Saab Story: With the clock ticking loudly, Saab’s new owner dusts off some old names.
In the 20 years that General Motors owned Saab, it failed to turn the Swedish automaker into a profitable business. Last year, when GM spiraled toward bankruptcy, it was faced with killing off unprofitable brands or selling them. So Saab—that sometimes innovative, strangely stylish, and somewhat professorial brand—went on the block.
Keep Reading: Spyker Minds the Past for Saab’s Future – Feature
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The entry-level V-6 Panamera and Panamera 4 represent far less of a sacrifice than you might imagine.
So far, Porsche’s entry into the luxury-sedan segment has paid off: Sales of its Panamera are strong, and the company is particularly pleased by the take rate of the Turbo model, which it says is far higher than expected. This should fill the competition with envy, as the most powerful versions of the Audi A8, BMW 7-series, and Mercedes S-class are virtually saleproof in Europe and certainly far from volume models over here.
Keep Reading: 2011 Porsche Panamera / Panamera 4 – First Drive Review
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Each week, our German correspondent slices and dices the latest rumblings, news, and quick-hit driving impressions from the other side of the pond. His byline may say Jens Meiners, but we simply call him . . . the Continental.
This Monday, we flew to London to learn a little more about Nissan’s big bet, the Leaf, which is designed to spearhead the switch to electric cars. The compact four-door has 120 hp, is governed at 90 mph, and can supposedly go 100 miles on a charge. The Leaf will cost about as much as a Toyota Prius or a lavishly equipped VW Golf 1.6 TDI. It shares components with Nissan’s B-platform vehicles, such as the upcoming Juke. Pierre Loing, Nissan Europe’s VP for strategy, tells us that the batteries will last for a long time—retaining 80 percent of their capacity after five years and 70 percent after ten. Commonality with Renault’s electric cars, such as the only slightly bigger Fluence sedan, is not impressive; both companies work on their own cars, and Nissan takes some pride in the fact that its Leaf is a dedicated EV, while the Fluence is just an electrified conventional vehicle.
Nissan’s sub-€30K price is made possible only by various government subsidies, with a scope that is somewhat surprising given Europe’s current economic woes. When will governments start taxing electric vehicles like conventional cars, and what happens to the Leaf then? Nissan didn’t have an answer to that one.
1930 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Gran Sport
While Nissan talked about the Leaf this week, Alfa Romeo invited a few journos to the Balocco, Italy, proving grounds for a drive of some of the most awesome racers from the company’s 100-year history. Most impressive: the 1930 6C 1750 Gran Sport, the 1952 Disco Volante C52 1900, and the 1965 TZ2. In the distance, there were camouflaged Chryslers and Jeeps all over the proving grounds. Remember how we weren’t impressed with the “Chrysler” Delta that was trotted out at the most recent North American auto shows? Rebadging whimsical Italian cars won’t be enough for the U.S., and we hear the memo has been received by Fiat’s management.
Toyota Auris HSD
Toyota is launching the hybrid version of its Auris, which is basically a European Corolla. The Auris HSD is a five-door hatchback that uses the Prius’s hybrid drivetrain. Not particularly blessed in the looks department, the Auris blends right into traffic, and your neighbors will never know just how much you care about the planet. On paper, the Auris HSD is extremely efficient; in real life, it will be interesting to see how well it stacks up against the same car with Toyota’s own diesel, which is a powerful and competent engine that puts the Auris ahead of many competitors. The Auris HSD is about €2500 cheaper than the Prius—apparently that’s the price of bragging rights. But just think of all the solar panels this money could buy.
This €2500 premium won’t be enough to bridge the gap between the utterly satisfying Porsche Panamera V-6 and the upcoming hybrid version, which will use the same system that is used in the Cayenne and the VW Touareg. It consists of Audi’s supercharged 3.0-liter V-6, an electric motor, and a heavy pack of batteries. Forgive us if we think the regular V-6 will be at least as much fun as the hybrid, despite the latter’s 80 or so more horsepower. Porsche is considering a diesel-powered Panamera for Europe, and the most likely engine to be offered is Audi’s 3.0-liter V-6 TDI of A8, Q7, and Cayenne fame. It’s a powerful enough engine, and while it doesn’t ooze racing heritage, it will help potential buyers to get their Panamera past the corporate bean counters.
