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30 Mar, 2010

Ford Focus RS500

Don't get too excited. The new RS500 is neither a remake of the legendary Sierra Cosworth RS500 nor a 500-horsepower machine. It is actually a lightly tuned version of the current Focus RS. By getting a remapped ECU, enlarged intercooler and lower restriction intake and exhaust, its 2.5-liter turbo engine produces 350 hp and 339 lb-ft of torque, 45 hp and 15 lb-ft up. As a result, performance is lifted to 165 mph (from 163 mph) and 0-60 mph in 5.3 sec (from 5.6 sec). The engine conversion is conducted by tuner Revolve Technologies, which are partnering with Ford to produce the Mountune series. The running gears, chassis and suspensions are unchanged from Focus RS. Only the matt-black paint and red interior distinguish it cosmetically. So why is the car called "RS500" ? Because only 500 units will be built.

30 Mar, 2010

LFA Nurburging

Among the 500 units of Lexus LFA to be built, 50 will be built in "Nurburgring" specification which is pictured here. This is a hardcore version of the LFA, featuring an engine ECU remapped to 570hp (up 10hp), faster gearchange (down from 200ms to 150ms), stiffer suspension setting, semi-slick tires and a fixed rear wing. Performance figures are unchanged, however.

30 Mar, 2010

AutoZine Update

Finally, my long postponed work of Classic Car archive is reactivated ! This would not have been possible if the automotive world was not so quiet recently. In fact, since the beginning of this year I have been running at full steam to update AutoZine, bringing the missing cars like Dacia Sandero, Honda Stream, Nissan Teana and Ssangyong Chairman W back to our scope. Cars of the Decade and AutoZine Awards have been updated. Now it's time to work on classic cars again. It's an enjoyable process to me... and hopefully it will be a long long process to enjoy. There are at least 130 cars (and growing) to be written, so it may take another one or two years. What I am doing now is to upgrade the overall quality of this site. Those badly written articles will be replaced gradually with decent ones. Despite of the major revamp made last year, content is still the most important thing in AutoZine.

28 Mar, 2010

Volvo sold to Geely, finally.

Today in Sweden, Ford and Geely have announced they reached agreement to sell Volvo to the latter. The price will be US$1.8 billion and transaction is expected to be completed in Q3. Ford will not retain any stakes in Volvo, but it will continue to supply components and license its technology for an unspecified transitional period. Ford bought Volvo Cars for US$6.5 billion in 1999, so the sale is to be made at a substantial loss on paper. However, the Swedish company has been making operating loss in the last 4 years, so the sale is a relieve to Ford. Geely is small car maker in China. It produced only 200,000 cars in 2008, ranked 7th among Chinese car manufacturers. The acquisition of Volvo will give it a strong brand to expand upmarket and to export. Although the Swedish factories will be retained, Geely plans to build 300,000 Volvos annually from its new plant in Beijing, with the majority destined to local sales.

25 Mar, 2010

BMW to abandon RWD policy !

BMW Chairman Norbert Reithofer has announced the firm is abandoning its RWD policy and to develop a front-wheel drive platform. This platform will form the basis for various BMW entry-level models sitting under the next generation 1-Series, which will continue to be rear-drive, as well as more Mini models. Eventually, the firm could produce as many as 600,000 to 800,000 front-drive models, helping it to fend off the challenge from Audi. While hardcore drivers might be unhappy with the decision, I think it is not necessarily bad. Many European hot hatch makers proved that FWD can be fun to drive, even more so than the rear-drive 1-series and Z4. What matter is not FWD or RWD, but the engineering and determination to make the car wonderful to drive.

25 Mar, 2010

Chrysler to build 370,000 FIAT cars a year

FIAT plans to use Chrysler's production volume in North America to build 370,000 FIAT / Alfa Romeo / Lancia cars a year. This figure includes 100,000 units of FIAT 500 to be sold exclusively in the America. As reported before, FIAT group will transfer production of its larger cars to Chrysler to take advantage of economy of scale. This will include the replacement of Alfa Romeo 159, a large Alfa crossover and probably a large sedan succeeding the defunct 166, sadly. In Europe, FIAT will be responsible for the marketing and sales of Chrysler models. These models will continue to carry Chrysler badge, except in Italy where 300C, Sebring and Voyager will be rebadged as Lancia.

