The photo above is the very first official shots of the soon-to-be-launched Opel Insignia’s interior, or to be precise, the UK market Insignia that bears the Vauxhall logo. Overall, this is a big improvement and looks quite good. Such a beautiful, clean and classy interior! The glimpse of the mid-size sedan’s interior is in a series of leaked (low-res) images back in April, these official pictures from Vauxhall allow us to see the cabin in high-resolution detail. Along with the official high-res interior pics, Vauxhall also released new exterior images of the Insignia in a lusty black colour.

The Opel Insignia features a relatively sporty wrap around interior design that has nothing in common with the Vectra’s ultra conservative cabin, which could come to the States as a Saturn. Highlights include chronometer-inspired instruments and a unique instrument cluster lighting which is illuminated white, but on pressing the ‘Sport’ button, the lighting turns red to match the surrounding illumination.  John Puskar, Executive Director of Interior Design at GM Europe says; “This is a paradigm shift for Vauxhall,” . “We wanted to create interior environments for all our future vehicles that are warm, inviting and sporty. The Insignia is the first evidence of this philosophy.”

“Every detail was meticulously thought through,” says Jochen Werner, Insignia’s Assistant Chief Interior Designer. “We even tipped the infotainment centre at a 30 degree angle to allow the centre console to flow and give the car’s cabin a greater feeling of spaciousness.”

The overall ambience and design of the cabin looks very good. Top marks, Opel.

The kit includes a new front bumper, side skirts, rear bumper, front fenders and a rear quarter panels which increase the overall width by 4 inches. Each part of the kit was hand crafted from a lightweight mix of carbon fibre and fibreglass reinforced plastic. Premier4509 has also put together a new 4 piece bumper grill and new exhaust tips.

“The purpose of this design exercise was to enhance the cars aggressive nature while at the same time keeping a refined look that matched with the original body lines,” said Mr. Yokomaku, Company president.

If you are keeping yourself up at night worrying that your Bentley Continental GT isn’t exclusive enough… losing the insomnia by making a quick call to Premier4509. The performance-oriented Japanese-based company specializes in "automotive fashions and they have just announced a Limited Edition wide-body aero kit for the twin-turbo twelve-cylinder Bentley coupe.

The hand-made kit, constructed primarily of a carbon fiber/FRP mix, includes front and rear bumpers, side skirts, fenders and quarter panels. Once installed, your beloved Bentley will have increased its width by four full inches — perfect to hide those new forged billet aluminum wheels with the deep lips. Of course, you’ll be offered a choice of two rear wings, and a new set of exhaust tips to match. Premier4509 seems to have addressed all of the high-end aero body kit concerns, except for one: How do you get that front spoiler into a driveway?

In less than two years, Mazda introduced vehicles that were never in its portfolio before, like the high-performance Mazda3 MPS, the unique power retractable hardtop MX-5 Roadster Coupe and the sports crossover SUV, Mazda CX-7. One of the keys to Mazda’s ongoing growth in Europe and around the world has been a line of attack of expanding the line-up with thrilling vehicles that appeal to an ever- wider group of customers. This approach continues at Geneva 2008 with the global premiere of the first Mazda2 three-door hatchback version.

Launched in October 2007 as Mazda’s first new-generation vehicle to be evolved to a new level, the all-new Mazda2 was an instantaneous hit with European customers, finding more than 18,000 owners through January 2008. In December last year, Mazda2 five-door hatchback was awarded five stars for adult occupant protection at Euro-NCAP crash testing. Now Mazda2 is about to get more admired with a new three-door hatchback model that has all the award-winning attributes of the five-door hatchback, and is even sportier and more affordable..

High Intensity Discharge kits are an entire replacement to your existing headlight bulb, so far they are extremely easy to install. That starter takes the signal from the vehicle and fast sends it to the ballast. The ballast then amplifies the signal to a high current signal and sends it to the bulb. The plug in HID bulb receives the signal and creates the light. The bulb is filled with a mixture of gases and salts. When the bulb receives the amplified power from the ballast, it energizes the gases in the bulb creating a white/blue light output.

The color varies, depending on the Kelvin (K)/color temperature of the kit. HID kits radically improve night vision driving. Reports show that 60% of night accidents are caused due to poor lighting conditions. HID kits illuminate hundreds of feet in front of the vehicle. It is also useful in the rain where lines are harder to see. These kits are also designed to last up to 10 times longer than conventional bulbs. Since there is no filament to break, road bumps and shock cannot damage the lamp.

According to Forbes Auto News, electronic technology will generate a humongous bang on vehicles in the next years to come.

"Although many technologies, such as Bluetooth and navigation may not seem as ‘new’ as they were several years ago, manufacturers have greatly improved the quality, features and user interfaces. As these technologies mature, consumers are able to enjoy entertainment, information, and conveniences more seamlessly between home, work and automobile,” says said Chris Yato, the manager of Competition Soundworks in Artesia, California.

In-Car Computing
Mounting a personal computer in the dashboard of a vehicle makes entertainment functions very easy. Take for example storing entire digital music libraries in the vehicle so you can run off without the iPod or other handy music device.

MP3 Player Connectivity
Companies have developed radio transmitters and cassette tape adapters that lets iPods play through a car’s stereo speakers.

Bluetooth Integration
"Reinforced by law in many states, mandatory Bluetooth kits on vehicles are necessary to provide a safe driving experience. Keeping this in mind, conveniences such as phonebook accesses that can be controlled by voice are becoming an absolute," says Joshua Landau, president of St. Louis-based JML Audio.

The New Navigation
"Text-to-speech technology has become the latest buzzword in the navigation industry because of its emphasis on safety. Since street names during guidance are spoken, drivers spend more time with their eyes on the road instead of their navigation display." And if your Bluetooth phone is connected, it can read your text messages to you. Navigation systems have also joined forces with radar detectors to alert drivers to common speed traps ahead of time," says Landau.

