Latest
News
28 Nov,
2007
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| Porsche Boxster RS 60 Spyder |
This is a minor tuned special edition of the Boxster S. It has a slight
cosmetic change (note the lip spoilers and 19-inch wheels) and a sports
exhaust system to release another 8 horsepower from the 3.4-liter flat
six. That means 303 horsepower at 6250 rpm, while max torque remains
unchanged at 251 lbft. Top speed is marginally higher at 170 mph (+1
mph), 0-60 mph now takes 5.1 sec instead of 5.2. Same 1355 kg kerb
weight as the regular Boxster S, which is quite good because now it has
added PASM adaptive damping to the suspensions. The Boxster RS 60
Spyder is so named because, as Porsche claims, it echoes the look of
the 1960 Porsche RS 60 Spyder racing car, but I suppose no one remember
this car. Some 1960 units will be sold at a price 12.5% higher than the
standard car.
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28 Nov,
2007
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| VW's ambitious product plan revealed |
Volkswagen group's head of
development, Ulrich Hackenberg, has revealed an ambitious product plan
for the next few years. According to the plan, all cars of the group
will be derived from 4 modular architectures. These architectures (note
that they don't use the term "platform" anymore) will be more flexible
than today's platforms. They allow varying size, power and features.
Each architecture defines a set of common components, common
manufacturing process and connecting points for key components and
systems so to save manufacturing costs. More development costs can be
saved by defining the crumple zone – by fixing the distance between
front axle, engine and pedals – so that computer modeling can be shared
among different models on the same architecture. VW targets at a 25-40
percent increase of production efficiency and 40 percent reduction of
development cost. The lower cost and shorter development time will
allow VW to build more niche vehicles and react quickly to the market
change.
So what are the 4 architectures ?
 << Audi A4: MLB
In fact, the first one is already on the market – the MLB platform of
Audi A4 / A5 / next A6 / next A8. From this example you can see the
architecture is shared vertically across the range, from the low end A4
to the high end A8, unlike the horizontal approach of traditional
platform strategy. The MLB is a longitudinal engine / FWD / 4WD
architecture for the premium cars of the group. The future VW Phaeton
and Bentley will also be derived from this platform. Such a high
elasticity is quite amazing.
The second modular architecture will be called MQB, a front-drive /
transverse engine architecture. It will be by far the most important
architecture among them, because all the biggest selling models will be
built on it. These will include the B-segment superminis Fox, Polo,
Fabia and Ibiza / Cordoba, the C-segment family hatch Golf / Jetta,
Beetle, Touran, Roomster, Octavia, Leon, Toledo and Altea, the
D-segment large car Passat and Superb, the niche coupe Eos and TT. The
first arrival is expected to be the next Touran in 2010. A total of 6
million cars a year could be built from this architecture, making it
easily the highest volume platform in the world. Currently the Golf V
platform sells 2.3 million cars a year.
 << Up concept:
MHB
The third architecture will be the MHB. It is a small rear-engined /
rear-drive platform, obviously will underpin the forthcoming Up and any
other entry level models.
The last architecture will be mid-engined to serve the likes of Audi
R8, Lamborghinis and, if it still exist, the future Bugatti.
These modular architectures will be crucial to Volkswagen, which has
set an ambitious target of building 10 million cars by 2018, versus 5.7
million cars last year. If it succeed, it could challenge the top
position of Toyota.
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28 Nov, 2007
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| Industry News |
Bertone bankrupted
The falling Italian coachbuilder / designer
Bertone is seeking for bankruptcy protection after losing 37 million
Euros in the past 3 years. In recent years its factory and 1350
employees in Turin have been idling as it could not find new contracts
to fill the vacancy left by Mini GP and Alfa Romeo GT. The plan to
build TVR never materialized. The factory can build 70,000 cars a year
and it needs at least 30,000 cars to break even. BTW, Pininfarina also
faces a similar situation.
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24 Nov,
2007
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| Japan COTY: Honda Fit |
The second generation Honda Fit (Jazz) has been voted as this year's
Japanese Car of the Year. It beats the strong challenges from Mazda 2,
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X, Subaru Impreza and the import car Mercedes
C-class. Here below is the result:
1. Honda Fit: 374 points
2. Mercedes C-class: 299 points (of course, it is also "Import COTY")
3. Subaru Impreza: 273 points
4. Nissan Skyline sedan/coupe (Infiniti G): 245 points
5. Mazda 2: 128 points
There are more awards announced by the committee consisted of
industrial insiders and journalists:
Best Value Car: Daihatsu Mira
Most Fun Car: Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X
Technology award: Volkswagen 1.4 TSI twin-charger engine
Past winners of JCOTY
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17 Nov,
2007
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| Hyundai Genesis Coupe Concept |
Hyundai is
serious to push its products upmarket. Back in March, it unveiled a
rear-wheel-drive and V8-powered luxury sedan called "Genesis" in New
York auto show. Now in Los Angeles auto show it introduces Genesis
Coupe. This concept 2+2 coupe will be productionised and go on sale in
the USA in early 2009. As its name suggests, it is derived from the RWD
platform of the Genesis sedan thus it is a class higher than the
current Hyundai Tiburon / Hyundai Coupe. Its rivals will include Ford
Mustang, Mitsubishi Eclipse and Nissan 350Z, especially the first two.
