Author: yoann besnard

Seat unveils the three-door Ibiza
Probably under pressure after an unofficial picture of the three-door Ibiza has emerged on the internet, Seat took the wraps off the Ibiza SportsCoupé.
With two fewer doors, the three-door variant is more appealing than the five-door version. At 4,034 mm long and 1,428 mm high, this new variant is 18mm shorter and 17 mm lower than the five-door sister. It also features a different C pillar. The three-door Ibiza is slightly closer to the Bocanegra concept car. However calling it a SportsCoupé is a bit presumptuous.
The three-door variant is the first model in its market segment to be equipped with a seven-speed DSG double clutch gearbox which will be associated with a 103bhp 1.6-litre petrol engine.
June 5, 2008
Next Golf to feature smaller engines
The next-generation Golf will be launched within one year, but technical details still remain scarce. A new report gives more information about the engine range.
With the next Golf, VW will continue downsizing the current engine range and plans to release unexpected small engine under the bonnet of the future compact model according to the German news website Automobilwoche. Until now, the smallest engine available on the Golf is the turbocharged 1.4-litre unit which delivers a power output of 168bhp. In the future lineup, rumours talk about a small 1.2-litre petrol unit of which delivered power remains unknown.
The most surprising engine might be a 1.0-litre three-cylinder unit which would power the future entry-level version. Without a doubt, selling an entry-level 1.0-litre-powered Golf will be a difficult exercise. As Audi previously said, consumers aren’t ready to buy an Audi A6 powered by a 1.4-litre engine. How will potential buyers react to a 1.0-litre petrol engine under the Golf’s bonnet. Such a tiny displacement was considered reserved to city models five years and even today.
June 5, 2008
Future BMW X1 SUV to be produced in Germany
BMW has announced it will build the future X1 in Germany.
Building models in regions where they sell the most is part of the ambitious plan BMW is readying to increase its profit margin. The carmaker doesn’t expect its small SUV to be a top-seller on the American market, so its production won’t be moved to the US like the other models. It will stay in Europe, its potential largest market, at the carmaker’s Leipzig facility.
The current X5 and new X6 crossover coupé are being built at Spartanburg, located in South Carolina. They will be joined by the next-generation X3 model. The current X3 is currently produced by Magna Steyr in Austria.
The X1 will share its underpinnings with the next-generation 1-Series compact model.
June 3, 2008
Mercedes moves into its new design studio
Mercedes has strong ambition on the American market and its recent acquisition of the Chrysler Pacifica Advanced Product Design Center proves that carmaker isn’t ready to leave the market to Lexus, Audi or even Hyundai.
The former Chrysler design center will enable the carmaker to increase its current design capacity in the US With three times the space of its current facility. Located in Carlsbad, California, the new facility offers 35,000 square feet of space which will be more than enough for the current team of 25 people. The new company’s head of design Gorden Wagener manged this design studio which created the latest F700 concept car.
The new facility will join the two other facilities located in Tokyo and Sindelfingen. The new facility will likely boost the carmaker’s efforts to develop a global design operation. However, the three design centers are located in developed countries. Will Mercedes join other carmakers in building future design centers in China or India, future largest markets in the world?
June 3, 2008
Audi R8 to feature full LED headlights
Audi has unveiled the first LEd headlights on the market which will be available as an option on the R8 supercar.
Audi has strong ambition for the Audi R8 and the new LED headlamps, confirms the carmaker wants to lead the market in terms of innovation. Generally seen on the concept cars, the Audi R8 is the first production car to offer LEd headlights. In addition to the daytime running light which now features 24 LEDs per headlamp, light-emitting diodes are also used for the turn signals, the low-beam and the high-beam headlights. However, the new lights aren’t cheap and will cost the buyer a hefty price of €3,590.
LEDs have prominent advantages: lower energy consumption and a color that more closely resembles daylight, provides greater contrast and is easier on the human eye. LEDs are also non-wearing, require a lower voltage, are compact and offer greater design freedom.
June 3, 2008
Cadillac BRX to be christened SRX
The future SRX replacement was expected to be called BRX, but company execs have decided to keep the current moniker.
Due to be unveiled next year, the future SRX replacement model will finally replace the planned BRX moniker to keep the current name. Cadillac managers estimate that the current moniker has some potential despite current model’s poor sales. It is unknown whether this future SUV will reach our shores. However, a European version sold under the Saab brand will be available from next year.
Respectively codenamed GMT166 and GMT168, the next SRX and the future Saab 9-4X will share a new platform called TE, short for Theta-Epsilon. The two models will be built at the Ramos Arizpe facility in the US. Cadillac plans to sell 75,000 units annually. The SRX will be powered by two petrol engines, a 210bhp 2.8-litre V6 unit and a 300bhp 3.6-litre V6 unit. A 2.0-litre diesel engine might also be available. There is no information regarding the 2.9-litre V6 diesel unit which would be essential on the European market.
