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Jul 29, 2006
New Mini Preview
BMW has previewed the forthcoming second generation New Mini to motoring journalists in Holland. From the pictures, we can see the car is still disguised with rubber tapes around the lamps and front bumper, but everything else is exposed. Contrary to rumors, the new Mini kept the same compact size as the first generation. In particular, its wheelbase is unchanged. Overall length is increased by only 70mm due to the longer front overhang necessary for improved crash protection.

As BMW's survey found customers love the styling of the current Mini very much, chief designer Gert Hildebrand did not alter the exterior design much. The only obvious changes concentrate on the front end. Disappointingly, its pronounced bonnet (necessary to comply with pedestrian safety law) adds some bulkiness to the appearance. Besides, it lost the classical chromed grille thus has little in common with the original BMC Mini. It seems to me that this design is not as successful as the previous Frank Stephenson design.

The chassis of Mini is mostly unchanged. It continues to use the outgoing car's MacPherson struts suspensions up front and "central-arm rear axle" rear suspensions, although the latter gets aluminum longitudinal arms to save 9 kg of unsprung weight. The standard suspension setting is more comfort-biased, but the new Mini also offer an optional sport suspension setting. Those tested the car reported improved ride comfort and refinement, and improved body control in the sport setting.

Following the trend of econo small cars, the steering system of new Mini has switched to electrical assistance. The merit is reduced fuel consumption and the ability of variable weighting. When Sport mode is selected by the driver, the steering weighs up (together with quicker throttle response). On the downside, some journalists complained it has become too light to delight female drivers, while the electrical assistance robs it some road feel.

Biggest change to the car is undoubtedly the engines. Gone is the Chrysler-built Tritec engines, replaced by a real BMW-engineered engine. It is built at its UK Hams Hall plant and will be offered to PSA's cars like Peugeot 207 from this fall in order to share development and production costs. In exchange, PSA will offer the new Mini its HDI turbo diesel engines.

Back to the new petrol engine, it has a normally aspirated version (for Cooper) and a turbocharged version (for Cooper S). Both displaces 1598 cc, with aluminum head and block, twin-cam 16 valves and new fuel saving technologies such as electric-motor-driven water pump and oil pump (like the Magnesium straight-6 engine). The engines are made very compact and light - around 10-15kg lighter than the Tritec engines. They are also a lot of frugal.

The naturally aspirated Cooper engine has Valvetronic and Bi-Vanos to save fuel and improve torque curve. While its 120hp and 118lbft output seems not a big improvement from the old engine's 115hp and 110 lbft, it produces much stronger torque at lower rev. For example, at 2000 rpm there is already 103 lbft available.

The Cooper S engine has switched from supercharger to turbocharger. Some journalists said it lost the aural thrill of the old engine, but it is undoubtedly more refined and flexible. The turbocharger is twin-scroll type, i.e., separate the exhaust flow from two groups of two cylinders to prevent from back pressure interference thus improve turbine response. Moreover, the turbo is small (it delivers only 0.8 bar) to reduce turbo lag. Unlike the naturally aspirated engine, it does not have Valvetronic, while Bi-Vanos is replaced by the intake-only Vanos, but it has added direct injection like the new 335i engine. This allows a very high compression ratio at 10.5:1 to improve low end response (old engine: 8.3:1). The engine produces 175hp at 5500rpm (old: 163hp at 6000rpm) and 177 lbft at 1600-5000 rpm (old: 155 lbft at 4000rpm). Furthermore, a short time overboost can even increase the torque output to 192 lbft.

Both engines mate to a standard Getrag 6-speed manual gearbox or optional 6-speed automatic gearbox, the latter should be a vast improvement from the outgoing CVT. Cooper S can be optioned with a mechanical LSD.
  
