world automotive news: October 2011

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Video: Toyota Supra Drifter Outwitted by Cop on Roundabout

A jazzy driver in a fourth-generation Toyota Supra was filmed trying to have some drifting fun on a roundabout at the expense of the police. After the patrol car tried to follow the Supra on the roundabout the cop outsmarted the driver by turning off his emergency lights and placing the car in the middle of the road.

Given that the police car appears to be a VAZ-2110 (otherwise known as the Lada 110), we presume that the scene took place in Russia or a nearby country. Video follows below.

The first examples of the Corsa VXR Nürburgring Edition have landed in Vauxhall showrooms in Britain. The 205HP hot hatch is priced at £22,295 or close to £3,400 more than the standard 192HP VXR that starts at £18,900.

The faster and more-focused version of the Corsa VXR is powered by a re-worked version of the regular model's 1.6-litre turbocharged engine which now produces 205-horses at 5,750rpm and 250-280Nm (184-207 lb-ft) of torque, up from 192HP and 230-266Nm (170-196 lb-ft).

Last Saturday Tesla opened up its NUMI factory to 3,000 guests and revealed both the production line and, more importantly, the Model S Beta. The company’s CEO, Elon Musk, drove on stage in a Beta Model S with passengers occupying all seats, including the rear facing seats.

Musk presented the car’s features, such as the 17-inch touch screen and the voice command audio system to the large audience. He also said that this Beta version is very close to the actual production car in terms of fit, finish and performance. Then the company’s customers went on to get their first real taste of their future car driving it on a slalom course.

If you thought that the Nissan Juke's design was pushing the envelope a wee bit too far, wait until you see what the Japanese carmaker's engineers are readying. Meet the Nissan Juke-R, one of the craziest ideas we have heard in a long, long while. And yes, the 'R' in the name is what you think it is: the heart and soul of the…Godzilla!

A team over at Nissan Europe came up with the bright idea of fitting the Juke small crossover with the engine and drivetrain of the latest GT-R. The street legal prototype is currently being developed by Nissan and built by motorsports outfit RML with input from Nissan Technology Centre for Europe (NTC-E).

Alfa Romeo Lays Out Product Plans Until 2014, Readying a New RWD Saloon with a V6 Engine

Out of all the mainstream brands included in the Fiat Group and Chrysler LLC portfolio, Alfa Romeo has the most potential to achieve a global reach and bring in some much needed cash and sales. The Italian company's boss Sergio Marchionne is well aware of this and that's one of the reasons he doesn't want to sell Alfa Romeo to Volkswagen, despite Ferdinand Piechs' persistent efforts.

However, one of the most pressing problems with Alfa Romeo is the constant delays, be that for the successors to models like the 159 series or the company's long-awaited return to the U.S. market.

Suffice it to say, there's no way of being sure that the Fiat Group has managed to sort out the time schedule-related problems when it comes to Alfa Romeo. Nevertheless, at a recent event for investors, the Fiat Group introduced an updated plan for the Milanese brand, which it hopes will revitalize Alfa Romeo through the presentation of new models.

We promise to act utterly surprised when someone over at Ford accidentally discovers this video footage of a heavily damaged F-150 pickup truck driven over the rumbles of a destroyed showroom and turns it into a "Built Ford Tough" commercial.

The poster of the clip is an unnamed manager from the Kelleher Ford dealership located in the small Canadian town of Dauphin in the Province of Manitoba. According to the description, the incident took place after the dealership caught fire on September 10, 2011.

It's been two years since Bob Nardelli stepped down as Chrysler CEO while the company was still owned by private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management LP, for which he still works, but the 63-year-old exec still has the hots for the Detroit carmaker.

During an interview with The Detroit News on the sidelines of a recent Dow Jones conference in New York, Nardelli said that the Obama administration didn’t have to give Chrysler away to Fiat as he believes Cerberus could have done a better job of saving the automaker.

The first phase of the European "Car of the Year 2012" [COTY] award has been completed with the announcement of the 35 candidates eligible to participate in the voting process.

As with prior events, in order to be a nominee, the contenders had to be new vehicles available now or before the end of this year in five or more European markets, and each has to have the prospect of a minimum of 5,000 annual sales.

A fun track day at the notorious Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit turned into a nightmare for eight drivers this past Sunday.

The vehicles involved in the crash included a BMW E30 3-Series, a BMW E36 3-Series, a BMW E92 M3, a Chevrolet Corvette Z06, a pair of Vauxhall VX220 / Opel Speedster roadsters, a Porsche 911 (964 series) and the official BMW M3 'Ring Taxi.

According to a police report, the drivers came from several European countries, while the accident apparently took place in two phases.

We've brought you plenty of news on BMW's upcoming iteration of its bread-and-butter 3-Series, but our spies have just snagged what they believe to be an early prototype of the hybrid version that will join the recently announced ActiveHybrid 5 and the already available ActiveHybrid X6 and 7.

While the prototype model captured on the 'Ring looks pretty much stock, our man with the long lens tells us that it features the mandatory hybrid stickers to warn emergency crews about the car's electric operating system in the event of an accident.

