Automobile and Car news, views and reviews

Although still on the mend from the 2008 credit crisis, Ford Motor Credit Co. is making more loans to customers and dealers.

Ford Credit financed 32 percent of Ford, Lincoln and Mercury U.S. retail sales in the first half, up from 29 percent a year ago. But the captive was still down from the third quarter of 2008, when its share of Ford, Lincoln and Mercury retail was 46 percent.

Besides the effect on consumer demand, the credit crisis froze the market for asset-backed securities. That temporarily closed one of the main ways captive finance companies raise money to make new loans.

Ford Credit has been much more consistent in financing dealer inventory. The lender financed 81 percent of Ford, Lincoln and Mercury wholesale volume to dealers in the first half, up from 78 percent a year ago.

Ford Credit’s net income increased about 35 percent in the second quarter, to $556 million.

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Bugatti is claiming a new production car top speed record with a combined two run average of 431.072km/h (267.91mph) with a new Veyron 16.4 Super Sport model – in the process smashing the 408.30km/h (253.76mph) set by a standard Veyron 16.4 in 2005 by 24km/h (14.9mph).It also betters the existing world record mark of 412.28km/h (256.23mph) established by low volume US car maker, Shelby SuperCars, with its Ultimate Aero on a closed 19km (12 mile) stretch of road in Nevada in 2007.

Confirming details of the attempt run under tight security at parent company Volkswagen’s 21km (13 mile) Ehra-Lessien test track in late June, Bugatti says the new Supersport set the record at the hands of its test driver, Pierre-Henri Raphanel and under the auspices of officials from the Guinness Book of Records.

In the first round of the attempt running in anti-clockwise direction against a prevailing wind the Super Sport hit 427.933km/h (265.96mph). It then went on to reach a wind assisted 434.211km/h (269.86mph) in a clockwise direction, giving the powered up Veyron 16.4 a combined average of 431.072km/h (267.91mph).

The new Super Sport, which Bugatti plans to produce in a limited run of no more than 30 units, is set to be the last hurrah for the Veyron 16.4, taking overall production of the flamboyant quad-turbocharged 8.0-litre 16-cylinder powered supercar up to 300 since its introduction in 2005.

Boasting lightweight carbon fibre body created using a new fibre construction and clear finish, the four-wheel drive Super Sport is claimed to weigh 50kg less than the standard Veyron 16.4 at 1840kg. Bugatti has also tweaked the Veyron 16.4’s engine, taking its peak power from 987bhp to 1183bhp. Torque also increases from 921lb ft to 1106lb ft.

Details provided by Bugatti claim the 0-100km/h (0-62mph) time remains at 2.5sec. However, the Super Sport’s 0-200km/h (0-124mph) and 0-300km/h (0-186mph) times are said to have been lowered to just 7.3sec and 15.0sec respectively.

The styling changes made to the Veyron 16.4 to bring it up to Sport Sport specification revolve around its need for added cooling and to control turbulence within the wheelarches at high speed. At the front, Bugatti has reworked the lower air ducts, bring them out closer to the sides where they continue up along the leading edge of the front wheel arches. They are complimented by new ducts behind the front wheelarches designed to relieve pressure build up.

The roof also sports two new NACA style ducts. They replace the Veyron 16.4’s traditional engine ducts set further back above the engine. Further aerodynamic modifications include a double diffusor at the rear incorporating a newly reworked double tailpipe.

Suspension upgrades, including firmer springs, larger diameter roll bars and uprated dampers, are also claimed to raise the Super Sport’s maximum lateral acceleration to 1.4g. Bugatti has produced 260 from a planned 300 examples of the Veyron 16.4 at its boutique assembly plant at Molsheim in France, some 249 of which have been delivered to customers.

Mercedes Benz India saw its June sales nearly double than that of the same month last year. It sold 388 units for the said month as against 200 units in June 2009. With this, the company’s sales during January-June ’10 reached 2402 units, its best ever sales performance for the first half of a year.

The C 200 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY launched in mid May, got a postive response from the market with sales of over 320 units till June end.The above are the number of cars Mercedes Benz India sold to its dealers.

On the retail front, Mercedes Benz India sold 424 units in June, maintaining a lead over arch rival BMW which sold 207 units during the same month. For the January-June period, Mercedes Benz India’s retail sales stood at 2449 units as against 2183 units sold by BMW India.

Volkswagen has finally unveiled it’s much awaited mid-sizer Vento. Based on an extended Polo platform (its wheelbase is 96mm longer) the Vento aims directly at the Honda City and Maruti SX4.

The Vento will be powered by 1.6-litre diesel and petrol engines, both producing a max power of 105bhp. The torque figures are likely to be around 26kgm and 16kgm for diesel and petrol respectively. The 1.6-litre petrol motor will get a six-speed automatic option along with the five-speed gearbox. The diesel will only be available with five-speed manual transmission.

The new VW sedan sports impressive interiors with solid build quality and class-leading materials on offer. The boot space is adequate, but the fuel tank and suspension struts intrude into it considerably. The rear seats offer plenty of legroom, but headroom could be an issue for taller passengers. The seat bench itself is flat and the long squab means sitting three abreast for long journeys will be a comfortable affair here. The unique feature for India though is the front passenger seat, which can be adjusted from the rear, a feature not found on even the Russian Vento. The rear passengers also get a rear AC vent.

The car will run on 185/60R15 tyres and will feature automatic climate control as well. Another nice touch is the two-tone dark brown/beige interiors combo. However, steering mounted audio controls are missing.

The Vento will be rolled out from Volkswagen’s Chakan plant and is expected to be launched in India by Diwali this year with a price range of Rs 7-9lakh.