Porsche is not forgetting about its traditional buyers either. We would not at all be surprised to see a Panamera Turbo S, which would make at least 550 hp. If you are set on a Turbo, there is no reason to hold off, but a Turbo S would be sure to give Porsche’s four-door sedan a mid-term boost down the road.
Porsche engineers are convinced that the upcoming, fantastic 918 Spyder needs to be able to drive electrically. We are told that 918 buyers will want to drive short distances on batteries alone, and they will want to tell their neighbors about their responsible choice. For this, they will gladly take a weight penalty of several hundred pounds. Really? We think most 918s will be driven right into their owners’ collections, while others will be taken to the track for serious action. Driving to Starbucks on batteries would not have been on our list of priorities, but it shows you just how much effort and funds electric mobility has hijacked in corporate R&D centers even now.
Autobahn Tested
Having spent more time at airports than behind the wheel—such is the life of the Continental at times—we can only report on the frugal Renault Clio Grandtour Diesel this time around. This Le Car successor has an 85-hp, 1.5-liter turbo-diesel, and what you feel is not 85 hp, but 162 lb-ft of torque. Keeping up with bigger boys doesn’t require much effort, and while we were underwhelmed by the style of this strictly economical device, we were glad to have it as a reliable partner for the week.
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As the cute Fiat 500 is about to hit American roads, the Italian carmaker is working on a four-door derivate designed to enhance the appeal of the near-forgotten brand.
With a longer wheelbase, this new model—likely to be called the 600—will provide more comfort on long-distance travel and a more inhabitable rear seat. (In our eyes, the regular 500 is really only a 2+2, which is a technical way of saying the rear seats are little more than a parcel shelf.) The 600 is expected to be built alongside the 500 in Toluca, Mexico; power will come from a highly efficient two-cylinder engine providing around 100 hp. The 500’s four-cylinder engines are also a possibility, of course.
With the 600, Fiat may discover that it’s just a brief step from the cute to the humble. We see the trendy crowd zipping around in turbocharged 500s, perhaps even with folding roofs. But we can’t quite see many folks stuffing their family into what would likely be the cheapest and tiniest four-door on the market.
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Each week, our German correspondent slices and dices the latest rumblings, news, and quick-hit driving impressions from the other side of the pond. His byline may say Jens Meiners, but we simply call him . . . the Continental.
The main action took place in Beijing last week, and we paid close attention to the announcements from the auto show there. BMW, for example, unveiled further details on its “megacity vehicle,” aka “Project i.” It will be fully electric, and thanks to extensive use of carbon fiber, it will tip the scales at just around 1500 pounds. Now if we could just get one of BMW’s motorcycle engines with that package!
BMW’s Gran Coupé concept (above) is the answer to the Mercedes-Benz CLS, but the enthusiast community in Europe would rather have an answer to the Audi R8 and Benz’s SLS AMG instead. We continue to wait for a smashing re-interpretation of the legendary M1, preferably one superior to its forebear—which, incidentally, was underpowered, overpriced, and not one of Giugiaro’s greatest efforts at the time.
The Power Escalation Stops
Audi is working hard on further lightweight variations of the A5, the first one of which we sampled last December at the Boxberg test track in Germany. One will be an extremely efficient diesel, another will provide S5-beating performance with a four-cylinder gas engine.
Even before cutting weight significantly, it seems that Volkswagen and Audi are dropping out of the power race. The W-12 versions of the A8L and the just-face-lifted Phaeton (which is still not ready to re-enter the U.S. market) stay naturally aspirated and thus keep a significant distance from the turbocharged Mercedes-Benz S600 and BMW 760i/Li. It probably makes sense; these are prestige versions for China and the U.S. market. Sales in Europe, where you could actually use the power of a twelve-cylinder engine, are negligible. A few months ago, we tried to locate two similarly spec’d Mercedes S600s in Germany—it was virtually impossible.
Life Goes On
Beijing C71
Saab lives on, at least in China. The old 9-5, in production since 1997, will continue to be built as the Beijing C71. Its manufacturer, BAIC, is also Daimler’s Chinese cooperator. Stuttgart will have fun with their ambitious partners. Meanwhile, Saab is inviting enthusiasts to a huge celebration in Trollhättan, Sweden, on July 15-18, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the quirky 96, and to show the new 9-5 to the hard-core brand aficionados. We welcome it as a sign of life.
