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29 Jun, 2008
Audi new engines
Audi's powertrain division becomes very active in promoting its new development recently. Here comes the information of two new engines:

EA888 2.0 TFSI Valvelift

This engine debuts in the A4 and A5. Compare to the outgoing 2.0 TFSI, it produces more power and especially torque while reducing fuel consumption (see below table), too good to be believed ! Based on the new generation EA888 family (started from 1.8TFSI engine), it gets a stronger and lighter block and stronger internals to cope with higher power. Also new is Audi's Valvelift system which accounts for 5% improvement of fuel economy alone. This is the third Audi engine employing Valvelift, after 3.2 and 2.8 V6. Note that the EA888 2.0 TSI engine employed by Volkswagen Scirocco does not have Valvelift.


New 2.0 TFSI
Old 2.0 TSFI
Type
Inline-4
Inline-4
Valvetrain
DOHC 4V, Valvelift
DOHC 4V
Fuel system
Direct injection
Direct injection
Capacity
1984 cc
1984 cc
Power
211 hp / 4300-6200 rpm 200 hp / 5100 rpm
Torque
258 lbft / 1500-4200 rpm 206 lbft / 1800-5000 rpm
Fuel consumption in A4
42.8 mpg
36.7 mpg

3.0 TFSI V6 supercharged

This engine is a response to BMW's 3.0 twin-turbo straight-six. Audi conducted a lot of researches and concluded that a supercharger is better overall than a twin-turbo system (something I do not agree, see the comparison table below), so it installed an Eaton supercharger into the V-valley and added two water-to-air intercoolers to produce the 3.0 TFSI engine. Oddly, the "T" in its name should have stood for Turbocharging, but for marketing reasons Audi does not want to brand it as "SFSI". The 290 horsepower engine will make its debut in A6. Later on, a tuned version with about 350 hp will serve the new S4, replacing its thirsty 4.2-liter V8.

Like the recent Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, the Eaton supercharger used in the Audi V6 employs 4-lobes rotors to achieve higher efficiency. The uninspiring supercharger noise is dealt with extensive noise insulation, so expect the engine is completely covered with ugly plastic.


Audi 3.0 TFSI
BMW N54 3.0 Bi-turbo
Type
V6, 90-degree, supercharger Inline-6, twin-turbo.
Valvetrain
DOHC 4V, intake VVT DOHC 4V, dual-VVT
Fuel system
Direct injection
Direct injection
Capacity
2995 cc 2979 cc
Compression ratio
10.5:1 10.2:1
Max boost
0.8 bar 0.4 bar
Power
290 hp / 5000 rpm
306 hp / 5800 rpm
Torque
310 lbft / 2500-4850 rpm
295 lbft / 1300-5000 rpm
Max rev
6500 rpm
7000 rpm
Weight
189 kg
190 kg

28 Jun, 2008
Corvette ZR1 set new Nurburgring record !!!


Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 has broken the production car Nurburgring lap record today. In standard production form and driven by GM's test driver Jim Mero, it lapped the Nordschleife in 7 minutes 26.4 seconds, nearly 3 seconds faster than Nissan GT-R did two months ago and even faster than the all-time production car record of 7 min 27.82 sec set by Pagani Zonda F Clubsport.

However, the slim margin is probably not enough to defend its title for long. For sure, the forthcoming Nissan GT-R V-spec will strike back strongly. If Pagani is serious to try again with Zonda F Clubsport or Zonda R, it could even break the 7 min 20 sec barrier. Remember, last time it set the old record only in a warm-up lap before mechanical problems halted the test. If those supercar manufacturers have the time and money like Nissan, GM or Porsche to run their cars in Nurburgring as if in their backyards, they could have easily topped the mass production sports cars.

