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28 Jul, 2009

Ferrari 458 Italia unveils !!

Just when everybody is posting spy shots of the new generation Ferrari "F450", Maranello surprised them by releasing the first official pictures and information of the car. Instead of F450, it is called 458 Italia. Returning to the old nonmenclature used from the 1960s through 1980s, its name means 4.5 liters and 8 cylinders.

From the few pictures we got, the 458 looks slimmer than the current F430. It has a lower, more flowing shoulder line like the classic Dino and 308GTB. The glass house is therefore larger in comparison. Up front, you can see a pair vertical headlamps with a series of LED daytime running lights. At the nose is a black section opens to two radiator intakes. Note that the winglets below the intakes are made of elastic materials. At high speed they deform to reduce the section area of the intakes thus cut aerodynamic drag. Interesting.

The styling of 458 is more aggressive than F430. Blade-like crease lines are pressed into its aluminum doors and fenders. However, its body also looks more streamline, thanks to the hidden side intakes located behind the rear quarter windows and near the tail. At the back, only two circular taillights are used, like California. The centrally-mounted triple exhausts are quite special. As before, its V8 engine is fully visible through the glass rear screen.

Ferrari has not revealed its aerodynamic drag coefficient yet - expect around 0.32 to 0.34 - but it did say the car generates 140 kg of downforce at 200 km/h (124mph), which is impressive. (Remark: later on Cd is revealed as 0.32)

Although last year's Mille Chile concept car previewed lighter and smaller Ferraris in the future, the 458 is marginally larger and heavier than F430. It is 15mm longer, 14mm wider and runs a 50mm longer wheelbase. Dry weight is 1380 kg, 30 more than F430.

Nevermind, because the 4.5-liter is far more powerful than the outgoing engine. Like California, it is benefited by direct-injection hence a higher compression ratio at 12.5:1. The engine still employs flat crankshaft for lighter rotational mass hence higher revability. Racing-style short pistons with low friction rings enhance its revability further. As a result, it produces 570 horsepower at sky-high 9000 rpm (5 hp of which comes from ram effect at high speed). That is 80 horses and 500 rpm up from F430. Its specific output is simply incredible: 127 horsepower per liter ! This would have been impressive even for a turbocharged engine !

Equally incredible is the torque it produces. 398 pound-foot of maximum torque equals that of Lamborghini LP560-4, and that car has 700 extra cc ! Besides, 80 percent of that is available down to 3250 rpm, so it is very tractable.

Following California, the mid-engined V8 sports car also employs a 7-speed double-clutch gearbox built by Getrag. Its mapping is more aggressive than the grand tourer, of course. Maximum gearshift speed is said to be even quicker than that of 430 Scuderia !

To your surprise, the car employs double-wishbone suspensions only up front. The rear suspensions have been switched a multi-link setup like California. The chassis continues to be made of aluminum spaceframe, though bonded by more glue and less welding to save weight. Improved version of E-Diff (electronic active rear differential) and F1-Trac (traction control) are said to improve longitudinal acceleration in corner by up to 32 percent compared with the old car. Besides, a new ABS system can "pre-clamp" the brake discs when the driver lift off throttle, ensuring quicker response hence shortened braking distance.

Summing all up, the new Ferrari 458 is stronger than F430 and even 430 Scuderia in nearly every aspect. Its top speed is 202 mph. 0-60 mph takes just 3.3 seconds (3.4 sec for 0-100 km/h). Moreover, it is also significantly greener to run. CO2 emission is down from 420 to 320 g/km, while fuel consumption improves from 15.4 mpg to 20.6 mpg.

	Ferrari 458	Ferrari F430	Gallardo LP560-4
Length	4527 mm	4512 mm	4345 mm
Width	1937 mm	1923 mm	1900 mm
Height	1213 mm	1214 mm	1165 mm
Wheelbase	2650 mm	2600 mm	2560 mm
Dry weight	1380 kg	1350 kg	1410 kg
Weight distribution	42:58	43:57	42:58
Engine	V8, dohc, 32V, VVT, DI.	V8, dohc, 32V, VVT, variable intake.	V10, dohc, 4v/cyl, VVT, DI, var intake.
Capacity	4499 cc	4308 cc	5204 cc
Compression	12.5:1	11.3:1	12.5:1
Power	570 hp / 9000 rpm	490 hp / 8500 rpm	560 hp / 8000 rpm
Torque	398 lbft / 6000 rpm	343 lbft / 5250 rpm	398 lbft / 6500 rpm
Specific output	127 hp/L	114 hp/L	108 hp/L
Gearbox	7-spd twin-clutch	6M semi-auto	6M semi-auto
Suspensions	DW / multilink	All DW, adaptive damping.	All DW
Tires	F: 235/35ZR20 R: 295/35ZR20	F: 225/35ZR19 R: 285/35ZR19	F: 235/35ZR19 R: 295/30ZR19
Power to weight	413 hp/ton	363 hp/ton	397 hp/ton
Top speed	202 mph	196 mph	202 mph
0-60 mph	3.3 sec	3.95 sec	3.6 sec
EU consumption	20.6 mpg	15.4 mpg	20.6 mpg
CO2 emission	320 g/km	420 g/km	351 g/km