Jul 24, 2006
Tesla Roadster: Electric Elise


Readers of AutoZine must be able to recognize from which car this Tesla Roadster is derived. From the familiar shape and exactly the same windscreen, or the same dashboard, you can see this is a version of Lotus Elise. In fact, you can see it as an electric-powered version of Elise. It is the work of Tesla Motors, a new American company founded by Silicon Valley guys Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning and financed by some IT giants like Elon Musk (founder of Paypal), Lorry Page and Sergey Brin (founders of Google). They invested some US$60 million in this project. The aim is to build a roadster powered by pure electric and capable of doing 0-60mph in 4 seconds and top over 130mph. This concept is not new, as tried before by Venturi Fetish, but it seems to me that Tesla has more business sense.

Why? Because Tesla sensibly decided not to produce the car by itself. The basic chassis is derived from Lotus Elise' extruded aluminum structure and share most of its parts to save money. Of course, it is designed, developed and produced in Hethel by Lotus. The electric motor is made in Taiwan. The power electrics, including the power management system and DC-AC inverter are believed to be the work of engineering consultant Ricardo. The final assembly also takes place in Hethel, thus Tesla does not need to invest in a new factory.



Compare to Elise, Tesla Roadster is much bigger - 16cm longer, 15cm wider and runs a 5cm longer wheelbase. This is necessary to provide more interior space as well as to accommodate the 450kg Lithium-ion battery pack behind the cockpit, taking the place of engine. Between the rear wheels is a 3-phase AC induction motor, supplied by the DC-AC inverter located above it. The motor develops 248 horsepower and at most 180 lbft of torque. The torque curve, however, is very different from conventional engines, as it develops peak torque at 0 rpm and decline gradually. At 7500 rpm, there is 150 lbft. At 11500 rpm, it drops to 100 lbft. The motor redline at 13500 rpm. This explain why the car can accelerate from 0-60mph in only 4 seconds but top only 130mph. The car is equipped with a 2-speed electric-actuated manual gearbox, with the first gear for up to 60mph and 2nd for cruising at higher speed.


Left: huge battery pack;   Right: chassis and motor

The whole car weighs about 1134 kg (2500lb), compare with 860 kg of Elise R. If you minus the 450 kg battery, the car is actually lighter than Elise. This is because the electric motor, gearbox and differential unit weighs only 70kg. The battery has a lifespan of over 100,000 miles, while the maximum range is 250 miles after 3.5 hours charge – partly helped by regenerative braking. That is far more useful than the late GM EV1 (about 90 miles range in its final version) and should be enough for most people.

The Roadster use the same wheel and tire size as Lotus Elise, but it gets stronger brakes to cope with its increased weight. The front brakes employ 300mm cross-drilled ventilated discs and 2-pot AP calipers. The rear brakes use 310mm cross-drilled ventilated discs and single-pot Brembo calipers.

The car will be very well equipped. Standard include twin airbags, ABS, traction control, cruise control, power windows, part leather heated seats, air con and an audio system with iPod interface. So far no price as been announced, but don't expect it to be cheap. It will be sold exclusively in North America starting from early next year.
Model
Tesla Roadster
Lotus Elise R
Layout
Mid-engined, Rwd
Mid-engined, Rwd
L / W / H / WB (mm)
3946 / 1873 / 1127/ 2352
3785 / 1719 / 1143 / 2300
Engine
3-phase induction AC motor
Inline-4, dohc, 4v/cyl, VVT.
Capacity
N/A
1796 cc
Power
248 hp
192 hp
Torque
180 lbft
133 lbft
Transmission
2M
6M
Suspension (F/R)
All: double wishbones
All: double wishbones
Tyres (F/R)
175/55VR16 / 225/45VR17
175/55VR16 / 225/45VR17
Weight
approx. 1134 kg
860 kg
Top speed
over 130 mph (c)
150 mph (c)
0-60 mph
around 4.0 sec (c)
4.9 sec
 
  
Jul 24, 2006
Volvo C30 first photos


Volvo has released the first set of photos for the new baby Volvo, C30. As seen here, apart from some cosmetic changes (such as skirts, bumpers and smaller wheels) it is identical to the concept car shown in January's Detroit motor show. As we all know, C30 is derived from the S40 sedan but is 22cm shorter due to its hatchback design. It seats 4 people only. The two rear seats are independent and slightly centered.



