when you catch these tires wrong will the impact startle you.
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The Automotive news blog updated daily with car news, modified car talk, F1 News, virtual rides, and much more. Read the auto blog at , The AutoWorld to get the latest news and opinions, view the newest concept cars.
A blog on the automotive industry. Includes test drives, reviews, previews, motoring tech articles and automobile FAQ. All About Car News, Car Review, Car Comparisons, Road Tests, Car Price, Concept Car, Hybrid Car And Super Car






Ferrari 599 GTB is one of the highest performing and most aggressive Ferraris ever to come from the factory, German tuner Novitec has taken the car a step further. Visual modifications are relatively simple, with a body kit that includes a new front air dam, rear diffuser, wing, side flaps, side skirts, and smoked LED taillights. Performance is enhanced via an upgraded ECU and a new exhaust system that adds an additional 25 horsepower to push the total to 645 bhp. Handling is improved with the addition of a KW Automotive suspension with adjustability that can be changed inside the car. Braking has also been addressed, with a new Brembo 405mm 6-piston setup on all four corners. N3 wheels are fitted - 20-inch front and 21-inch in the rear, wrapped in Pirelli P Zero tires.

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The Automotive news blog updated daily with car news, modified car talk, F1 News, virtual rides, and much more. Read the auto blog at , The AutoWorld to get the latest news and opinions, view the newest concept cars.
A blog on the automotive industry. Includes test drives, reviews, previews, motoring tech articles and automobile FAQ. All About Car News, Car Review, Car Comparisons, Road Tests, Car Price, Concept Car, Hybrid Car And Super Car


DETROIT – Having earned critical acclaim, industry awards and brisk sales, Cadillac CTS has moved into the vanguard of contemporary design. In doing so, Cadillac designers faced the question of what to do next. Their answer celebrates that design legacy with the exhilarating Cadillac CTS Coupe Concept, which premiered at the North American International Auto Show.

The CTS Coupe Concept takes Cadillac’s acclaimed Art and Science design language and adds more of both. More expressive, more technical and very personal, the CTS Coupe Concept extends the dramatic design of its sedan predecessor with all-new sculpted bodywork aft of the front fenders.

"The CTS Coupe Concept is pure design," said Ed Welburn, vice president of global design. "We did not create it because market research demanded it, nor is its shape trimmed to suit the input collected at a consumer clinic – it is emotion on four wheels and the very essence of what defines Cadillac today."

The CTS Coupe Concept has a classic 2+2 interior layout, highlighted by black leather and Alcantara microfiber trim that is complemented by yellow ochre-colored seat inserts and leather stitching. It is designed to accommodate a range of engines for the global luxury market, including Cadillac’s popular 3.6L Direct Injection V-6, as well as a new 2.9L turbo diesel currently in development.

"This Coupe Concept is a natural extension of our design language, and of the CTS itself," said Jim Taylor, Cadillac general manager. "Very simply, the dramatic design of the sedan begged the question of what it would look like in the unbridled form of a Coupe."


Generated from the spark of the CTS design team’s imagination, the CTS Coupe Concept casts a profile unlike anything else on the road. Its fast-rake styling – it has the same wheelbase as the CTS, but an overall height that is approximately four inches (101 mm) shorter – blends with hand-sculpted bodywork that bulges around the wheels, giving the vehicle a ready-to-pounce stance that is dramatic, powerful and sleek.

"Just about every decade, Cadillac designs a landmark car that becomes synonymous with the brand’s character of the period, such as the 1938 60 Special, the 1959 lineup and 1975 Seville," said John Manoogian II, director of exterior design for Cadillac. "The CTS Coupe Concept is the next great design, carrying the baton from the Evoq Concept that ushered in the Art and Science era in 1999."


A design gem

Among the CTS Coupe Concept’s signature design cues are a number of elements that suggest the look of a carefully cut diamond – particularly at the rear. These elements are seen in everything from the chrome header above the rear license plate holder to the indents that comprise the basic form of the rear fascia.

"The diamond-cut elements enhance the sleek profile of the car," said Manoogian. "The CTS Coupe Concept uses the elements, along with other nods to classic Cadillac cues – such as vertical headlamps and taillamps – to acknowledge the brand’s heritage without resorting to nostalgia. It is a forward-looking design in every sense of the term."

Although based on the sedan, the CTS Coupe Concept shares only the headlamps, front fenders and grille with the production model. Unique elements include:



* Classic hardtop styling, with no "B" pillar

* CTS production windshield laid at a faster angle to create a sleeker profile

* Chrome, split seven-spoke wheel design; 20-inch front wheels and 21-inch rear wheels

* Sculpted lower front fascia with unique brake-cooling vents

* Slim-profile outside mirrors

* XLR-type hidden door handles with proximity remote opening


* Unique front fender vents

* Diamond-cut rear fascia with mesh lower grilles and center-outlet exhaust

* Taillamps with a subtle fin profile and are highlighted with LED lighting technology with light pipes

* Rear spoiler integrated into the center high-mounted stop lamp

* Sculpted roof-mounted antenna for OnStar, XM Satellite Radio, etc.