17 Jul, 2009

Audi A5 Sportback

This is Audi’s A5 Sportback. It seems familiar because in January it was shown in concept form at Detroit auto show. The production car looks much closer to the A5, sharing a flowing waistline in particular. Dimension-wise, it is 72mm longer and 19mm taller than the A5, but with the same width. Compared to A4 sedan, it is 6mm shorter, 28mm wider and 36mm lower. Therefore it sits between the A4 and A5.

The A5 Sportback is a sporty-oriented hatchback that bridges the gap between A4 sedan and A5 coupe. It sits only 4 people but the hatchback door provides easier access to the 480-liter boot, which is expandable to 980 liters with the seat folded. Its dashboard and much of the interior packaging shares with A4 and A5.

In mechanical side there is no surprise. The steel chassis employs aluminum front wings like A5 to reduce nose-heaviness. Engines are carried over from its siblings – 180hp 2.0TFSI Valvelift, 211hp 2.0TFSI Valvelift, 265hp 3.2 V6 Valvelift, 170hp 2.0TDI, 190hp 2.7TDI and 240hp 3.0TDI. Transmission is either 6-speed manual or 7-speed S-Tronic (dual-clutch) depending on engines. The 180hp petrol, 2.0TDI and 2.7TDI engines drive the front wheels only, while other engines pair with 40:60 Quattro system. In the future, Audi’s 3.0TFSI supercharged V6 (354hp) will be available to S5 Sportback. We cannot rule out the possibility of RS5 Sportback too, which is likely to come with a 435hp 4.2-liter V8.

17 Jul, 2009

Industry News

Lotus boss quits

Lotus CEO Mike Kimberley is quitting the company because of health problem. Having received a back surgery late last year, the 70-year-old Kimberley listened to doctor’s advices to retire from work for the benefit of his health. Proton is still looking for his successor.

Kimberley joined Lotus the first time in 1969. Following the sudden death of Colin Chapman, he rose to the top job in 1982 and held that position for 10 years. After that he jumped to GM. Proton got him back in 2005 to help turn around the struggling car business of Lotus. Having launched the well acclaimed Evora, it is probably the right time for his departure.

Porsche Panamera sets new 4-door Nurburgring record

The 500-horsepower and 4-wheel-drive Porsche Panamera Turbo has set a new Nurburgring record for 4-door saloons. It lapped the ring in 7 min 56 sec, 3 seconds quicker than the previous record holder, Cadillac CTS-V. Well, we always expect Porsche to be faster than Cadillac.

GM exits bankruptcy and Lutz comes back

GM has emerged from bankruptcy. The "new GM" now owns 4 brands - Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac and GMC, leaving Pontiac, Saturn and Saab at the bankrupted "old GM" together with most of the debts. It is now 60.8% owned by the US Federal government, 11.7% by the Canadian and Ontario state government, 17.5% by UAW retirees and 10% by bondholders.

Meanwhile, product boss Bob Lutz has abandoned his plan for retirement at the end of this year. Now he is taking the top job of marketing in new GM while continue advising on product strategy.

Not so lucky is the previous CEO Rick Wagoner. He is now poised to receive a pension of US$8.6 million, down 60% from what originally agreed.

10 Jul, 2009

Jaguar new XJ

Yesterday Jaguar has unveiled its new generation XJ to the media. As revealed by Ian Callum (chief designer of Jag) long ago, the new XJ breaks away from its traditional style and seeks a thoroughly modern appearance. Up front, it has a lot of similarities with the widely acclaimed XF, such as the mesh grille (but larger and more pronounced here), headlights (slimmer here) and bumper design. Viewing it from the front could easily mistake it with XF.

It differs from XF when you move your vision rearward. Its side view appears to be very long and sleek, with a low, teardrop roof line flows smoothly towards the boot lid. The fastback and long tail contributes to its 0.29 aerodynamic drag coefficient, which is the best effort by Jaguar so far.

There is some Audi A6 in its side window profile. Ian Callum also noted this, obviously, otherwise he would not have introduced a black-out C-pillar (glazed with black polycarbonate) to distinguish it from the Audi. At the back, the big cat employs waterfall-style vertical taillights to great effect. Overall, the design of XJ emphasizes a sense of lightness and aerodynamics. Subtle details play supporting roles.