Like S40, its engine range consists of 100hp 1.6 petrol, 110hp 1.6 turbo diesel, 180hp 2.4 five-pot turbo diesel (D5) and 220hp 2.5 five-pot turbo petrol (T5).

Volvo expect it to add 65,000 units sales to the company annually.

  
Jul 20, 2006
New Holden Commodore


The current Holden Commodore has its basic architecture dated back to the 1997 VT Commodore. It is a 9 year-old-design and it is time to have a complete renew. The new generation is codenamed VE. It has been unveiled in Australia but so far Holden is holding its technical specifications, such as dimensions, chassis rigidity and suspension design, but hopefully I should receive info in the following few days.



The VE Commodore is a clean sheet design by Australian. Its Zeta rear-wheel-drive platform is being studied by GM for use in its North American cars such as Chevrolet Camaro and future sedans. From the pictures, we see the VE looks smaller than it is. Its longer wheelbase is offset by the shorter overhangs. Aggressive wheelarches make it look more compact. The exterior design was originated by Mike Simcoe, who designed the previous Monaro coupe. Many people said it imitates Audi, but in my opinion it borrows more from Opel, the sister company of Holden. There is a strong resemblance to Opel Vectra.



The interior sees a big improvement in design and quality, although it cannot match the new Toyota Camry. Crash protection and active safety should be much more modern. However, these enhancements bring around 100 kilograms more weight to the car. To compensate, the engines get more powerful. There are two stages of tune for the homegrown Alloytech 3.6-litre DOHC V6, one produces 241hp and 243 lbft, another produces 261hp and 251 lbft. The V6s mate with either 4-speed auto, 5-speed auto or 6-speed manual. On the other hand, GM America offers a 6.0-litre Gen IV push-rod V8 producing 362 horsepower and 391 lbft of torque. It couples to GM's new 6-speed automatic as used in Cadillac XLR-V.



  Red car: Commodore SS-V

There are 6 models in the Commodore range:
  • Omega: entry level, 241hp V6, 4-speed auto.
  • Berlina: for fleet buyers, 241hp V6 with 4A or 361hp V8 with 6A.
  • Calais: luxury model, 261hp V6 with 5A or 361hp V8 with 6A.
  • SV6: entry-level sporty model, 261hp V6 with 5A or 6M.
  • SS: performance model, 361hp V8 with 6A or 6M.
  • SS-V: same as SS but with more aggressive body kits and 19-inch wheels.
As before, Commodore also breeds a pair of sister cars, Caprice and Statesman. They are long-wheelbase version for executive and luxury class, mostly used as company cars.

<< SS-V cabin

The whole VE Commodore program including Caprice and Statesman costs US$920 million, which is double the money spent on VT Commodore. It is very crucial to the future of Holden. In recent years Australian government has loosened its protectionism policies in a bid to reach free trade agreement with other countries. This presented great threat to the survival of Australian motor industry, including the locally made Holden Commodore, Ford Falcon and many of their component suppliers. Although Commodore remained the best selling car in Australia last year, its sales dropped from 79,170 units to 66,794 units. VE Commodore takes the mission to revive sales.



  Caprice (left) and Statesman (right): both have longer wheelbase



  Left: Caprice looks like Audi A8; Right: Statesman cabin more upmarket

<< Statesman: same as Caprice

However, as the market is more open to foreign players, I think it is inevitable to lose market share further to the new Toyota Camry. The most worrying thing to Commodore is the lack of a fuel efficient engine choice. While Camry has a 2.4-litre four-pot engine, the smallest Commodore engine is a 3.6-litre V6, which is already bigger than the largest Camry engine. No wonder many commentators believe the new Commodore is born at a wrong time.
  
Jul 20, 2006
Nanjing to revive MG ?


The demise of MG Rover let two Chinese companies grabbing up its assets. SAIC bought the intellectual properties of Rover 25 and 75, but Nanjing Automobile got the big part – the production line of K-series engine and all the cars, plus the rights of MG ZR (= Rover 25), ZT (= Rover 75) and TF sports car. Last week the company formally announced its plan to restart the production of MG TF at the old Rover site, Longbridge.