25 Mar, 2010

Aston profitable in 2009

Aston Martin managed to make a profit in 2009, according to its CEO Ulrich Bez. However, sales slumped from 5,800 units a year ago to about 4,000 units, as the luxury car market was hit by economy. Bez predicted this year its sales will rise to between 5,500 and 6,000 units, thanks to the addition of Rapide as well as the Toyota iQ-based Cygnet.

25 Mar, 2010

GM personal transport concept

<< PUMA Last year GM collaborated with Segway to show a personal transport concept named PUMA. It was a great idea - using Segway's self-balance system in a very compact two-seat two-wheeler - but it was only half finished as it rushed to motor show to boost GM's hope and get tax payer's support to bailout the company. Now the PUMA is finally completed with clothes, not just one but three sets. << Jiao Shown here is the version called "Jiao" in Chinese, or "pride" in English. It is designed by Mark Adams team in Europe. The other versions are "Miao" (means "wonderful") and "Xiao" ("smile"), designed by California studio and Australia (Holden) studio respectively. Why do they have Chinese names ? because they will make debut on this year's World Expo in Shanghai. These electric vehicles are capable of up to 25mph (40km/h) and a range of 25 miles (40km). They weigh 400 kg, thanks to use of composites and carbon-fiber body. It goes without saying they are deemed to solve the congestion problem of urban area as they occupy little road and parking space. Besides, via telematics they can communicate with each other, so to avoid collision, or to form a cruising train to save energy. Because they are impossible to collide, GM said they do not need any crash protection structure or air bags. I wonder what if other cars collide with them... Most important question: when are we going to see these vehicles ? just like other exhibits in World Expo, they won't come soon. GM said they provide vision to our personal urban transport in 2030.

25 Mar, 2010

WRX gets closer to STi

Subaru is upgrading the American version Impreza WRX with STi-style front bumper and extended wheel arches, the latter enable 38mm wider tracks front and rear, and wider 235/45WR17 tires. Engine remains the same 265hp 2.5-liter unit. Kerb weight gains 15 kg.

16 Mar, 2010

BYD sales rocketing

BYD is probably the fastest growing car maker in the world. According to its 2009 financial result announced yesterday, the Hong Kong stock market-listed Chinese car maker has nearly tripled its sales last year. Unit sales surged to 450,000 units from 170,000 units a year ago. This continued the trend that increased from 86,000 units in 2007, 55,000 units in 2006 and 16,000 units in 2005. As a result, the group (which includes also battery business) has its full-year profit more than tripled to US$560 million. It must be one of the best ever investment of Warren Buffet, who holds 10 percent stakes in BYD.    BYD F3 - clone of old Toyota Corolla With 290,000 units sold last year, BYD F3 was not only the best seller of the company but also the best selling car in China. Sadly, its success proves that intellectual property is still deemed to be nothing in China. People are more than happy to buy clones that undercutting the originals.

16 Mar, 2010

Ginetta acquired Farbio

British sports car maker Farbio has been acquired by Ginetta. This must be a match made in heaven – one struggling road car maker and one struggling club racing car maker. Details are scarce. We know Farbio's owner Chris Marsh will remain heading the road car business that builds Farbio GTS, now renamed to Ginetta F400. Ginetta has a sketchy plan to homologate the car for the US market. Other than that, it fails to convince us why it could run Farbio better than before, and how it could secure a sustainable future. Good luck ! Left: Farbio GTS (now Ginetta F400); Right: Ginetta G40

 