Alfa Romeo TZ3 Corsa by Zagato
Many of us who didn’t travel to China gathered at the Concorso d’Eleganza at Villa d’Este in Northern Italy last weekend. Besides a large number of solitary historic vehicles, the most fascinating concept was the Zagato TZ3 Corsa, a tribute to the 90-year relationship between the coachbuilder and Alfa Romeo. Zagato has seen better times, and an unannounced visit we paid to headquarters last year proved to be a surreal experience. Chased by dogs, we finally found our way to a sort of reception, and tried to find an English-speaking person for well over a half-hour—without success. It’s fitting that a German collector, Martin Kapp, paid for the TZ3.
Low on Style
Lada Niva
The week was short of vehicle launches: Škoda showed a face-lifted Fabia and Roomster, two exponents of VW’s Eastern European cheapo brand, and Toyota let us drive the plug-in Prius, which allows you to actually drive in fully electric mode for over ten miles before it switches to its typical gas-electric dance. We were more excited by news of technical upgrades for the iconic Lada Niva, a Soviet-designed off-roader which has carried on faithfully since the mid-seventies. We hope it will carry on for a long time.
On the other side of the spectrum, Daimler’s Maybach face lift brought the luxo-barge without brand equity visually even closer to a Kia Amanti, but we get the fact that something had to change aesthetically. After all, today you can pick up a used Maybach for a quarter of what they cost new, and up until now you couldn’t even tell the difference.
Mitsubishi’s future as a contract manufacturer was confirmed by an announcement that the Japanese carmaker would deliver 50,000 units of the Outlander Sport to PSA, re-badged as Peugeot and Citroën models. We hear that development of future models has been slowed, and the business case for the current lineup, including the i and the Lancer, is weak.
Autobahn Tested: Citroën C6, Volvo V70 Diesel, BMW 550i GT, The Old Maser
Citroën C6
Our Citroën C6 tester with its 238-hp V-6 diesel looks great, but the driving experience is a far cry from those of the DS, CX, and XM models of yore. The suspension is soft but jittery, and the experience reminds us of some not-so-great, recent American front-drivers.
We were supremely put off by the driver-assistance systems in the Volvo V70 2.4 D, which seem to constantly sense an impending crash and make sure you notice their presence in the most annoying way.
And we thought it was amusing that the BMW 550i Gran Turismo features a trip computer that won’t provide readout for average fuel economy below 5.9 mpg. If you care to know how much gas you’re consuming, take your pocket calculator. That said, if you have one of those, you’ll probably figure out that the wiser choice is the diesel.
Maserati 430
By far the most rewarding driving experience was awakening this writer’s 1990 Maserati 430 from a two-year hibernation. It fired up without hesitation, and we’ve put on 500 miles in two days without the slightest hiccup.
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This metropolitan luxury-car concept is absurd and awesome all at once.
Citroën Metropolis? If we had to guess, we’d say that sounds like a tiny, cute, ridiculously eco-friendly French city car, perhaps a modern-day 2CV.
To the contrary, the Metropolis concept, which Citroën debuted at the Beijing auto show, is a full-fledged luxury car; it’s longer, wider, and lower than an Audi A8L. Created by a design team based in Shanghai, it’s original and handsome.
Keep Reading: Citroën Metropolis Concept – Auto Shows
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The next-generation 3-series sharpens its shape, and will adopt turbo four-cylinder engines.
The BMW 3-series coupe and convertible were just face lifted, but the Bavarians already are busy readying the next-generation 3er sedan; it’s that body style that always leads off a new 3-series generation. And so we expect in late 2011 or early 2012 to get an official glimpse of the four-door, which should arrive at dealerships here in late 2012 as a ‘13 model. Until then, these renderings provide a good idea of what to expect.
We like what’s here: The next 3 keeps the concave body-side surfaces, and the front and rear of the new car will be sharpened. This is very clearly the little brother of the new 5-series, but far more compact and more aggressive in its detailing. The front end is dominated by the four LED rings around the headlights, which will form the basis of the BMW face going forward, and the lower air intakes will become more angular. The rear view will allow you to tell how much power a particular 3-series is packing, even if the owner goes for the badge-delete option, as split exhaust pipes will remain the domain of the most powerful diesel and petrol versions.