The Genesis Coupe is 4666 mm long, 1902 mm wide and 1386 mm tall. It
has a very long wheelbase at 2820 mm, although this is already 116 mm
shorter than the Genesis sedan. The concept car rides on very
aggressive 20-inch five-spoke alloy wheels shod with 255/35ZR front and
275/35ZR rear tires. The engine is an aluminum 3.8-liter DOHC VVT V6,
expected to produce at least 300 horsepower and 250 lb-ft of torque
according to Hyundai. The power is channeled to the rear wheels via a
6-speed manual box and a limited slip differential. 0-60 mph will take
less than 6 seconds. Its brakes are supplied by Brembo, with 340mm and
330mm disc front and rear respectively and two-pot calipers all round.
No pricing has been announced, but expect it will be competitive
against Eclipse and the V8-powered Mustang GT, which should be in the
range of US$25,000-27,000. An entry level model costing around
US$20,000 will be powered a 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder engine
producing in excess of 200 horsepower. Currently the Tiburon costs
between US$17,000 and US$22,000.
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17 Nov,
2007
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| Lincoln MKS |
Lincoln
unveiled its MKS concept nearly two years ago in Detroit show. Compare
to that car, the production MKS looks sleeker and more dynamic, but
sadly, it is still not as beautiful as this year's MKR concept. Lincoln
has yet to release full details of the production car, but we know it
is built on the platform of Volvo S80, XC90 and Ford Taurus (500).
Therefore it is front-wheel drive, with optional AWD system by means of
a Haldex multi-plate clutch. The strut / multi-link suspensions are
tuned to provide maximum comfort by means of longer travel, but there
won't be adaptive damping. The engine is a new 3.7-liter DOHC V6, a
bored out version of the existing 3.5-liter V6 that serves various
Fords. It produces 270 horses and 265 lbft, some 7 hp and 16 lbft
higher than the 3.5 unit. Transmission is a 6-speed automatic with
manual override. Can MKS turn around the Lincoln brand ? Considering
its average mechanicals and lack of any unique features, I am not so
optimistic.
 
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17 Nov,
2007
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| Honda FCX Clarity on sale |
Honda has
released the production version of its fuel cell electric car FCX, now
called FCX Clarity. Very much like the concept car, it is powered by a
hydrogen fuel cell, which generates electricity from the chemical
reaction between hydrogen and air. The fuel cell is located inside the
transmission tunnel and supplied by a high-pressure hydrogen tank
located behind the rear seats. A 134hp / 189 lbft electric motor drives
the front wheels to provide a modest performance - max speed is 100
mph, 0-60 mph acceleration is undisclosed but don't expect within 10
seconds as the whole car weighs as much as 1625 kg. A driving range of
270 miles is shorter than the concept's 350 miles, and this already has
the regenerative braking considered.
Like the late GM EV1, Honda will lease instead of sell the new fuel
cell car to its customers. The lease price will be US$600 a month on a
3-year basis. As this is an experimental project, production number
will be very limited.
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17 Nov,
2007
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| Fiat 500 won European COTY award ! |
Although the 2008 European Car
of the Year award is scheduled to be announced on next Monday, one of
the organizers, Dutch magazine Autovisie, has leaked the voting results
in its website. Same as my prediction, Fiat 500 won the title by a
convincing margin from second place Mazda 2. The following places are
filled by Ford Mondeo, Kia Cee'd, Nissan Qashqai, Mercedes C-class and
Peugeot 308. So congratulation for Fiat's 9th triumph, and the 12th
wins for the Fiat group !
Standing:
Fiat 500: 385 points
Mazda2: 325 points
Ford Mondeo: 202 points
Kia Cee’d: 166 points
Nissan Qashqai: 147 points
Mercedes C-Class: 128 points
Peugeot 308: 97 points
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8 Nov,
2007
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| Ford Mustang Bullitt |
Remember the
Bullitt ? It was a famous car chase film released in 1968, starring
Steve McQueen in a powerful Ford Mustang Boss 390 chasing the bad guy's
Dodge Charger. Ford used the Bullitt name on a Mustang special edition
in 2001. Now it comes back again. Based on the regular Mustang GT, the
Bullitt has its 4.6-liter sohc V8 boosted by 15 horsepower to a total
of 315. Torque is up by 5 lb-ft to 320. This is achieved by using
faster cam timing, a lower resistance air filter and a fully sealed air
box to bring in colder air from the nose intake. A taller 3.73:1 final
drive is used to boost acceleration – 0-60 mph is dropped by 0.3
seconds.
The chassis is reinforced by an aluminum strut tower brace. Stiffer and
lower suspension setting is employed to enhance handling. Specially
styled 18-inch "Bullitt" alloy wheels are shod with lower profile
235/50ZR18 tires. New brake pads should improve braking a little.
All these changes are not big deal. As before, this car is a relatively
low cost special edition built upon Ford's stock performance parts.
Ford will build 7,000 cars for the USA and another 700 cars for Canada.
