New Ford Fiesta Sales Surpass 500,000 Units in First Year

Just a year after its European market launch in October 2008, and the Ford Fiesta has raked over half a million sales marking a significant milestone for the company which is preparing to bring the small hatch to North America and key Asian Pacific markets next year. Following its introduction in Europe, the latest generation Fiesta was launched in South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and China with global sales reaching 470,000 units through September, with 430,000 units sold in Europe and 40,000 in the Asia Pacific region.

In October, Ford sold another 50,000 units worldwide, pushing the total number beyond 500,000.

"Customers around the world are recognizing the new Fiesta delivers on the global Ford DNA -- eye-catching design, innovation, outstanding driving dynamics and great value," said Jim Farley, group vice president of global marketing and Canada, Mexico and South America.

The new Fiesta will make its first public appearance at a North American show in Los Angeles in December with sales following in the U.S. next summer.

New Opel Corsa ecoFLEX Returns 3.7lt/100km or 63.6MPG and 99g/km CO2

GM's Opel and Vauxhall divisions have revealed the new fuel-efficient and green Corsa ecoFLEX that will go on sale across Europe in January 2010. Available in both three- and five-door versions, the new Corsa ecoFLEX is powered by a 1.3-liter CDTi diesel engine with a variable geometry turbo for a total output of 95HP, or 28 per cent more power than the existing 75HP Corsa ecoFLEX.

In spite of the power increase, fuel consumption and CO2 emissions are slashed by some 10 percent over the outgoing model at 3.7 lt/100 km (63.3 mpg US or 76.3 mpg UK) and 98 g/km of CO2 for the three-door or 99g/km for the five door model respectively.

To help achieve these figures, Opel tweaked the Corsa's aerodynamics by lowering the car by 20mm and optimizing the air flows via the air intakes. Furthermore, the new 175/70 tires that are roll-resistance-optimized and fitted to lighter, 14-inch steel wheels, feature newly designed and more efficient wheel caps.

The new 95HP model comes equipped with a five-speed manual transmission featuring a longer gear ratio. According to Opel, it has a top speed of 177 km/h (110mph) and needs 12.3 seconds to reach 100 km/h (62mph) from a standstill.

Uber Cool: BMW M5 E34 Convertible Revealed After 20 Years [High-Res Gallery]

Back in the late 1980's, when the BMW M division's portfolio was far more limited than today's lineup which comprises of models of all sorts and sizes including SUVs, the Bavarians had an idea; what about creating an E34 M5 Convertible? Actually, it was more of an idea as BMW went ahead and developed a complete prototype that was supposed to be introduced at the 1989 Geneva Motor Show.

However, sadly the firm's high-ranking executives pulled the plug on the project the last moment fearing that the essential non 'M' 5-Series drop top models would be positioned too close to the thriving 3-Series Convertible.

BMW had kept the E34 M5 Cabrio prototype model under covers -though pictures had circulated on the net- for 20 years until now as the company showed the car to the press at a special event for the M5's 25th anniversary.

The E34 M5 was produced between 1988 and 1995. Early models featured a 3.6-liter inline-six with 315 HP at 6,900 rpm and 266 lb-ft of torque at 4,750 rpm that was replaced in 1992 with a 3.8-liter engine cranking out 340 HP at 6,900 rpm and 295 lb-ft of torque at 4,750 rpm.

Via: BMWBlog , Source: Bimmertoday

BMW E34 M5 Convertible Prototype

__________________________________________________________________

BMW E34 M5