Keep Reading: 2013 BMW 3-series Rendered – Car News
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Each week, our German correspondent slices and dices the latest rumblings, news, and quick-hit driving impressions from the other side of the pond. His byline may say Jens Meiners, but we simply call him . . . the Continental.
Lightness as Perception and Reality
Just before the Old World shut down under a cloud of Icelandic volcanic ash, there was an unusually high number of new-vehicle introductions in Europe last week.
Audi held what was probably the most anticipated press launch when it showcased its 450-hp RS5 (shown above) at the Ascari racetrack near Marbella, Spain. Conditions were perfect for our first drive of Audi’s sportiest offering south of the R8, and the roads surrounding the racetrack provided fantastic space for extra play—as back roads go, few countries in Europe beat Spain. Fully laden with electronic gizmos to sharpen its responses, the Audi feels far lighter than its 3900 or so pounds would suggest.
2011 Lotus Elise
The Lotus Elise follows a sharply different approach—it doesn’t need electronic crutches because it actually is light. The 2011 model was previewed in England on the sort of country roads that make grown men weep. We love the Elise, but were somewhat underwhelmed by the new, Toyota-supplied 1.6-liter four-cylinder entry-level engine. Lotus is vaunting the 134-hp car’s 37-mpg Euro-cycle rating, but the slightly restyled new Elise proves that going for fuel efficiency at all costs can kill the fun even in a quintessential sports car such as this. The extremely tall gearing for the six-speed manual renders the top two gears unusable. Step on the gas in top gear, and the response you get is about as enthusiastic as the earth crowd’s reaction to snow in Copenhagen. (We don’t get the reference either—Ed.) Our advice: Go for one of the more powerful engines and forget about saving the planet.
Mazda Sticks with the Rotary Engine, While Audi Adopts It
Instead of the planet, let’s save the rotary engine. The Mazda RX-8 will be taken off the European market at the end of 2010, as its current engine won’t pass Euro 5 emissions. But Mazda won’t abandon the unique engine type. Internally called 16X, the next-generation Mazda rotary will again be a two-rotor setup, but this time displacing 1.6 liters instead of the current 1.3. Even in normally aspirated form, the 16X engine will make around 300 hp, which will be plenty for the smaller, lighter sports car in which it will be found. Turbocharged versions are possible, as is a hydrogen-powered variation. The U.S. market will keep getting the RX-8 for the foreseeable future, but we love the fact that a lighter car in the spirit of the last-generation RX-7 will replace it.
Audi is looking at the rotary engine, too, fitting a Wankel powerplant to the A1 e-tron concept shown in Geneva in March. The one-disc rotary engine was co-developed with Austrian engineering house AVL. We experienced its operation, and it’s smooth and quiet and avoids the shuddering on restart of a piston engine. Who wants to be disturbed as they’re humming and singing and smiling while depleting their electric-vehicle’s batteries? Not us. It’s certainly nice, but our next question was whether we could see a powerful rotary-engined Audi without all the electric-motor wizardry. Not a chance, says Ingolstadt. Pity.
Other Debuts, Forbidden and Otherwise
2011 Volkswagen Polo GTI
VW showed the 180-hp Polo GTI in the metal at the Leipzig auto show, and BMW used the same occasion to officially launch the 5-series Touring (a.k.a. Sports Wagon). Both cars are interesting and very cool—the 5er wagon is better looking than the sedan in our book—but they won’t come to the U.S. unless thousands of American enthusiasts deluge VW and BMW with blank checks. Among the Leipzig debuts that you will be getting were two minor Audi freshenings. The 2011 TT and TTS get some mechanical and cosmetic tweaks, and the 2011 Q7 does without aesthetic alterations but receives new engines, including Audi’s supercharged 3.0-liter V-6 in two different strengths. Side note: That engine is the gas-burning half of the hybrid powertrain available in the new Porsche Cayenne. Says a Porsche engineer: “A supercharged engine is not a dream in terms of efficiency, but it’s what we had to work with.” Read: Our new VW overlords made us use it.