You may remember just before the collapse of MG Rover, its four greedy directors sold the land at Longbridge to developer. Now Nanjing is going to restart production at part of the old site leased by the developer. The company said it plan to build 15,000 MG TF annually at Longbridge, yet it contradictively said it won't employ more than 150 people. And this amount already includes R&D, marketing and administration posts. This imply the so-called production could be only trivial partial assembly.

More interesting is the announcement of building a plant in the Oklahoma, USA. This news came from Nanjiang's new US partner, MG Motors Inc., led by ex-Lotus USA CEO Duke Hale. He said Nanjing will setup a plant at the US to produce the coupe version of MG TF (the car was designed by Peter Stevens before the demise of MG Rover). Production rate will be 12,000 to 16,000 units a year, with 60% output for America and the rest for Europe. The plant will hire 550 people.

However, I strongly doubt whether there will be demand for this 11 year-old sports car. The K-series engine needs rework to comply with new emission standard (it only complies with Euro III). Even if it lose no power, it won't be able to match newer rivals Mazda MX-5 and Pontiac Solstice. Moreover, the MG brand has been absent from America for a quarter of a century. Its brand power is really questionable.

However, Nanjing's Chinese spokesman denied the US plant as a firm plan, as it only signed a memorandum of understanding with Duke Hale's company. The development of the story seemed interesting… full of dream, wild claims and cheating, hopefully very much like the late MG Rover.

One thing is for sure, Nanjing's focus is put on its own Chinese production rather than MG – UK, USA or whatever. The production lines of the K-series engines and MG ZT saloon are already in China. It is going to build 200,000 to 250,000 engines a year, primarily used by the reborn ZT which will go on sale in China in the first half of 2007. Compare with the domestic production, the UK and USA plant look insignificant. It seems that the plan of restarting production at Longbridge is only an answer to the commitment it promised when it bid for the assets of MG Rover. As I know one of the reasons it beat the other two bidders (including SAIC) was that it promised to re-employ 1,000 to 2,000 people at Longbridge. However, that promise will never be realized.
  
Jul 20, 2006
Honda Stream


Most car makers have at most one MAV or Multi-Activity Vehicle in their lineup, but Honda has two: Edix (FR-V) and Stream. While the former is a 6-seater in two rows, the latter is more conventional with 7 seats in 3 rows. While Edix is built on the CR-V platform, Stream is derived from the Civic (though you can say CR-V and Civic are closely related).



Seen here is the second generation Stream. Compare to the outgoing car, its design takes a different direction – sharper and more angular. It is obviously designed to deliver more driver appeal than most other MAVs. Its 1545mm height is low by class standard, and 45mm lower than the first generation. This points to a lower center of gravity. The top model Stream RSZ is even offered with 17-inch alloy wheels and aggressive body kits.



The interior is a typical Honda product – stylish, good quality and functional. Unlike most other MAVs, it has very narrow A-pillars to prevent from blind spots. The seats split into three rows, with the last row limited to children or adults for short journey. Its 2740mm wheelbase is 20mm up from the old Stream, so the middle row gets enhanced legroom. Both the second and third row can fold to reveal a flat cargo leading area.



The Stream is powered by two engines. Entry level is Civic's 1.8-litre i-VTEC with 140 horsepower, mated to a 5-speed automatic gearbox. Top model uses a new 2.0-litre i-VTEC motor with 3-stage variable length intake manifolds, coupled to a continuously variable transmission. However, there is no plans for a really high performance version to rival the like of Opel Zafira OPC. After all, there is little market demand for a performance MAV.
  
Jul 20, 2006
Colt Ralliart Version-R


The Ralliart Version-R gets a cool name and a cool look, doesn't it ? make no mistake, it is only the 5-door version of the European Colt CZT. In Japan, the CZT has never been offered. Until now the hottest version of Colt they got is the Colt Plus Ralliart, a car based on the longer tail Plus body and equipped with a detuned version of the CZT's 1.5-litre MIVEC VVT turbocharged engine. While power remains unchanged, it gives away 22 lbft of torque so that not to overload the CVT it used.