Here's an update of our record table:


Lap time
Price (UK)
Chevrolet Corvette ZR1
7:26 est £85,000
Pagani Zonda F Clubsport
7:27 £390,000
Porsche Carrera GT
7:28 £330,000
Nissan GT-R 7:29 £55,000
Porsche 997 GT2
7:32 £130,000
Koenigsegg CCR 7:34 £415,000
Mercedes McLaren SLR 722 7:38 £340,000
Porsche 997 Turbo 7:40 £100,000
Porsche 997 GT3 7:42 £80,000
Chevrolet Corvette Z06 7:43 £62,000
Lambo Gallardo Superleggera 7:46 £150,000
Ferrari 599 GTB 7:47 £200,000
Lambo Murcielago LP640 7:47 £200,000

26 Jun, 2008
Boxster production to transfer to Austria
As you might know, Porsche Boxster has been building in Finland by Valmet for many years. The exact figure is 200,000 units since 1997. Porsche always considers its limited space and highly talented people in Zuffenhausen should be used to produce the higher value 911, so in the future this will continue... except that Magna Steyr of Austria will replace Valmet as its OEM when the latter's contract expired in 2011, as Porsche announced today.

Magna Steyr is the European operation of Canadian component supplier group Magna. Its assembly plant in Graz, Austria has been producing a lot of vehicles on behalf of car makers, such as Mercedes G-class offroader, BMW X3 and many Chrysler and Jeep models for European market. However, it will lose the contract of BMW X3 as BMW plans to take its production back to in-house, while Chrysler is also likely to stop employing it when its current European lineup is replaced. Therefore Magna Steyr will need to find replacement to fill its excess capacity. So far it has secured the contracts of Aston Martin Rapide and Mini SUV. The new contract from Porsche Boxster could fuel another 20,000 units a year.

According to Porsche, Magna Steyr is chosen not only because of its low bidding price but also because it offers development services that Valmet failed to provide (remember, it engineered X3 for BMW). Will this mean the future Boxster successors or variants will be developed in Austria instead of Germany ? I hope not. Another reason Porsche picked Magna is because it is already a supplier to its cabriolet and Targa roof systems, as Magna group bought the previous Car Top Systems (originally a joint venture between Mercedes and Porsche) in 2005.

25 Jun, 2008
Porsche 911 Carrera 4 and 4S also unveiled


Last week if you visited the official micro-site of Porsche 911 Carrera, you might notice there were two other anonymous 911 models covered by cloth. Now one of them has been revealed - the 4-wheel-drive 911 Carrera 4 and Carrera 4S. (Guess what is the third model ? Targa ?)

Headline is the new 4WD system which send power to the front wheels by means of an electronically controlled multi-plate clutch instead of the previous viscous-coupling, which was a passive and pure mechanical device. However, this is not much of a surprise to me, because the new 4WD system has been adopted to the 911 Turbo, sooner or later it has to replace the outdated viscous-coupling in Carrera models.



The control system of the 4WD hardware now integrates with ASR traction control and EBD electronic brake differential and form what the company called PTM Porsche Traction Management. By the way, these days Porsche prefers to call everything Porsche blah blah blah, for instance, PSM, PASM and PDK.

As before, the Carrera 4 and Carrera 4S are 4WD versions of Carrera and Carrera S respectively, so they are benefited by the new direct injection engines and PDK gearbox. Also same as the last generation, they have a rear bodywork 44mm wider than the rear-drive models in order to accommodate wider rear tires (295/35ZR18 for C4 and 305/30ZR18 for C4S). This, together with the 4WD hardware, adds some 55 kilograms to the kerb weight.

25 Jun, 2008
Volvo cuts people and probably for sale
Today Volvo has announced a large-scale staff reduction as a response to its loss, which amounted to US$150 million during the first quarter, and the expected downturn of world economy. Some 2000 staffs, including 600 workers at its main assembly plant in Torslanda, Sweden, have received notice of redundancy.

On the other hand, there is report that Ford is talking with a Chinese car maker, probably SAIC, about selling Volvo. Although Ford always deny its intention to sell Volvo, its top official said it planned to make Volvo more exclusive and share less components with Ford. In my understanding, this means it is preparing to decouple Volvo from its main operation, which will be easier to sell. The only question is when and to whom.