The Bavarian automaker confirmed the availability of "hybrid versions of the next 3-Series" sedan codenamed F30 during a press conference in late 2010.

“Speed kills”, says the cliché. And so do most governments around the world that prefer to keep low speed limits and enforce them by planting thousands of cameras on the roads.

Yet surprisingly, the UK government is proposing a new plan to increase the speed limit on motorways. The announcement came today from Transport Secretary Philip Hammond who announced his intention to raise the national speed limit on motorways from 70 to 80 mph (112 to 128 km/h) as early as 2013.

A 'sleeper' car is defined as a super-fast vehicle with deceptive, run-of-the-mill looks. They can come in many forms and shapes, but the basic idea remains the same.

One of the more popular options for those looking to build a sleeper is the original Volkswagen Beetle, which is factory form is a total buzz killer. The owner of this modified Bug tried to keep the looks of the car as close to stock as possible, but underneath, it's a completely different story.

General Motors will soon increase its commercial offerings of CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) models with the addition of a new bi-fuel pickup truck that is scheduled for launch early in the fourth quarter of 2012. Read more »

SCOOP: Mercedes-Benz Preparing 2012 G63 AMG with Bi-Turbocharged V8

The rugged G-Class may be the oldest model series in Mercedes-Benz's range as it has been constantly in production since 1979, but the Germans aren't about to let it go yet as they continue to improve their most famous luxury off-road vehicle.

Our spies recently caught up with a couple of prototype models of the flagship AMG variant while testing in Europe. The G-Wagen SUVs were fitted with new exterior mirrors featuring the same design as the ones found on newer Mercedes passenger models and a modified lower front end with three large air vents.

Volvo's automotive division has announced that it will close its Uddevalla plant in Sweden in 2013 once it takes sole ownership of the factory. “The low volumes in the Uddevalla plant do not justify continued production”, said Volvo CEO, Stefan Jacoby.

The Uddevalla factory is currently run by Volvo and Pininfarina under a joint-venture agreement that was established in 2005 for the production of the C70 hardtop-convertible. The plant employs 600 workers and in 2010, production reached 10,000 units, which represents only 65% of its full capacity.

The refreshed for the 2012 model year Kia Soul is on sale in the UK with on-the-road prices ranging from £12,495 for the basic petrol model to the £17,795 for the fully equipped diesel variant.

The most important change for the 2012 Soul is the presentation of a new 1.6-liter petrol engine and a revised version of the 1.6-liter turbo diesel, both hooked up to a six-speed manual gearbox that replaces the previous five-speed unit. Furthermore, the diesel model is optionally available with a new 6sp auto in place of the former 4sp transmission.

As they say, more equals less, or to put it into context, the more horsepower a car has, the less time it will need to cover a defined distance.

And while the new Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 with its 6.5-liter V12 engine pushing out a hefty 700-horses for a factory 0 to 100km/h (62mph) sprint time of 2.9 seconds is by no means a slouch, 700HP is significantly less than around 1000HP.

That was the case with the R35 that went up against the white Aventador in the drag strip race you're about to watch after the break. According to the YouTube poster, this wasn't your run-of-the-mill Nissan GT-R but a heavily tuned R35 packing close to 1,000-horses under its hood.

We have more news coming out of the Fiat Group and Chrysler LLC camp. After the announcement on the new Alfa Romeo 1.8-liter turbo engine, the group said it has finalized plans to build a new small Jeep SUV model at its Mirafiori plant in Turin, Italy.

The company noted that development of the manufacturing infrastructure at Mirafiori will begin in 2012 with production of the new baby Jeep model expected to begin in the second half of 2013 alongside an updated version of Alfa Romeo's MiTo supermini.

At the 64th Frankfurt Motor Show, Mercedes-Benz officially revealed its all-new B-Class small MPV. Unlike other manufactures that like to tease us and slowly release details on their new models, Mercedes instantly gave away all the information about its new tall hatch, such as dimensions, powertrains, active and passive safety features as well as equipment levels.

Now it's time for a second and far more comprehensive round of pictures as the German maker unleashed more than 130 photos of the new B-Class covering every aspect from the exterior and interior design to technology.

We have more good news for racing game enthusiasts as following Thrustmaster's announcement on the authentic replica of the Ferrari F1 steering wheel, German-based Fanatec revealed a new BMW M3 GT2 rim.

The realistic steering wheel will be sold separately as an add-on for Fanatec's upcoming Clubsport base, which is compatible with PC and Sony PS3.

Fanatec presented the new rim at the 25th anniversary festival of the BMW factory in Regensburg together with touring car champion Dirk Adorf.

The Fiat Group has revealed plans to produce a new four-cylinder gasoline direct injection turbo engine for Alfa Romeo at the firm's FMA plant in Pratola Serra beginning in early 2013.

The Italian company said that the all-aluminum powerplant has a displacement of 1.8-liters and will feature advanced technologies such as a 200-bar gasoline direct injection system, dual variable timing and a high-efficiency turbocharger. It will be offered in numerous versions the most powerful of which will develop 300-horses.