To most boy racers seeking for an entry-level hot hatch, the above Colt Plus Ralliart is obviously not enough. That's why now Mitsubishi adds Version-R. It uses the same engine as the CZT, rated at 154ps (JIS) and 155lbft of torque, and the same 5-speed manual gearbox, the same 16-inch wheels with 205/45 tires. The car is built on the short-tail 5-door bodyshell with strengthening at various places, plus a tower brace on front suspensions, so chassis rigidity should be close to the 3-door CZT.



What it really stand out is a giant killer look, thanks to the aggressive aero kits, blackened wheelarches and a fake intercooler air scoop on the bonnet (CZT does not have that).
  
Jul 20, 2006
911 Targa
Porsche has released the Targa version of 911. Like the last generation 996 Targa and the earlier 993 Targa, the 997 Targa employs a sliding panoramic glass roof. Two electric motors can slide the glass panel between the roof rails to underneath the rear window. When the glass roof is up, the rear window can hinge up to access to the luggage storage at the folded rear seat. The roof system is the work of CTS (Car Top Systems), a company previously owned by Porsche and Mercedes.

The new Targa is available in two versions, one based on the standard 911 Carrera with narrow body and 3.6 engine, another based on the Carrera S with wider body and 3.8 engine. Of course, the heavier roof mechanism means it is slightly slower than its donor models.
  
Jul 20, 2006
Seat Leon Cupra


Shortly after the availability of Leon FR (200hp), here comes the range topper Cupra. The last generation Cupra ran a 225hp 1.8 turbo engine from Audi TT. The new Cupra gets a 240hp version of the 2.0 TFSI engine, which is exclusive at least for now (both Golf GTI and Audi new TT are satisfied with the 200hp version like Leon FR, although Golf is expected to unveil a limited edition with this 240hp engine). The engine produces 221 lbft of torque between 2200-5500 rpm. Mating with a 6-speed manual, Leon Cupra accelerates from 0-60 in 6.1 seconds and tops 153 mph.

Modifications to chassis: lowered ride height, quicker steering rack, 225/40ZR tires, 18-inch alloy wheels and – watch this – 345mm diameter ventilated front brake discs ! if that's not enough, you can buy the optional Brembo 4-piston calipers.

Now Leon Cupra is as fast as Golf R32 while costing considerably less money. What remains in doubt is how well its FWD chassis handle the extra punch without using limited slip differential. Golf R32 has no such headache, as it is 4-wheel-drive.
  
Jul 20, 2006
Polo GTI Cup


For those who think Polo GTI's 150hp output not enough, they may consider the higher boost version of that 1.8-litre turbo engine, rated at 180hp and 173 lbft. It takes the car from rest to 60mph in 7.1 seconds and all the way to 140mph. It also gets uprated brakes and 205/40R17 tires. This limited edition is called Polo GTI Cup.
  
Jul 20, 2006
Industry News
Aston made a profit, finally

According to Aston Martin's CEO Dr. Bez, the company finally made a profit last year. It was the first profitable result in the past 40 years ! thanks to the consistent success of DB9 and V8 Vantage, Aston sold 4400 cars last year, almost doubled from the 2400 units recorded in 2004.

Alfa back to USA

After many discarded plans, Alfa Romeo finally announced it will return to the USA market in late 2009. It will sell only the 159 and Brera / Spider there. The launch date is selected to coincide with the mid-life facelift of these models, which will incorporate minor modifications to comply with US regulations. Alfa will use the sales network of Maserati, now under its wing, to minimize costs.
  
Jul 12, 2006
Mercedes SLR 722


Facing the strong threat from the spectacular Ferrari 599GTB, Mercedes SLR McLaren has geared up to defend its title as the world's fastest front-engined supercar. The new model is called SLR 722 Edition. It is so named to link with the 1955 Mille Miglia victory taken by Stirling Moss' 300SLR numbered 722. The car will be sold alongside the "regular" SLR, but expect most customers will choose the new variant. It will be sold at around US$20,000 dearer than the standard SLR.