"The cliché is to say that there were no compromises in the design, but that is absolutely accurate in the case of the CTS Coupe Concept," said Manoogian. "Each line and angle of the bodywork was carefully honed and the final design’s proportions were judged by the eyes of the design team, not computer-generated math data."

The surfaces of CTS Coupe Concept are complex, inviting careful inspection. The rear fenders, for example, were sculpted by hand in the design studio until they provided a perfect, muscular form that wrapped tightly over the wheels. At the top, the rear fenders are beveled – owing to the diamond-cut theme – and become part of a horizontal plane that runs from the leading edge of the taillamps and merges into the roof.

"At first glance, the design appears effectively simple, because there are no extraneous moldings, spoilers or other protrusions, but the more you look at it, the more complex it becomes," said Manoogian. "The angles and bevels were carefully carved to enhance the cars sleek shape, but aren’t ‘busy’ or distracting – there’s really nothing quite like it."


Personal passenger environment


A classic 2+2 interior environment enhances the CTS Coupe Concept’s personal feel. It shares the hand cut-and-sewn instrument panel and center console with the CTS, but features unique front and rear seats, a continuous console running between the front and rear seats, and custom door panels.


"The CTS Coupe Concept is a personal car – something a customer would choose to reward him or herself – and the passenger environment reflects that," said Eric Clough, interior design director. "The interior uses the already excellent CTS design and takes it to a new, bolder level."

Custom-trimmed sport seats from Recaro are located in all four positions. They support the grand-touring nature of the car and are covered in rich, black and suede-like Alcantara microfiber material, with yellow ochre-colored inserts. The yellow ochre color provides dramatic contrast with the black surrounding trim, but is a subdued hue consistent with the interior’s overall feeling of refinement. Yellow ochre stitching also is used throughout, including the seats, instrument panel, shifter knob and more.

Black Alcantara covers the front armrest, as well as an armrest located between the rear seats. The armrests are part of a continuous console that stretches from the instrument panel to rear seats. Carbon-fiber trim accents the console. The interior also features ambient lighting throughout, creating a distinctive environment at night.

Like the sedan, the CTS Coupe Concept’s interior is home to a host of technologies, including a premium Bose audio system, 40-gigabyte hard drive and XM Satellite Radio. OnStar with Turn by Turn Navigation enhances the vehicle’s onboard navigation system, which – like the CTS – features a screen that rises out of the center of the instrument panel.



Performance-bred powertrain and suspension systems


As is the case with its design, the CTS Coupe Concept extends the acclaimed capabilities of the sedan in terms of performance technology. This includes the capability to support a broad engine range of gasoline and diesel engines.


The CTS Coupe Concept of course ascertains the sedan’s 3.6L V-6 engines, including the 304-horsepower (227 kW) Direct Injection power plant. The CTS Coupe Concept also is designed for a new 2.9L turbo diesel being developed for international markets. This new engine, tailored for use in the CTS, will deliver an estimated 250 horsepower (184 kW) and 406 lb.-ft. of torque (550 Nm).

A six-speed manual transmission backs the engine, sending torque to an independently sprung rear axle. The CTS Coupe Concept’s sport-tuned suspension gives it a slightly lower ride height than a production CTS – a look enhanced by the car’s rakish shape and large, 20-inch front and 21-inch rear wheels.

Behind the chrome, split-spoke, aluminum alloy wheels is a set of high-performance brakes, featuring cross-drilled rotors. Six-piston calipers clamp down on the front rotors, while four-piston calipers grab the rear rotors. All of the rotors have a distinctive, yellow-painted finish.
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Springer | 2005-12-07 | ISBN: 3540283846 | 273 pages | PDF | 2,4 Mb

Most innovations in the car industry are based on software and electronics, and IT will soon constitute the major production cost factor. It seems almost certain that embedded IT security will be crucial for the next generation of applications. Yet whereas software safety has become a relatively well-established field, the protection of automotive IT systems against manipulation or intrusion has only recently started to emerge.

Lemke, Paar, and Wolf collect in this volume a state-of-the-art overview on all aspects relevant for IT security in automotive applications. After an introductory chapter written by the editors themselves, the contributions from experienced experts of different disciplines are structured into three parts. "Security in the Automotive Domain" describes applications for which IT security is crucial, like immobilizers, tachographs, and software updates. "Embedded Security Technologies" details security technologies relevant for automotive applications, e.g., symmetric and asymmetric cryptography, and wireless security. "Business Aspects of IT Systems in Cars" shows the need for embedded security in novel applications like location-based navigation systems and personalization.

The first book in this area of fast-growing economic and scientific importance, it is indispensable for both researchers in software or embedded security and professionals in the automotive industry.


Download :
http://rapidshare.com/files/86376275/Embedded_Security_in_Cars.rar

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