Dacia Duster
Other notables this week include the Dacia Duster, which just went on sale and is the first SUV offered by Renault’s Romanian entry-level brand. Starting at €11,900 ($15,800; that’s dirt, dirt cheap for Europe), it undercuts the competition by many thousands of euros. And, with its trendy shape, it shows that Romanians can bodge together a styling department, too.
We sampled the Alfa Romeo Giulietta, and found it to be a surprisingly good, solid, and sporty car, and if the brand has a shot in the US market, it is with this hatchback. (Fiat announced yesterday that we’d get the car, or a derivative, in 2014.) Its top engine is a 232-hp, 1.8-liter four. We haven’t seen anything out of Chrysler’s Auburn Hills, Michigan, headquarters in some time as good as the Giulietta. Here’s hoping the Fiat-Chrysler merger pays off in a big way.
Speaking of not seeing things, we haven’t seen any Fisker Karmas on the road, and now we’re hearing Fisker likely won’t be able to deliver regular-production cars before 2011. Only buyers of the sold-out Signature Edition will get behind the wheel of the hand-built Karma in 2010. Probably.
Volt Does Europe, and the Push for a New Opel GT
Chevrolet is planning to launch the Volt in Europe alongside the Opel Ampera, which is identical under the skin. The decision reeks of a move made simply to keep Chevrolet Europe happy. Turnabout is fair play, we say, so why not turn the Ampera into a Buick back in the States? Retro remains the rage, so let’s bring back badge-engineering! Continuing the retro theme, Opel’s powerful head of the worker’s council, Klaus Franz, is pushing for a retro-styled sports coupe in the spirit of the legendary late-1960s Opel GT or Manta. Opel also is testing higher-powered versions of the Insignia, some of which are approaching 400 hp. Lesser Insignias are being reworked for the U.S. as the Buick Regal, so send that one to America as a Regal Grand National!
Renault and Daimler are teaming up to jointly develop engines and transmissions. We see the logic behind exchanging small three- and four-cylinder units, but are less clear on putting Daimler engines into Infinitis. Nissan’s VQ V-6s can be a bit rough, but they’re still very good engines. Carlos Ghosn and Dieter Zetsche, who have lived through their share of failed mergers, are taking it easy this time: The three-percent swap of capital qualifies as a modest start, and that makes the most sense of all.
Autobahn Tested: Q5 and XF Diesels
Road cars we’ve sampled include the Audi Q5 3.0 TDI, which seems incongruous in its setup. The liveliness of the steering, suspension, and the dual-clutch transmission don’t match well with the relaxed character of the powerful turbo-diesel, which always needs a moment of contemplation before responding. We were highly impressed, on the other hand, by the Jaguar XF with a 271-hp, 3.0-liter turbo-diesel. Torquey and quick, it’s our favorite corporate jet right now. Well, until we’re sure the volcanic ash has cleared and we once again feel comfortable climbing aboard an actual corporate jet.
Just before the Old World shut down thanks to volcanic ashes and overzealous politicians, the industry has unusual number of vehicle launches and .
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The juicy stuff: Chrysler-based Lancias and Alfa to return to the U.S. in late 2012.
Fiat has outlined its targets for the next few years, and they are ambitious to say the least. CEO Sergio Marchionne announced the separation of Fiat’s automotive business—which includes Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Ferrari, and Maserati, as well as Chrysler—from the rest of the company. The remaining part, Fiat Industrial, is less glamorous, but its sales of trucks, farm tractors, and construction machinery make it more profitable. The logic behind the split: Fiat Industrial could be worth more without the burden of the auto business, and the auto business will be more nimble and agile in pursuing alliances with other carmakers. “We can finish the [separation] project within six months,” predicts an ever-optimistic Marchionne.
The independence of Fiat’s auto business will make a complete fusion with Chrysler far easier, and the company does need to identify and nurture cooperation opportunities if the alliance is to make any sense.
Keep Reading: Five-Year Plan for Chrysler, Fiat, Alfa Romeo, and Ferrari Unveiled – Car News
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Audi’s mid-size executive jet is due for an overhaul.
We surely can’t say Audi has been lazy recently. The Bavarian carmaker has been churning out one new product after another, from the R8 supercar to the 10Best-winning S4, and the upcoming A1, a technology-laden premium city car.