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8 Nov,
2007
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| Croma facelift |
The ugliest car
in Fiat's lineup, Croma, has given a facelift to improve its soft
sales. This is a pure facelift, without any mechanical changes. As you
can see from the picture, the front end received new shape headlamps
and radiator grille similar to those of Fiat Bravo. At the back, the
rear bumper is also restyled. There are some minor upgrades of trim and
equipment in the cabin, but too minor to catch my attention. Fiat hopes
to sell 50,000-60,000 units of the facelifted car annually, which is a
low figure by class standard.
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6 Nov,
2007
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| Lotus Elise SC |
Lotus has
released the supercharged version of Elise, called Elise SC. The
supercharged 1.8-liter engine produces 220 horsepower, enabling the car
to go from 0 to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds, 0-100 mph in 10.7 seconds and
top 150 mph. Its price is £33,500. For comparison, the Elise R,
the fastest Elise until now, has the same top speed, 0-60 mph in 4.9
seconds, 0-100 mph in 13 seconds, is sold for £29,500.
Note that the engine of this car is NOT the same as that of the
supercharged Exige S. The latter is based on the standard 136hp Toyota
1.8 VVT-i engine, while the new engine is based on the Yamaha-built
192hp 1.8 VVTL-i engine. It employs a smaller rotor supercharger built
by Magnuson based on an Eaton unit, integrated with the intake manifold
plenum to save space and weight. Besides, it does without the Exige's
intercooler, as the smaller boost pressure doesn't need as much
intercooling. In total, this engine is 8kg lighter than the Exige
engine and, more important, it engages less space and doesn't block the
rearward vision of the Elise. The whole car weighs just 903 kg.
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6 Nov,
2007
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| Lotus model plans revealed |
Mike Kimberley, CEO of Lotus,
has revealed its product plans.
A new mid-engined 2+2 sports car, codenamed "Project Eagle", is now
under development and is expected to go on sale in 2009. This car will
employ a Toyota V6 mounted transversely on a new aluminum chassis. It
will employ a paddle-shift gearbox alongside a conventional manual. It
will be positioned clearly above Elise / Exige at a price between
£45,000 and £48,000. Hopefully it will attract less
hardcore customers to Lotus. A convertible version will be offered
following the coupe.
Kimberley also revealed that the new Esprit will be launched in 2010.
It will sit at the top of the range and start from £80,000, more
expensive than the last Esprit used to be. The car will continue to be
a 2-seater mid-engined supercar, derived from the chassis of the
Project Eagle, but lengthened, widened and installed with a
longitudinal engine. The engine is still unknown, but he said it will
be a "very high brand-image engine". Is that meaning sourced from a
German premium car maker ?
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6 Nov,
2007
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| New Ford Ka ? |
Auto Express claimed this is the
world's first picture of the next generation Ford Ka, to be launched in
late 2008. I just hope that it is not a real one, as it looks rather
ugly to me…
As we have already known, the new Ka is the sister car of Fiat 500,
designed by Ford and built by Fiat in Poland using the same engines as
Fiat.
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6 Nov,
2007
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| New Toyota Matrix |
Toyota has introduced its new
generation Matrix. As before, the Matrix is derived from the Corolla
platform and is a joint venture with GM (its sibling is Pontiac Vibe).
It is produced in Canada to supply the North America market. The new
generation Matrix seems to be rather conservative, as it takes no major
step forward in design, packaging or build quality. Power comes from
the familiar 132hp 1.8 VVT-i engine. There will be the choice of FWD or
4WD. Toyota hopes to sell over 70,000 units annually.
 < low-rent interior
continues
 < Pontiac Vibe
looks more stylish |
6 Nov,
2007
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| Chevy Cobalt SS Turbo |
Chevrolet has stopped production
the supercharged Cobalt SS coupe and will replace it with a new
turbocharged motor – the 260hp 2.0 direct-injection turbo from Pontiac
Solstice GXP / Saturn Sky Red Line. This improves its performance to
5.7 seconds for 0-60 mph. |
6 Nov, 2007
|
| Industry News |
Chrysler to cut 4
models and many people !
In the view of losing market share and
stiffer competition in the future, Chrysler new CEO Robert Nardelli is
cutting cost aggressively. Following the plan involving 13,000 jobs
announced earlier this year, the latest round is to eliminate another
9,500-11,000 jobs from its workforce in the North America and send the
following slow-selling models to graveyard:
- Dodge Magnum
(No regret to our Ugliest Car of the Year 2004)
- Chrysler PT
Cruiser Convertible (That silly fixed rollover bar in the middle
lags behind the industry by at least 20 years, no regret also)
- Chrysler Pacifica
(an interesting MPV / SUV / Estate crossover that uses too many
Mercedes parts is politically incorrect in the Cerberus era)
- Chrysler Crossfire
(well, this one will hurt the workers of Karmann in German instead of
Chrysler guys)
But this
is definitely not the saddest day to Chrysler. Considering the recent
Sebring, Avenger, Caliber Aspen, Nitro, Compass, Liberty, Patriot… are
all sucks, we expect more casualties to come in the future.
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