25 Jun, 2008
Alfa Romeo MiTo GTA
Alfa Romeo has revealed that the GTA version of MiTo will go on sale in January 2009. It will features some very strong specifications - engine will be a 1750cc (classic designation for Alfa) unit with direct injection, turbocharger, variable valve timing and a new Valvetronic-style throttleless variable valve lift system called "Multiair". It will produce as much as 230 horsepower and drive the front wheels via a Getrag double-clutch gearbox. Adaptive damping will be offered as standard.

25 Jun, 2008
Ferrari California - more photos
Here's more photos of Ferrari's new California, including some interior shots.





















24 Jun, 2008
Maserati Quattroporte facelift and S


Maserati has released information for its facelifted Quattroporte range. Outside, you can see it gets a more classical interpretation of the grille like GranTurismo, new LED headlights and taillights and restyled bumpers. The regular Quattroporte is still powered by the 400hp 4.2-liter V8, but like its two-door sister, now a Quattroporte S model is available with the newer 4.7-liter V8. It pumps out 430hp here, or 10hp less than GranTurismo S. Unlike the latter, it continues to mate with the ZF 6-speed automatic transmission to provide the refinement that a luxury sedan requires.



17 Jun, 2008
Subaru Exiga


You may see it as the MPV version of Impreza. Although Exiga is a full size larger - 4740mm long (+325mm), 1775mm wide (+35mm), 1660mm tall (+185mm) and has a 2750mm wheelbase (+130mm) - and it seats 7 people, it is derived from the new Impreza platform. This means a strut-type suspension up front and a subframe-mounted double-wishbones suspension at the rear.

The basic engine is Impreza's naturally aspirated 2-liter boxer, producing the same 148 horsepower, drives the front wheels or all wheels through a good old 4-speed automatic gearbox. 2.0GT model employs a detuned version of Impreza WRX's (S-GT) 2-liter turbocharged boxer, producing 225 horses and 240 lb-ft of torque. It drives all four wheels through a 5-speed automatic.



The interior shares the same ugly and low grade plastic dashboard with Impreza, disappointingly. But the seats are new. Three rows are arranged in theater style. The two outside seats of the middle row can slide back and forth and fold their seatbacks in one action to aid access to the cramped third row. Of course, when not in use the third row may fold flat to place luggage.

As the new Forester has been turned from a dynamic estate into a SUV, its original market space is partially filled with Exiga. However, the Exiga is neither as versatile as other MPVs on the market nor as dynamically competent as the previous Forester. Whether it can convince buyers remains to be seen.


11 Jun, 2008
AutoZine comment: BMW GINA concept


You might have already heard about the new BMW GINA Light Visionary concept, whose skin is amazingly made of flexible fabric so that it can change shape like Transformers. You want a more muscular shape ? No problem, press a button and the electro-hydraulic metal wire frames will move to change the shape of the elastic fabric skin. You want more downforce at high speed ? No problem, the wire frame at the tail will raise to grow a larger rear spoiler from the fabric surface. Wanna enter the cockpit ? Again, the door opens together with the fabric skin, although the wrinkles around the door hinge look odd. Even more playful is when you switch its headlights on and off, because the GINA will look like blinking its eyes. As Chris Bangle said, GINA represents a philosophy of thinking flexible and acting flexible. Watch the introduction movie from BMW's web site and you will be hard to disagree.



Whenever a new concept car arrives, I always ask myself what new ideas it brings to the world. Traditional Italian design houses used to bring in innovative style and packaging through concept cars. Mercedes-Benz and Japanese car makers used to showcase their new generation technology. Most car makers today use their concept cars to preview the styling theme of their forthcoming production cars. But what about GINA ? What does its fabric skin bring us ?



Can the fabric skin provide the necessary durability expected for the entire life of the car ? It is said to be water resistant, but is it resistant to extreme temperatures ? UV ? Pollutants ? Color degradation ? Scratch proof ? Mud ? Heavy rain ? Ice balls ? Engine / exhaust heat ? Flame retardant ? How to facilitate noise insulation when the skin is flexible ?

A more serious issue is safety. How to maintain aerodynamic stability at high speed ? I suppose air flow at 150 mph-plus could easily distort the body shape. This could make the GINA very unstable at speed.



Interestingly, the idea of fabric skin came from Chris Bangle rather than the R&D department of BMW. Bangle actually ruled out the production prospect of fabric skin, and the company spent no time to explain this technology.