16 Mar, 2010

GME designer Anthony Lo moves to Renault

Anthony Lo, GM Europe's director of advanced design, is moving to Renault. Lo is highly respected in the industry. Although he has very few production designs under his name, he created many influential design concepts, most notably Saab Aero X (pictured), Opel GTC (which evolved to today's Insignia) and Opel Flextreme. It is such vision attracted Renault design boss Laurens van den Acker, who has just joined from Mazda to succeed Patrick Le Quement and is searching for helpers. Lo is taking the post of vice president of exterior design. The 45-year-old Anthony Lo is the pride of Hong Kong people. He was born and educated in Hong Kong. Having graduated from industrial design at HK Polytechnic, he went to London to study automotive design in Royal College of Art (like many famous car designers). He found his first job at Lotus, then Audi and ended up in Mercedes for 7 years, during which he took part in the design of Maybach at Toyko studio. He joined Saab in year 2000 and was promoted to director of advanced design of the whole GM Europe four years later. Following his jump to Renault, we can finally see more his talent in production car design. By the way, apart from Anthony Lo there are two more Hong Kong-born automotive designers worth mentioning: Chelisa Lau is the chief designer of Ford for Asia region. Previously, she designed a number of SUVs sold in North America; Pinky Lai is a Porsche designer who penned the original Boxster, Cayman and 996.

 

4 Mar, 2010

Bob Lutz to retire again

Bob Lutz is going to retire again. You might remember this time last year he was scheduled to retire from GM at the end of 2009, but later on changed his mind when then CEO Fritz Henderson called him back to head the marketing department. However, it seems that new CEO Ed Whitacre is not a fan of "Maximum Bob". Since Whitacre took over the top job from Henderson, he made Lutz largely redundant, taking away his marketing responsibility and left him a position no more than a "senior adviser" to the CEO. Now Lutz has finally decided to retire from May 1st. We wish him a retiring life as colorful as his days in automotive industry, or even better, get another stint at Ford or Chrysler. The 78-year-old just doesn't look old enough to retire.

4 Mar, 2010

Lotus to use Cosworth-tuned engines

The partnership between Lotus and Cosworth produced many F1 successes. Hopefully this will be replicated to its road cars. Lotus has signed an agreement to use Toyota engines tuned by Cosworth on its racing cars and road cars. The first example will be the 4.0-liter V6 on Evora Cup racing car. Expect more to come in the form of Evora road car, Elise and the future Esprit.

3 Mar, 2010

Nissan Micra / March

The current Nissan Micra (or March in Japan) has been soldiering for 8 long years. Now it is finally replaced by the new generation pictured here. Disappointingly, the new Micra's design is far less radical than the outgoing car, no matter front and back. You may even say it looks older than the old car ! One thing has to be noted is that the new Micra does not follow its B-segment rivals to grow in size. Its overall length is just 3.78 meters, much shorter than the 4-meter norm of the class. This mean it stands between the new generation A and B-segment cars. From its ordinary interior packaging, I would say its market positioning is also set between the two segments. Another thing to note is that the car is no longer built in Japan. The combination of higher production cost and high yen means producing very small cars in Japan is no longer feasible, so its production will take place in Thailand, India, China and Mexico. Consequently, the March to go on sale in Japan will be imported from Thailand. Back to the car itself. The new Micra is a good example of downsizing engines. Its new HR12DE engine has only 3 cylinders and 1200 cc. In normally aspirated form with variable intake valve timing, it produces a respectable 80 hp and 80 lb-ft of torque. The former is a good 10 horses more than Volkswagen's 1.2 three-pot engine. The engine mates with either 5-speed manual or CVT gearbox. Unlike class rivals, the new Micra won't offer any four-cylinder engines, at least in petrol side. Its top power plant is the same HR12DE, added with direct injection and a mechanical supercharger (surprise !). Max output figures are 98 hp and 105 lb-ft, not as good as Volkswagen's 1.2 TSI engine (105 hp and 129 lb-ft), but it is remarkably eco-friendly, emitting just 95 grams of CO2 per kilometer. This is partly thanks to the CVT's eco mode as well as auto start-stop.

3 Mar, 2010

Pininfarina's Alfa Romeo Duettottanta

If you like Alfa Romeo Duetto, you may find Pininfarina's latest design study very interesting. Called Duettottanta, the car is clearly designed to be a modern-day Duetto. Unlike the sophisticated designs flooding the exhibition halls of Gevena, this one has a rare sense of minimalist purity, which actually appeals more to me. A few pictures speak louder than thousands of words, so enjoy these pictures. The Duettottanta is said to be powered by the new 1750TBi turbo engine, but mounted longitudinally in the engine compartment to drive the rear wheels. Unfortunately, Alfa seems to have no such platform in the pipeline to realize the car.

