Bentley Defies Crisis with a 20% Increase in Global Sales

Crisis? What crisis? For you and me, perhaps, but not for Bentley buyers. The VW-owned British luxury carmaker announced today a 20% increase in global sales for the first half of 2011 with 2,978 cars delivered to customers, the best start for the company since 2008.

The luxury marque attributes this surge in sales to the high demand for the new Continental GT as well as the increasing popularity in (least we forget, communist…) China, where Bentley sales have risen by 57% compared to the same period last year, to 680 cars. Thus, it has become the manufacturer’s second best market, behind only the US (George Orwell's "Animal Farm", anyone?).

Not to be outdone by China, the capitalist West has contributed its fair, albeit smaller, share to Bentley’s rise. In Europe, sales have increased by 25% (494 cars) and in the USA by 23% (907 cars). Only in Japan, due to the recent catastrophic natural disasters, and the Middle East, where political unrest rules, have sales declined.

So, well done Bentley - and well done to all the fat cats out there, be they…capitalists or…communists, who are rapidly increasing in numbers each day.

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China Opens World's Longest Sea Bridge

China has unveiled the world’s longest sea bridge, which stretches a massive 26.4 miles – five miles further than the distance between Dover and Calais and longer than a marathon.

The Qingdao Haiwan Bridge, completed earlier this week, links the main urban area of Qingdao city, East China’s Shandong province, with Huangdao district, straddling the Jiaozhou Bay sea areas.

The road bridge, which took four years and cost a cool £5.5billion to build, will be open for use in the New Year and is almost three miles longer than the previous record-holder, the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway in Louisiana.

Source: dailymail

New Audi Q3 Baby SUV: First Official Teasers Revealed Ahead of Shanghai Auto Show

Audi has revealed the first official teaser sketches of its Q3 ‘baby’ SUV model, prior to its world premiere at the Shanghai Auto Show later this month. The drawings confirm the Q3 will look pretty much like the Cross Coupe quattro design study unveiled by Audi in 2007.

However, the front end of the production Q3 seems changed in comparison with the aforementioned concept, with the headlights sporting a thinner, stretched shape and being mirrored in the lower side of the bumper by the spaces for the fog lights.

At the back, the car looks similar to the concept, with the exception of the tailgate window angle, which is not as inclined as on the Cross Coupe quattro.

The interior pictures reveal a similar shaped steering wheel and instrument panel, with changes having been made to the center console, where the gearshift lever appears to look more conventional than on the 2007 concept car.

The crossover model will be built at Seat's Martorell plant in Spain and will be based on the same architecture as the VW Tiguan. Previously, an inside source told Coolpictures that the new Q3 will arrive in European showrooms this fall, most likely in September or October, depending on the market.

The source added that the Q3 will be offered at launch with three powertrain options - a 170PS 2.0-liter TFSI with a 6-speed manual gearbox and CO2 emissions of 172 gr/km; a 211PS 2.0-liter TFSI with an S Tronic transmission and CO2 emissions of 184 gr/km, and a 170PS 2.0-liter TDI diesel and an with an S Tronic transmission and CO2 emissions of 158 gr/km.

Official details about the car will be announced shortly, so stay tuned on CoolPictures for more info.

By Dan Mihalascu

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Mercedes Brings Sexy to the Compact Segment with New Concept A-Class, will be Revealed in Shanghai

Mercedes-Benz plans to show up at this month’s Shanghai Auto Show with a brand new concept for a spectacular looking A-Class model. While the Concept A-Class is just what its name says it is – a prototype study - it’s also a very good indication of where the company plans to take its BMW 1-Series and Audi A3 rival with the presentation of the next generation model that is scheduled to go on sale in 2012.

For starters, Mercedes is giving up the minivan-like silhouette of the current A-Class for a more dramatic and sporty looking two-box profile with a long bonnet and a low roof-line. The concept’s exterior design details are heavily influenced by Stuttgart’s most recent prototypes such as the CLS Shooting Brake and especially the F800.

Aside from the new nose with a prominent Mercedes grille, the three-door Concept A-Class also features concave surfaces with sweeping lines throughout the body.

Even though it is certain that next year’s production model will drop many of the striking details (just how many remains to be seen) and lose the aggressive proportions of the concept car, the general shape will be maintained.

Inside, the Concept A-Class has individual seating for four and an overly futuristic styling, which of course, will not pass into production. However, certain design elements such as the shape of the air-vents, steering wheel and instruments will inspire the road-going model, which will most likely be offered with a five-seat layout.

Underneath the sheetmetal, the Concept A-Class rides on a new front-wheel drive platform codenamed MFA, which is believed to stand for “Mercedes Front-wheel-drive Architecture”. The prototype is powered by a four-cylinder gasoline unit from Mercedes’ new M270 engine series and combines both direct-injection and turbocharging technology. The Concept A-Class is equipped with the 2.0-litre variant of the new engine, developing 210 hp, with power being transferred to the front wheels through Mercedes-Benz' new dual clutch transmission.

Other technical highlights include a radar-based collision warning system with adaptive Brake Assist and the daytime running lamps that consist of 90 optical fibres with aluminum sleeves, and are arranged in a wing-shape within the headlamp.

Along with the three-door hatchback previewed by this here concept, Mercedes-Benz officials recently said that the company is planning at least three more variants based on the A-Class' MFA architecture.

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