The biggest idea of GINA is its flexible fabric skin concept, but unfortunately, it has no production future. So what is the purpose of this car ? To demonstrate a flexible way of thinking and a flexible way of acting ? Beautiful words alone cannot move me. Ditto the fancy movies and music.

Now Mr. Bangle, we are waiting for your next concept car made of toilet paper, and your wonderful presentation, of course.



Remark:

There are reports saying the GINA concept was designed in 2001 and is shown to public just now. However, I doubt this very much. If you compare the styling details of GINA with the 2001 BMW X Coupe concept, you will find the former is much more modern, and its double-kidney grille is closer to the latest interpretation.


11 Jun, 2008
Bentley Continental Flying Spur Speed


Following Continental GT Speed, Bentley is also introducing a Speed model of Continental Flying Spur using the same engine. The twin-turbo 6.0 W12 is boosted to 610 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque. In the sedan, top speed is 200 mph (Wow !), while 0-60 and 0-100 mph take 4.4 seconds and 10.5 seconds respectively. This mean it is faster than Mercedes S65 AMG in top speed (because that car is regulated at 155 mph) but slower in acceleration (due to its 300 kg extra weight and less torque).

Outside, the Continental Flying Spur Speed has a different grille, bumper intakes and exhaust pipes to distinguish from the standard car.  Firmer suspensions, retuned power steering and 20-inch Pirelli P-Zero tires are adopted to take on the higher performance.


7 Jun, 2008
Pagani Zonda Cinque


It is known that sometime ago a Hong Kong customer wanted to purchase a Pagani Zonda R, but he found this car was only legal on race tracks. Upon this request, Pagani decided to build a road legal version. Only 5 cars will be built, each has been presold at an astonishing € 800,000 excluding tax. This is Zonda Cinque.



As it is derived from Zonda R, Zonda Cinque has massive air splitters, skirts, rear wing, diffusers and flat undertray. Also, the racing car's roof-mounted air intake is carried over. Dry weight is 1210 kg, a further 20 kg down from Zonda F (which is currently the fastest road-going Zonda), thanks to the use of a lighter material called carbon-titanium fiber for the monocoque body. Besides, suspensions employ components made of magnesium and titanium. On the other hand, the 7.3-liter AMG V12 produces 678 horsepower and 575 lb-ft of torque, 76hp more than Zonda F and 28hp more than Zonda F Club Sport, although the racing Zonda R produces even more at 750hp. Transmission is a 6-speed sequential box made by Cima. Performance figure is over 217 mph and 0-60mph in 3.3 sec.


7 Jun, 2008
911 Carrera is facelifted !


Surprise ! Today Porsche suddenly unveiled the facelifted 911 Carrera models ! This consist of Carrera, Carrera S and their Cabriolet versions.

The current 997 generation was born in 2004, so it is time for a mid-life facelift and improvement. Externally, the new 997 continues Porsche's tradition of evolutionary design. There are no big changes, only small details differ from the old car, most notably are the enlarged front intakes, new LED day time driving lights, new shape LED rear lights, new door mirrors and wheel design. There is no big changes to the dimensions and hard points position as well. However, the base model Carrera now looks almost the same as Carrera S (apart from twin-exhaust against quad-exhaust), which explains why its coefficient of aerodynamic drag increases slightly from 0.28 to 0.29, or the same as Carrera S.



Making the headline are two changes: direct injection engine and PDK double-clutch gearbox.

To increase power and reduce fuel consumption / emission, Porsche finally adopts direct fuel injection in the boxer engine. This also allows compression ratio to increase to 12.5:1. The 3.6-liter engine in Carrera produces 345hp, 20hp more than before. The 3.8-liter engine in Carrera S produces 385hp, 30hp up. Simultaneously, fuel consumption and emission are reduced considerably. See the table below for a clear comparison between the new and old cars.



