Allaboutchase

When I first saw the picture of this Chinese Green car, I thought it was just a new toy. The design of its wheel, its body with no windows, only two seats available and the green leaflike car roof reminded me of the racing cars in Speed Racer Cartoon. I do admit, the design is very unique. Instead of featuring the elegant and modern style of a car, which other car company will do, ‘Green Car’ is featuring the simplicity and efficiency of a car.

Electric car is a new favorite in this modern era. Not only for its energy save, but also for the healthy environment. Teijin Group has recently proudly presented their ultra light mini electric car. They named it EV PU-PA. It is the lightest electric car in the world, with weight under one ton. In order to reach the lightest weight, the company has cut off 20 ingredients in building the car. EV PU-PA is now in the exhibition hall of Teijin Mirai Studio, Tokyo.

Teijin is a Japan group of several automotive and airlines companies, focuses in Information and electronic technologies, and also health and environmental technologies.

One of the most expected event at the 2010 New York Auto Show, held between 2-11 April 2010 in the USA, was the award of some highly expected prizes, especially the World Car of The Year, which goes to Volkswagen Polo this year. The German producer beat Mercedes Benz E-Class and Toyota Prius (which, in my opinion, is one of the most horrible cars on the market right now) to win this prize second time in row, after Golf VI which won the same prize last year. This is not the only award Polo received lately, after it won the 2010 European Car of The Year too. BMW X1, Opel Insignia, Porsche Panamera, Mazda 3 or Audi Q5 were also thereabouts for this prize.

Not more than two weeks from now own, the Geneva motor show will start again in Switzerland, this being the 80th time when some of the biggest name from the automotive industry will unveil their new prototypes, future series-car or fully-advanced engines in the “country of the Rolex watches”. There are going to be some interesting cars out there so let’s take a look at the most exciting prospects:

Audi RS5
One of the most interesting debuts will be Audi’s release of the RS5, the riposte to the BMW M3. With a direct-injection 4.2-litre V8 (the same engine that powers the R8) and a 174 mph top speed, the price of approximately $90.000 is maybe a little too much, but the Germans from Ingolstadt still have an ace in hand. Comparing to the BMW M3, the new Audi is relatively economical. While the Bavarian car manages 25.2mpg, Audi claims a better rate: 26.2mpg. Thank the dual-clutch transmission and the intelligent alternator (that’s only charged during coasting and braking) for that. The power is released to the wheels by a 7-speed S-tronic gearbox. The RS5 may look like A5 or S5, but there are definitely differences: a bigger front bumper, two huge air intakes, leather and Alcantara sports seats or optional carbon pack that trims the engine bay.

I've always loved the German cars because I think there are the best in the world. Even if it's Mercedes, Audi, BMW or Volkswagen, the German cars always proved to me that I can feel safe and nice when driving one of them. I had the opportunity to drive a Volkswagen Touareg R5, 2.5 TDI, and even if it was the first time when I drove a 4x4, I felt extraordinary on the front left seat of it.

I drove the Touareg for around 400 km, which means 250 miles. It was not on a highway, as we do not have many of them, but on very good quality roads. The trip took about 5 hours. Keep in mind that we passed over 4 big cities too during this journey, so it would have been way faster if we could have avoided them.

First time I started the engine I’ve felt like everything I’ve experienced before doesn’t matter anymore. I never thought I would have the chance to drive a 4x4 Touareg for such a long distance. The power is released to the wheels by a 6-speed manual gearbox, and I managed to get to 140 km/h, which equals to 85 miles per hour.