But we haven’t heard much lately from the comfy and powerful executive sedan that’s the backbone of the brand, the A6. And that’s because the current model is just about ready to retire. Its successor’s design was locked in a year ago, and we expect the next car to be unveiled at any of this fall’s upcoming auto shows, likely in Paris or Los Angeles.
Keep Reading: 2012 Audi A6 Rendered – Car News
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More gears and fewer cubic inches for Audi’s big people mover.
Just as it followed the VW Touareg and Porsche Cayenne into the marketplace, the Audi Q7 now will be following their lead on engine downsizing. While its recently updated exterior remains unchanged, the 2011 Q7 loses both of its current gasoline engines, the 280-hp, 3.6-liter V-6 and the 350-hp, 4.2-liter V-8. They get replaced by two variations of the supercharged TFSI 3.0-liter V-6 found in the A6, S4, and S5.
Keep Reading: 2011 Audi Q7 – Official Photos and Info
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Ford’s ultimate Focus, the 345-hp RS500, was already sold out when Ford pulled the blanket at the Leipzig auto show in Germany today. The “home market”—Ford developed and is building the car in Germany—gets 55 of the 500-unit run, virtually all of which have long been earmarked by dealers and can be expected to end up in showrooms or collections. It’s a shame, because this powerful Focus is actually a very fast and capable long-distance road car and not a modern-day interpretation of the crude Dodge Omni GLHS that you might have expected.
Ford Europe has listened to the prayers of its followers and has endorsed a power kit by the British tuner Mountune. The MP350 package will bring your regular, 301-hp Focus RS up to the RS500’s 345 hp—without voiding the warranty. It will first be sold in the U.K. and then be rolled out on the Continent. If Ford Europe is really listening, what about us? Hey, we’d even be happy with 301 hp.
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Saab management says its small car will be called 92, while the 9-3 might be renamed 900.
GM wasn’t able to turn Saab into a success story, but Victor Muller, the new CEO of the recently established Saab-Spyker is optimistic about the brand’s future. (For those under rocks, Spyker recently purchased the Swedish carmaker.) Muller promises to honor Saab’s heritage in a future where new product is key.
Saab-Spyker is in the midst of a thorough review of Saab’s future plans, but Muller says he is pleased with the 2011 9-5, which stylistically does a nice job hiding the fact that it’s based on the GM Epsilon platform. The SportCombi wagon version of the 9-5, which is said to look stunning, is still some time away and will be launched in mid-2011. In April 2011, the 9-4X crossover will be launched. It will be contract-manufactured by GM in the General’s Ramos Arizpe, Mexico, plant alongside the Cadillac SRX, with which it shares underpinnings.
With ties that close, Muller must seek to keep the relationship between GM and Saab amicable, and he acknowledges that the American company has invested vast sums to bring Saab’s Trollhättan, Sweden, production site up to modern standards. But product development was painfully neglected. The 9-5 carried on for over 12 years; GM essentially skipped an entire product cycle.
Keep Reading: The Future of Saab to Draw Heavily on Heritage – Car News
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While a 135is likely is still in the cards, our sources say BMW’s M division plans to work its magic on the 1-series.
A pirate is someone who undertakes war-like attacks without government assent. “Pyrat,” on the other hand, is the latest buzzword at M GmbH—more on that in a second.
M GmbH, of course, is BMW’s high-performance division, headed since last May by BMW executive Kay Segler. We’ve met Segler many times and can attest to the fact that he did good things at Mini, where he worked prior to taking the reins at M. Segler got off to an excellent start with the Euro-only limited-edition M3 GTS and now he will make a permanent mark on every enthusiast’s map with a planned 1-series variant. While we’re still expecting to see a 135is offered with a higher-output turbocharged inline-six—like in the 335is—our sources confirm that Segler’s division is crafting an M version of the compact 1-series coupe. It’s code-named project “Pyrat.”
Keep Reading: Is This the BMW 1-series M? – Spied
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The French and the Germans embark on a honeymoon.
In the late 1990s, when then-Daimler-Benz CEO Jürgen Schrempp was busy turning DaimlerChrysler into the “global number one,” Nissan was deemed unworthy for cooperation with the juggernaut by most of the Stuttgart company’s board. Now, under somewhat different circumstances, that alliance has materialized. Daimler and Renault-Nissan have agreed on a strategic cooperation, stabilized by the 3.1-percent stakes that Daimler will hold in Renault and in Nissan. Renault and Nissan will each hold 1.55 percent of Daimler.