 
New 911 Carrera
Old 911 Carrera
Drag coefficient
0.29
0.28
Engine capacity 3614 cc
3596 cc
Compression 12.5:1
11.3:1
Power 345 hp / 6500 rpm
325 hp / 6800 rpm
Torque 288 lbft / 4400 rpm
273 lbft / 4250 rpm
Gearbox
6M ( 7-spd PDK )
6M
Weight (DIN)
1415 kg ( 1430 kg )
1395 kg
Top speed
180 mph ( 178 mph )
177 mph
0-60 mph
4.7 sec ( 4.5 sec )
4.8 sec
Fuel consumption
29.4 mpg ( 29.4 mpg )
25.6 mpg
CO2 emission
225 g/km ( 225 g/km )
266 g/km

 
New 911 Carrera S
Old 911 Carrera S
Drag coefficient
0.29
0.29
Engine capacity 3800 cc
3824 cc
Compression 12.5:1
11.8:1
Power 385 hp / 6500 rpm
355 hp / 6600 rpm
Torque 310 lbft / 4400 rpm
295 lbft / 4600 rpm
Gearbox
6M ( 7-spd PDK )
6M
Weight (DIN)
1425 kg ( 1455 kg )
1420 kg
Top speed
188 mph ( 186 mph )
182 mph
0-60 mph
4.5 sec ( 4.3 sec )
4.6 sec
Fuel consumption
27.4 mpg ( 27.7 mpg )
24.6 mpg
CO2 emission
242 g/km ( 240 g/km )
277 g/km

Note that the slightly different engine capacities imply that bore and stroke have been altered. Besides, Porsche said the new engines have lighter construction and lower friction. However, Variocam Plus is retained.



Another big change is the introduction of a 7-speed double-clutch sequential gearbox beside the standard 6-speed manual. As seen from the figures, the so-called PDK (Porsche-Doppelkupplung) box cuts 0.2 seconds from 0-60 mph acceleration, thanks to its fast and smooth gearchange. However, this improvement is not brought by the additional gear, because the 7th gear is actually an overdrive to enhance fuel economy in highway cruising. This mean top speed is reached at 6th. With the introduction of PDK, the outdated 5-speed Tiptronic finally comes to retirement.

Relatively light changes have been made to the chassis. The springs, dampers and PASM adaptive damping have been mildly retuned. Bigger brakes (330mm all round) are adopted to Carrera.



An optional "Sport Chrono Plus" package has been introduced. It adds a digital and analogue timer to the dash top for hardcore drivers to measure lap time on racing circuit. Another important function it brings is a launch control, which could cut 0.2 seconds from 0-60 mph. That means a Carrera S with PDK and Sport Chrono Plus needs only 4.1 seconds to do so.  Besides, the package provides a Sport mode button to set the sharpest throttle response, heaviest steering, fastest PDK gearchange, stiffest adaptive damping and higher threshold for the PSM stability management system.

In the cabin, the environment is unchanged except some upgrades to equipment, such as a LCD touch screen audio control system, Bluetooth connectivity and USB / i-Pod ports.

The facelift is of course a good news to the fans of European sports cars, but it will take more than that to beat Nissan Skyline GT-R.

Note for photos: the white car shown here is 911 Carrera, while blue car is 911 Carrera S.

6 Jun, 2008
New Lancia Delta unveiled


Lancia has been quiet for a long time. We saw its new Delta in near-production concept form nearly 2 years ago. Now photos and press release of the production car are finally available.



As we already know, the new Delta is derived from the same platform as Fiat Bravo, but its wheelbase has been stretched from 2.6 to 2.7 meters for more interior volume. A very long front overhang (which accommodates a prominent radiator grille) takes its overall length further to 4.5 meters. The car is also wide (1.8m) and tall (1.5m). These dimensions make the 5-door hatchback a crossover between C-segment (Golf class) and D-segment (Mondeo class).



Designed inhouse, the new Delta looks very special. In profile it looks like a sporty crossover between hatchback and SUV, while many elegant features indicate a premium car. One of its main features is a full length smoked glass roof which covers 80% area of the ceiling. The resultant two-tone color scheme can be seen in the white car pictured here. Other pictures show a black Delta without the two-tone color effect.