Outside, the 722 can be distinguished by an aggressive lip spoiler which improves high speed stability. All four corners now ride on 19-inch wheels instead of 18-inch. Running inside which are larger ceramic brake discs measuring 390mm in diameter instead of 370mm. Besides, the suspensions are stiffened and lowered by 10mm.

The 5.5-litre supercharged V8 has been uprated from 626hp to 650hp, beating Ferrari 599 GTB by 30 horsepower. Performance figures are now 209 mph top speed, 0-62 mph in 3.6 seconds (down 0.2 sec) and 0-124mph in 10.2 seconds.



However, such performance is just marginally better than the production Ferrari, which costs half the price and offers considerably more space and practicality, not to mention a more prestige brand and a delicious V12 engine. 599 GTB tops 205mph-plus, acceleration from 0-62mph takes 3.7 seconds and 0-100mph takes 11.0 seconds. Obviously most people will find it a more tempting choice. Mercedes originally planned to sell 500 SLRs a year for 7 consecutive years. Now it seems unlikely, even if it launch more variant editions in the future.
 
Jul 7, 2006
Farewell to AutoZine...


Don't be scared, I just want to say Farewell to AutoZine's current look, haha.

In about a week's time AutoZine's main menu page will receive a thorough facelift – the first time in 5 years ! (yes, I know I was a little bit lazy in the past 5 years…) Apart from a new bottle, it will add some new contents, such as:

AutoZine Blog
Yes ! AutoZine finally enters the Blog era. Not just to show I am not outdated, it will be used to post editorials, site updates and instant thoughts. You can post comments too.

The Graveyard
Where are the reports for Porsche 996 Turbo or Ferrari 360 Modena? From now on all the old car reports will be put in the Graveyard archive.

April Fool's joke
The collection of AutoZine's April Fool's jokes.

History
The history of AutoZine

Best of AutoZine
Updated list of the best AutoZine articles.

So, before AutoZine is facelifted, take your last chance to see its current look…
 
Jul 7, 2006
Carlos Ghosn to rule the automotive world ?
GM's largest shareholder billionaire Kirk Kerkorian, who holds 10 percent shares of the company, is trying to forge an alliance between GM and the Renault-Nissan group. It is known that he discussed with Renault-Nissan's chief Carlos Ghosn for the possible alliance and received positive feedback. Ghosn has got the approval from the boards of both Renault and Nissan for further discussion. He also revealed the group could take 20 percent shares of GM – 10% by Renault and 10% by Nissan.

However, it is too early to say whether the alliance or merger could be made. Rumors have that GM's CEO Rick Wagoner and most senior executives oppose to the idea from Kerkorian. It is obvious that Wagoner will lose his job if Carlos Ghosn get control of GM.

Since Ghosn successfully rescued Nissan from the edge of bankruptcy and turned it into one of the most profitable car makers, he has been the most sought CEO in the car industry. Last year Bill Ford Junior invited him to head Ford, only turned down by Ghosn as he was to take over the double CEO in Renault and Nissan. If GM join under his name, he will be the most powerful manager in the world's industry, heading a French-Japanese-American superpower with a combined annual output of 15.3 million cars and trucks (almost double of Toyota's figure) and a workforce of 640,000 people - although undoubtedly a big part of that will be slashed by Le Cost Killer.

I believe Ghosn has this ambition, but there are many obstacle lying in front of him. Currently both Renault and Nissan are facing sales slide. Ghosn will need to concentrate on the "Renault Commitment 2009" reform program while stop Nissan from sliding. Whether he has the energy to tackle the deep-rooted problems at GM is questionable. Taking over the troubled American giant could also be a big risk, as it is losing money and market share at an alarming rate.

Nevertheless, when Renault took over Nissan in 1999, many analysts gave the same warning (including me). Ghosn took the big risk and turned it into big reward. Can he repeat once more?
 

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