Keep Reading: Daimler and Renault-Nissan Announce Global Partnership – Car News
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450-hp Audi RS5 Coming to U.S.!
Audi is engaging BMW in a thrilling fight over who can make the sportiest premium cars, and the RS models are an important cornerstone in this strategy. Targeting BMW’s legendary M line, Audi’s RS family currently includes the 340-hp TT RS with its turbocharged straight-five and the 580-hp RS6, which packs a twin-turbo V-10 into either a sedan or wagon body. But alas, no RS model is currently sold in the U.S., and the brand’s utterly enjoyable S models are simply outgunned by the M models and the Mercedes-Benz AMG line.
Keep Reading: Audi RS5 Confirmed for U.S. – Car News
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Future Mercedes models are likely to borrow heavily from the F800 Style concept.
Mercedes-Benz design chief Gorden Wagener is starting to reshape the future look of the Stuttgart carmaker. As such, some of the firm’s show cars of the recent past, such as the 2005 Bionic Car or the 2007 F700, primarily must be interpreted as design exercises. But with Wagener taking the helm in mid-2008, the direction of Mercedes styling has been whittled down to some precisely defined, common themes.
Indeed, the latest Mercedes concepts—for example, the BlueZero and the somewhat presumptuously named F800 Style—indicate more clearly where Wagener wants to take the brand. Long wheelbases, short overhangs, and fluid convex and concave surfaces will define the next generation of Mercedes cars.
Keep Reading: The Shape of the Next Mercedes-Benz C-class and E-class – Car News
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At the New York auto show next week, Mercedes-Benz will launch the racing version of its SLS AMG sports car, dubbed the GT3. How did we learn about it, given that we weren’t supposed to get the release until the 31st? It’s today’s story in the German tabloid Bild, and while the press department insists it’s their “exclusive story,” inevitably pictures have leaked out and are all over the web now.
Only at first glance does the GT3 look like the regular SLS with a gigantic rear wing. A closer inspection reveals wider fenders, flares, multiple air intakes, a different hood, and a huge rear diffuser. There are polycarbonate windows and a racing refueling system. The interior is completely altered, with a digital screen and shift paddles which direct a six-speed sequential gearbox that replaces the regular model’s seven-speed dual-clutch unit.
The SLS GT3 won’t be street legal, and there is no word yet on pricing.
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The launch of the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, the first dedicated AMG car, was his biggest triumph. Now Volker Mornhinweg, 50, is moving within the M-B organization to deal with bigger fish—literally. From April 1, the affable car enthusiast will head the Mercedes-Benz Van division, and thus be in charge of the Sprinter and other “white vans,” as they are called in some European countries.
Mornhinweg’s post will be taken over by Ola Källenius, a Swede ten years his junior. Kallenius is currently heading Mercedes’ Tuscaloosa, Alabama, plant which produces the M-, R-, and GL-class. Before that, he was director of Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines Ltd. in Brixworth (UK), the racing engineering company formerly known as Ilmor.
If Källenius’s background is any indication, he should continue Mornhinweg’s strategy of sharpening AMG’s profile from making cars that go fast (and loud) in a straight line to athletic machines that you enjoy flogging on the track and in the twisties. But one thing is also clear: AMG will have to continue making money. Källenius faces the challenge of engineering the SLS Roadster (with Magna), and the much-hyped fully electric version. He will also oversee the launch of the new, more efficient turbocharged 5.5-liter V-8, which replaces the current, naturally aspirated 6.2-liter V-8—a formidable engine that was initiated under former AMG head Ulrich Bruhnke.
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VeeDub joins the likes of Audi, BMW, and Mercedes with its new performance brand.
Volkswagen is set to grow its portfolio of sporty models, having just formed a new subsidiary, Volkswagen R GmbH. Its purpose will be to create more-hard-core VWs, concoct exclusive equipment packages and models, and create one-off cars. Another subsidiary, Volkswagen Individual, will be closed, and its business taken over by R GmbH.
Keep Reading: Volkswagen Moves into the Fast Lane, Launches R Performance Division – Car News
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