3 Mar, 2010

Koenigsegg Agera

Agera is the latest evolution of Koenigsegg CCX. It biases further towards track performance, just like the latest evolutions of Pagani Zonda. The car employs more aggressive aerodynamic aids, such as a more pronounced front splitter, fixed rear spoiler and larger diffusers at the back. They generate higher downforce. You can also distinguish it from older Koenigseggs by its LED daytime running lights incorporated in the headlamps, and full-LED tailights. Inside, the outdated cockpit has been modernized with new digital instrument panel and center console with LCD screen, though the telephone dial-style control panel is still not my cup of tea. Headline is that the 4.7-liter V8 has replaced its twin-supercharger with twin-turbocharger. As a result, output rose to 910 hp and 811 lb-ft, or 104 hp and 133 lb-ft more than before. Theoretically, this should translate to higher performance. However, the extra power is offset by a slight increase of drag and weight (by 10 kg), so Koenigsegg claims straight line performance is unchanged. After all, 0-60 mph in 3.1 seconds and a top speed exceeding 245 mph is already very very fast.

3 Mar, 2010

Volkswagen Sharan

Volkswagen Sharan is one of the few cars that have been living since the beginning of this website. However, this is going to end with the second generation car shown here. The original Sharan was a joint-venture between VW group and Ford. As the latter quit and established its own Galaxy and S-max (which went on to win ECOTY), the new Sharan and its SEAT cousin have to bear all the development cost. Fortunately, this car is the first application of Volkswagen's MQB modular transverse engine / front-drive platform, which will give birth to millions of Volkswagen group cars from Polo to Passat. The Sharan is probably the largest among them. It is a full-size MPV with 3 rows, 7 seats and sliding side doors. Compare with the old car, it is 220 mm longer, 92 mm wider and runs a 75 mm longer wheelbase. All seats can fold flat, and the last row can slide forth and aft to alter luggage space. Engine range consists of 150 hp 1.4TSI, 200hp 2.0TSI, 140hp and 170hp 2.0TDI.

3 Mar, 2010

Bufori Geneva

I guess few people have heard about Bufori. It is a Malaysian car maker hand-building some retro sports cars based on mass market underpinnings, such as Hyundai V6 engine. In Geneva motor show, Bufori catches my attention with its new luxury car, Geneva - yes it is named after the great city of Switzerland. More precisely, it is the car's funny look that catches my attention. Look deeper, the car is not as laughable as its appearance. It has a semi-monocoque body made of carbon-fiber and Kevlar. It is powered by Chrysler's 6.1-liter HEMI V8 good for 430 horsepower Suspension is by double-wishbones up front and multi-link setup at the rear, and equipped with, guess what, adaptive air suspensions. Safety features are equally surprisingly advanced, including Night Vision, HUD, lane departure warning and active cruise control. Inside, the wood-and-leather cabin can be trimmed according to the taste of customers. The rear seat passengers are served with fine Chinese tea set and expresso coffee maker. Is it too early for April Fool joke ?

2 Mar, 2010

Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera

This is the second generation Superleggera (or "superlight" in English). Like the original one-off built in 2007, it is lighter yet slightly more powerful than the standard car. Its name implies its V10 has been boosted to 570 horsepower, 10 hp up from LP560-4, purely due to tweaked engine management. But more important, its dry weight has been cut by 70 kg to 1340 kg. This mean its power-to-weight ratio is lifted by 7 percent, and higher than that of Ferrari 458 Italia. Sant' Agata claims its 0-60 mph is shortened by three-tenths to only 3.3 seconds, although top speed is unchanged at 202 mph. Incidentally, both figures are identical to its Ferrari rival. Most of the weight saving, or 40 kg, comes from carbon fiber materials, such as the exterior's fixed spoilers, side sills, door mirrors, engine lid and diffusers, as well as the interior's transmission tunnel, door panels and bucket seats. Another 13 kg comes from lighter forged alloy wheels and their titanium bolts. Besides, the windows (side, rear and engine) are now made of lightweight polycarbonate. Nevertheless, the lightweight Gallardo is not exactly a striped out road-racer. It still offers the basic creature comfort, such as air-con and power windows. It also retains the 4-wheel drive system - you have already known this from its name - for the benefit of traction and safety. E-gear is the standard transmission, while manual is a no-cost option. The standard steel brakes are unchanged from LP560-4 as they are already large and powerful enough. Suspensions get stiffer shock absorbers and anti-roll bars. As in the old Superleggera, Pirelli P-Zero Corsa tires are employed to enhance grip in the price of wear.