Time for the mechanical aspect. Surprisingly, this very different skin actually houses the same platform as the previous generation. In other words, X351 (codename of the new XJ) is a development from the previous X350. It still relies on a bonded and riveted aluminum structure and clothed in aluminum body panels. Wheelbase is the same as before, i.e. 3035 mm for standard car or 3160 mm for LWB version. Length is also very close to the outgoing car, although its width is known to be 50 mm more.

Suspensions continue to be double-wishbone setup all round, with adaptive air springs at the rear. Like the recently updated XF, it has a new continuously variable adaptive damping system replacing the outgoing, 2-mode CATS system. Also, powerful models get electronic active differential to help putting down the power effectively in corners. Seeing how great the XF rides and handles, we expect the XJ to be equally impressive. In particular, its long wheelbase should benefit ride quality, and its lightweight chassis should belie its size on narrow back roads.

The new XJ is powered by Jaguar's new generation V6 diesel and V8 engines, all mated to the very best ZF 6-speed automatic transmission. As Jaguar intents to push it upmarket - which means it will no longer be marketed as a cheaper alternative to BMW 7-Series and Mercedes S-class - it can happily get rid of its weakest 3.0 petrol V6. The entry-level engine now is the 275hp 3.0 V6 turbo diesel. Next up is the new 5.0-liter V8 good for 385 horsepower. Further up is the supercharged 5.0 V8 in two states of tune - 470hp for the softer model and 510hp for hottest model.

The 3.0D and 5.0 naturally aspirated model weigh 1796 kg and 1755 kg respectively. It is about 140 kg heavier than the last generation, but still 25 kg lighter than the smaller XF, thanks to its aluminum spaceframe construction. As its powertrains are the same as the latter, it should offer a performance equal to or slightly quicker than XF. For reference, the XF with 275hp, 385hp and 510hp engine are capable of 0-60 mph in 5.9 sec, 5.5 sec and 4.7 sec respectively. XJ has plenty of performance to compete with BMW 7-Series and Mercedes S-class.

However, the most surprising part of the new car is neither its looks nor its mechanical aspect, but its interior. Until now, most people predicted its interior would be an enlarged version of XF's cabin, considering how well appointed the latter is. On the contrary, the new XJ adopts a completely different approach. It is classical yet sporty. The dashboard archiecture is low set, located a couple of inches below the base of windscreen and windows. Covering that recessed area is a walnut stripe that runs smoothly from one door panel to another door panel, a theme inspired by luxury power boat. Instead of the rotary rectangular air vents of XF, it uses conventional circular air vents with chromed rings, very much like Bentley. Sandwiched between the two center air vents is a classical analogue clock like Maserati.

On the wide transmission tunnel is XF's rotary gear selector. In front of that is a touch screen for navigation and entertainment system. Control of the various functions is eased by the navigation buttons on the steering wheel spoke. Behind the wheel are gearshift paddles, which is disappointingly made in plastic like XF. Like Mercedes S-class, the whole instrument pod is in fact a large TFT LCD screen which displays virtual gauages and other driving information.

Those having sat in the real car described its interior feels really special and luxurious. What they are not quite as well impressed is rear headroom, which is compromised by the sporty roofline. However, this has been part of the character of Jaguar. The new XJ competes with not just the mainstream German limousines, but also sports luxury sedans like Maserati Quattroporte and Porsche Panamera.

1 Jul, 2009

Rear-drive Gallardo, finally.

Lamborghini has released a rear-wheel drive version of Gallardo called LP550-2 Valentino Balboni. It is a limited production run of 250 units. Price is set at £138,000 / €162,000 / US$220,000, about 10 percent less than LP560-4.

The LP550-2 is designed for purists who enjoy power sliding their cars. Lamborghini ditched the 4-wheel drive system and fitted a new limited slip differential at the rear axle. Suspensions, tires and E-gear have been recalibrated to take account of the change to power flow. The ESP stability control has been added with a Corsa mode which allows greater drift angles.

Sadly, the switch to RWD saves only 30 kg. Furthermore, Lamborghini said its engine loses 10 horsepower from the standard 560 hp without giving any credible reasons. Its top speed drops from 202 to 199 mph, while 0-60 mph takes 3.8 seconds instead of the previous 3.6 seconds. It seems that Sant' Agata did not try very hard to optimize the car. Perhaps it just wants to silence those keep asking for an RWD version. Perhaps it wants to use this car to show the advantage of its beloved 4WD.

Last question: who is Valentino Balboni ? While it sounds like a fashion brand name, it is actually the name of Lamborghini's long-serving test driver. Mr. Balboni has just retired from Sant' Agata after serving there for over 40 years. The firm said he test drove nearly all Lamborghini models as we know, from Miura to today's Gallardo and Murcielago. However, you are reminded that the chief development test driver of Miura and the original Countach was Bob Wallace. Balboni succeeded Wallace from 1973, so his achievement was more closely associated with the evolutions of Countach, Diablo and those unsuccessful Lambos that he would not want to mention.