The world premiere of the VW Up! at last month's 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show last month was only the beginning for the German group as after the recent presentation of the Skoda Citigo, Seat is next in line to gain its version of the small city car with the Mii.

The new Mii is the Spanish firm's first offering in the segment after the termination of the Arosa mini in 2004, which was also based on a VW model, the Lupo.

As is the case with the Skoda Citigo, the only visible differences between the Seat Mii and the VW Up! are their front end styling, alloy wheel designs, tail lamp graphics and the interior trim colors and options.

The Mazda MX-5, also known as the Miata, is the best-selling two-seater sports car in the world. Now in its third generation, Mazda’s roadster has seen its fair share of special editions since it was first launched in 1989. The latest variant to hit the streets is the Black Tuned edition, which was launched today in Japan. Read more »

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Bob Lutz Says General Motors, Volkswagen and Hyundai are the World's New Big Three

It's fall again, time for Bob Lutz to make headlines. Less than a month after "Maximum Bob" made his official comeback to General Motors as a consultant, the semi-retired car executive and onetime Marine pilot gave an in-depth interview to German monthly Manager Magazin.

Lutz was questioned about a variety of subjects that mainly concentrated on Opel and its relationship with General Motors, but he was also asked about the future of the industry in general, and whom he sees as being the major players.

According to Captain Lutz, the new big three in the automotive industry are General Motors, the Volkswagen Group and –wait for it- the Hyundai Group. And what about Toyota and the rest of the Japanese carmakers like Honda? According to the GM exec, Japanese automakers have lost it… Follow the jump for his (translated) response as well as the original Q&A.

The sudden acceleration issue is still troubling Toyota, which has already paid $50 million in fines and recalled almost 8 million vehicles in the US alone in 2009 and 2010. The Japanese carmaker still has to face the lawsuits brought about by citizens and their families affected by the issue which, according to estimates, could cost the company as much as $10 billion.

However, the first sudden acceleration lawsuit lawsuit was dismissed by a federal judge who ruled that it should have been filed in Utah instead of California. The case is about Paul Van Alfen and passenger Charlene Lloyd, who were killed in 2010 when a 2008 Camry driven by Van Alfen hit a wall in Utah.

There's no doubt that the web and readers alike tend to be more interested in troublemakers and the darker or if you prefer, the more bizarre side of things in general. But as we all know, there are always two sides of a coin and the same goes for gearheads in all four corners of the world, be they in Europe, Africa, Asia, the Americas or in this case, the Middle East.

Carscoop reader Mousub S. wanted to remind us that the Middle East is not only about blinged-up supercars and gun-carrying Honda Accord drifters, which understandably gather a lot of attention, but also about the high-revving world of Motorsports with a video.

China is quickly becoming the ideal place to launch bespoke (…and higher-priced) special edition versions for luxury carmakers. The latest example is Bentley, which will sell just 10 Continental Flying Spurs created in cooperation with British design company Linley.

The Linley limited edition will only be available in what is now Bentley’s biggest market in the world. According to the British carmaker, it “incorporates signature Linley elements that will appeal to customers who value pedigree, lineage, handcrafted quality and peerless design”.

Nissan GT-R Smacks Ferrari 458 on the Highway, But Fails Miserably on a Twisty Road

The Nissan GT-R is something like a poor-man's supercar – and there is nothing wrong with that in our book. It has beaten/embarrassed vehicles costing several times as much on more occasions that we can care to remember.

However, sometimes we tend to forget that being fast is as much about the car as it is about the driver. Case in point, a friendly road race between an SP Engineering-prepped Nissan GT-R and a Ferrari 458 Italia.

It’s called the Avant GT and it looks like someone tried to make a Porsche Panamera out of a Honda Crosstour. The pure-electric model was first shown in Shanghai earlier this year and it’s the product of five companies – none of which have any real experience building cars – including Taiwanese design firm Studio X-Gene, financial partner Altair ProductDesign and technological partners Delta Electronics, Wistron and Qisda. Read more »

QLD, Australia Speed Camera Site Nabs 37,000 Motorists and Earns at Least $5 Million in Less Than Two Months!

Talk about milking a cash cow… A new speed camera site with four fixed cameras mounted on a bridge eyeing over motorists on the M1 at Loganholme in Queensland, Australia, has nabbed close to 37,000 motorists since they were installed on August 2.

“The M1 at Loganholme is of particular concern where 36,661 vehicles have been detected speeding since it was switched on,” said State Traffic Support Branch Acting Chief Superintendent Dale Pointon in a statement on the Queensland Police website.

It's been a good few years for racing game enthusiasts. And we say that both in terms of software with the release of games like the Gran Turismo 5, as well as hardware with choices ranging from the low cost Logitech G27, the mid-priced Fanatec Porsche wheels and Clubsport pedals, to the upper-end Thrustmaster T500 RS wheel / pedal combo and TH8 RS gated gearbox.

Now Thrustmaster, which has been on a product roll lately, has announced a new authentic replica of the Ferrari F1 steering wheel found inside the cockpit of the 150 Italia racecar. The life-size wheel is not a stand-alone item but a removable add-on designed to attach to the T500 RS base.

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