Benefited by the extra wheelbase, height and width, the cabin of new Delta seems to be pretty spacious. Lancia claims its rear passenger room is the best in its segment (although it might refer to C-segment), thanks to a sliding rear seat. The dashboard architecture is obviously shared with Bravo, which is a compromise to the upper class Lancia. Similarly, the Bravo platform is not designed for a premium car, and it is quite outdated now (it was derived from Stilo). Therefore I don’t expect the Delta to be a driver’s car like the original. Anyway, Lancia will equip it with electronic adaptive damping and advanced traction / stability control to deliver a safe and refined ride. It will also be available with a self parking system like Toyota Prius and Lexus LS600h.



In the powertrain department, the Delta seems quite competitive. There are 3 engines available at launch – 120hp and 150hp 1.4 Turbo petrol (see Bravo and Grande Punto) and 120hp 1.6 Multijet turbo diesel (now Euro 5 compliance). Next year will join another 3 engines as range toppers – 165hp 2.0 Multijet turbo diesel, 190hp 1.9 Multijet 2-stage twin-turbo diesel and 200hp 1.8 direct-injection turbo petrol with dual-VVT. Three transmissions are available: 6-speed manual, 6-speed automated manual and 6-speed automatic. (For technical spec see here)





4 Jun, 2008
Industry News
Ford F-series truck lost top spot in USA !

No matter how hard AutoZine criticized SUVs, Ford F-series pickup still topped USA sales chart in every month for the past 17 years. However, the higher and higher fuel price starts changing the situation. In the past few months we saw sales of SUVs and trucks in North America dropped significantly while some fuel-saving econo cars recorded sales increase. In May, Ford F-150 finally lost its top spot in the sales chart. Recorded only 43,000 units sales, it was beaten by 4 Japanese cars – Honda Civic (53,300 units), Toyota’s new Corolla (52,800 units), Toyota Camry (51,300 units) and Honda Accord (43,700 units). In particular, Honda Civic set its own record sales in the month.

< F-150: a rare SUV picture in AutoZine

However, the situation is not at all bad to Ford. The same trend of shifting towards small cars also benefits Ford Focus, whose sales rose by 53% year-to-year to 32,600 units in May. Since the launch of the facelifted Focus, its sales has been surprisingly strong. Now Ford plans to build 280,000 units of the car this year, up from 190,000 units last year. This could compensates a small portion of the loss in truck sales.

7-speed S-Tronic to Audi S5

Until now Volkswagen group’s dual-clutch gearbox (DSG, S-Tronic or blah blah blah) has been paired to transverse engines only. Therefore the longitudinal-engined Audis (from A4 up) still rely on either Multitronic CVT or Tiptronic automatic gearbox. Now Audi has developed a 7-speed S-Tronic dual-clutch transmission for its longitudinal-engined models. This is going to make debut in S5. The box can handle up to 550 Nm (406 lb-ft) of torque, thus is applicable to all its normally aspirated V8 and V10 models, though not W12 or the twin-turbo V10 of RS6.


2 Jun, 2008 (updated on 7 Jun, 2008)
Nissan Teana renewed


Nissan has renewed its Teana in home market. Following sister car Altima and Maxima, the Teana has also adopted the newer D-platform, with a stronger chassis and better insulation. However, its exterior design is unmistakably Teana, being an evolution of the old car. Like-wise, the interior continues to employ a design theme modeling a Japanese living room, with soft pads, light colors and plenty of woods. It wants to make occupants feel at home. The car now measures 4850 mm in length (+80mm), 1795mm in width (+30mm), 1475mm in height (same) and 2775mm in wheelbase (same, also equals to Altima and Maxima's).



There are 3 engines on offer: VQ35DE has its power increased by 21 hp to a total of 252 hp. VQ25DE replaces the old VQ23DE and produces 185 hp instead of 173 hp. 4-wheel drive version employs a compulsory QR25DE, which is a long-stroke 4-cylinder that produces 167 hp. All engines mate with Xtronic CVT.





More photos updated:









2 Jun, 2008
Industry News
Jaguar and Land Rover went to Tata

Ford and Tata have just completed the transaction of Jaguar and Land Rover, from now on the two British luxury brands belong to Tata of India. Good luck !




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