2 Mar, 2010

Porsche 918 Spyder concept

At the very first sight, I mean within the time taken for Ferrari 430 Scuderia to make a gearshift, I thought this might be the rumoured baby Porsche, especially when its name is so close to 914. However, it didn't take a while to realize this is actually a larger, higher performance Porsche, which is evident from the Carrera GT-style engine cover and Viper-style side exhaust. What is it ? In fact, 918 Spyder is a concept car slated to be the successor of Carrera GT. Its size is not as large as a true supercar, but it offers much the same performance from its (fashionable) hybrid powertrain. Mid-mounted in the chassis is a high-revving 3.4-liter V8 derived from Porsche's endurance racing car, RS Spyder. It is said to produce 500 horsepower in road trim, and that occurs at a record-breaking 9200 rpm (Ferrari 458 and Lexus LF-A both rev to 9000 rpm). Locating between the seats and the engine is a small lithium battery pack, which power two electric motors, one at the front axle and another at the rear axle. They combine to develop another 218 horsepower, or during deceleration regenerate energy to recharge the battery. Porsche said the car tops more than 198 mph and is capable of 0-60 mph in 3.1 seconds. Most important, a lap in Nurburgring is guaranteed at below 7 min 30 sec, quicker than Carrera GT. The 918 Spyder seems to be based on Boxster platform, but it is actually all-new. Its chassis is a carbon-fiber monocoque, while its body and structural parts are made of aluminum and magnesium. Overall weight is 1490 kg, not bad considering its hybrid hardware. Its transmission is a 7-speed PDK box, driving the rear axle. The electric-powered front axle has a fixed ratio. The hybrid powertrain is able to run in pure EV mode for as much as 25 km, versus only 2 km for the case of Toyota Prius. EU combined consumption is 3 liters per km or 94 mpg, while CO2 emission is 70 g/km. It seems too good to be believed ! Of course, you can't expect it to achieve these figures while lapping Nurburging in 7' 30'' ! According Autocar, Porsche is taking letter of interests from potential customers to test the water. If the reaction is good, it will greenlight the production and start taking deposits. At the moment, no hint of price has been made. I hope it won't be as high as Carrera GT, because this car doesn't look as classy as that one.

2 Mar, 2010

AMG V8 switches to turbocharging

For the past few years, AMG's 6208 cc M156 V8 has been one of our favrouite high-performance engines. However, in the age of downsizing and reducing emission, not even such a great engine can escape from the axe. From the summer this year, the M156 will be replaced by a 5.5-liter twin-turbo V8 with codename M157. This 5461 cc unit has the same bore / stroke dimension as the standard Mercedes 5.5 V8, as well as dual-variable cam phasing. But their similarities stop there. The AMG engine employs direct fuel injection with spray guided combustion and piezo injectors. It also has a pair of Garrett turbochargers which are integral with the exhaust manifolds. As expected, the crankshaft and connecting rods are forged to take on the increased power. There are two states of tune: in the standard form, it runs 1.0 bar boost pressure to produce 544 hp at 5500 rpm and 590 lb-ft of torque at 2000-4500 rpm. Performance package has an ECU tweaked to 1.3 bar boost pressure, and result in 571 hp at 5500 rpm and 664 lb-ft at 2500-3750 rpm. Either case is stronger than the current 525 hp and 465 lb-ft. Meanwhile, fuel consumption and emission are both cut by 25 percent, partly thanks to its new auto start-stop function. Mated with the new engine is the 7-speed MCT automatic transmission with electronic-actuated clutch instead of torque converter. The first application will be to S63 AMG.