Factory Infusion
Carmakers are accumulating extra composite electronic devices at the factory nowadays.

The voices of a million online consumers and car enthusiasts have spoken… and these voices were heard. Thanks to the Accelant.com, consumers were allowed to vote and come up with their own list of “best car” selections that was based on consumer reports. The Accelant.com news reported that aside from auto experts and analysts, valued consumers are among the privileged individuals to create lists at the end of the year.

Here are the Consumer’s Top 10 Best Cars courtesy of the www.accelant.com:

1. Honda Fit - costs USD 14,000-16,000 and is number one in the fuel efficient cars class. The Fit was the winner in reliability, crash protection; talk about tight multi rib belts and satisfaction.

2. Honda Civic - ranges approximately USD 20,000 and in its variety includes a smooth running, splendid interiors, and the superlative handling.

3. The Honda Accord - costs USD 20,000-30,000, has exceptional balance of comfort, roominess, ride, and handling.

4. Infiniti G35 -  costs 35,000-39,000

5. Infiniti M35 - costs USD 42,000- 45,000 and according to consumer ratings it earns the highest scored in the sedan category, comfortable, and drives well in any circumstances.

6. Toyota Rav4 - costs USD 23,000-27,000, the engine gives great performance, has fuel economy, and offers a dependable crash protection.

7. Toyota Highlander Hybrid - Costs over USD 30,000

8. Minivan Toyota Sienna - costs USD 26,000-28,000,

9. Green Car Toyota Prius - costs USD 23,000, has interiors that are spacious.

10. Mazda Mx-5 Miata - costs USD 21,000-USD 27,000

No, this is not about purr and fur but definitely, you may also be wondering why French inventor Guy Negre named his invention OneCat, an air-powered car set to hit India’s and Spain’s auto market this summer. 

Onecat, expected to be available at £2,500, has a body that is made up of fibre and is glued to the chassis.  Reports from zgeek.com said that this car is keyless.  Instead, an access card allows passengers a more convenient entry.  Meanwhile, tightreviews.com, said that this car is capable of running over 80 miles per hour.  It is powered by oxygen filled in air tanks via an air compressor made out of carbon fiber.  A petrol burner that heats the air allows the car to increase efficiency from 60 miles up to 500 miles on long travel destinations.  In other words, a tank full of air can reach up to 200 kilometers.  Meanwhile, refueling amounts to only two to three dollars and consumes only two to three minutes.

OneCat is the air car’s basic model.  Its original name is MiniCat.  Indian automaker Tata will take charge of its production and delivery to other markets worldwide. 

In addition, tnerd.com said that the air car has no normal speed gauges but a small computer screen that shows the speed and engine revolutions.  It also features high-tech systems including GSM telephone systems, GPS satellite tracking systems, voice recognitions, emergency systems and other state-of-the-art systems, which probably incorporates a head gasket.

The air car is perceived as a solution to the world’s pollution as well as oil price hike problem.  As described in three words, the air car means, THE FUTURE IS NOW.

Now is the time to tell the whole world that being green doesn’t mean being in drab. Two car manufacturers have actually been able to create plug-in units that are green and yet are also plush. And I mean totally luxurious.

The Seattle Times’ Motoring mentioned that Fisker Automotive with Visionary Vehicles are working on such a type of vehicle. Green and plush sedans would soon be sent to the market for consumer consumption.

The head for Visionary Vehicles, Malcolm Bricklin, stated, “If I say ‘electric,’ people think ’slow.’ They think electric cars are golf carts. What people don’t get is they’re very fast, and they’re real.”

Right now, Visionary has a concept vehicle that is known as the Fisker Karma and it has been built as a sports car. It can take a zoom from a total zero to a high of 60 miles per hour in just 5.8 seconds. Its top speed even clocks in at 125 mph. If that is not fast, then I surely would have to find out what is.

Everything about the new concept has been painstakingly done so as to be able to find the right types of parts - from doors to engines to windshields to floor mats - for the vehicle to perform right. And the company has been able to find that using an electric motor with a lithium-ion battery would work well for the vehicle. It also comes with a gas engine that is small and holds four cylinders.

The Lincoln Zephyr…

From the name itself, you’d simply find the perfect words to describe this ride - cool and classy. Its magnificence is very apparent when you get to see one of its models. One of the most renowned Zephyrs to cruise the earth’s surface is the 2006 model. Aside from its awesome washer pump and splendid body styling, the 2006 Lincoln Zephyr is also outfitted with superior and sophisticated car interior. The ‘06 model is the recipient of the 2006 "Best Premium-Priced Car Interior", in case you don’t know!

According to the article from TopSpeed.com, both news media and the general manufacturing groups chose the 2006 Lincoln Zephyr as “Best Premium-Priced Car Interior of the Year” at the 7th annual Automotive “Interior of the Year” awards carried out by Wards Auto World magazine.

Lincoln Zephyr defeated several luxury car contenders which include the famous BMW 3 Series, Mercedes S Class, Audi A6, Cadillac DTS and Lexus GS.

“This award emphasizes how we’re changing the game at Lincoln, building on the world-class interiors that Lincoln is known for. The Zephyr was up against some very reputable competition and this honor is a telling sign of the level of detail we’re pouring into our interiors across the lineup,” said Peter Horbury, executive director of Design for North America.

Vehicles from Ford Motor Company notched other awards at the 2006 Ward’s Auto Interiors Show including:

    * Best Instrument Cluster – 2006 Ford Mustang
    * Popular-Priced CUV – 2007 Mazda CX-7
    * Premium-Priced Truck – 2006 Range Rover Sport