June 3, 2008
Mercedes-Benz sells 300,000th new C-Class
The 300,000th C-Class has rolled off the production line since it has been launched on the market.
More than 300,000 people have acquired a new C-Class Mercedes. Internally known as 204 Series, the family saloon and estate are a major success for the German carmaker which suffered from the comparison with the inevitable rival BMW 3-Series. The company has delivered 290,000 saloons and 25,000 estates.
The most important market for the C-Class is Germany which accounts for 25 percent of total sales, followed by the U.S., UK, Italy, and South Africa. Despite a wide engine range including six four-cylinder and seven six-cylinder engine variants for the C-Class, as well as the C 63 AMG, about one-third of the saloon model’s customers worldwide have opted for the C 220 CDI, while 20 percent have purchased a C 200 Kompressor. The C 220 CDI is also the vehicle of choice for around half of the estate model’s customers. 75 percent of all C-Class station wagons sold around the world are diesel engine versions.
The C-Class is available with three trim levels, Classic, Elegance and Avantgarde. One out of every two C-Class customers in Germany chose the Avantgarde line and in other core markets the share of total sales sometimes is even higher according to the carmaker. This result proves that Mercedes succeeded in building a sportier brand image appealing to younger people despite selling mainly diesel-powered C-Class models.
With the estate released in last December, the sales will likely rise. However the awaited facelifted 3-Series will also be a tough competitor.
June 3, 2008
New British Sportscar to be unveiled on June 9th
A small British carmaker Breckland will unveil an all-new sports car, called Beira, at the London’s Canary Wharf motor show. The future model tries to reinvent what British small carmakers are doing for years, building a sports car based on high-volume models.
The Beira is a hand-built, two-seat roadster with unique styling cues, based on GM Kappa platform and powered by GM’s LS2, 6-litre V8 engine, tuned to produce just below 400bhp. Tipping the scales at some 1,400kg, the Beira’s impressive power-to-weight ratio ensures a sub-five second sprint to 62mph and a governed top speed of 155mph. Stopping power is provided by 325mm ventilated discs on all four corners, the fronts being grasped by six-pot callipers, with four-pot at the rear, both from UK specialists, HiSpec. Steering is via power-assisted rack and pinion, whilst the dramatically styled 18” cast alloy wheels are 8.5” front and 9.5” rears, shod with Bridgestone ultra-low profile tyres.
The Beira features a custom-built interior, including electric windows, air conditioning, twin airbags – in the steering wheel and in the passenger dash – combined with clear, concise instrumentation, and hand-stitched leather/Alcantara seats and trim. Breckland stresses that the Beira’s interior can be customised to specific buyer requirements in terms of materials and equipment – one significant benefit of the company’s inherent flexibility as a low-volume producer. The central instrument cluster incorporates a double DIN showcase of mobile entertainment from in-car specialists, Clarion. Its equipment includes a 7” TFT colour touch screen, DVD player, direct iPod and Bluetooth connectivity, and an in-built 30Gb hard disk drive (HDD) navigation system with full European mapping. Beira buyers can also opt for the rear reversing camera.
The Breckland Beira on-the-road price will be confirmed shortly but is expected to be in the region of £55,000 in the UK.
June 3, 2008
David Smith becomes CEO of JLR
Tata has promoted the current chief financial officer, David Smith, to the position of CEO of Jaguar and Land Rover.
David Smith was managing the new group since Geoff Polites passed away on April 20. Smith started its career by joining Ford in 1983. He worked in New and Emerging Markets and was based in Turkey before joining Land Rover in July 2000 as Director of Finance.
He played a large role in reviving reviving the Jaguar and Land Rover brands and is rumoured to had helped the American carmaker to sell the Aston Martin carmaker last year.
Its mission at Jaguar and Land Rover won’t be easy as the two carmakers will have to make the transition to more fuel efficient models. However he will be helped by the agreement signed by Ford and Tata. The two companies will cooperate on developing hybrid and powertrain technology, as well as shared, global platforms.
June 3, 2008
VW CEO threatens to resign
Martin Winterkorn is more and more upset by Porsche’s will to interfere with the VW’s operations and has threatened to resign.
Porsche’s will to interfere with the VW’s brands generate more and more frustration among companies’ executives, especially at Audi. The German weekly magazine Der Spiegel reports that premium carmaker’s managers are more and more concerned by Porsche involvement. In an attempt to increase its sales to 1.5 million vehicles by 2018, the carmaker has started expanding its lineup and some models are competing with Porsche models. Unhappy with the results, Porsche has started to interfere with the future lineup. The rumoured R4 has been canceled by Audi. It isn’t confirmed whether Audi took the decision alone, but the R4 was expected to compete with the Porsche Cayman.
This isn’t the first time it might happen. A longtime rumour suggests that Porsche had obliged Audi to cancel a similar project fifteen years ago. Audi was developing the Quattro coupé which would have competed with the future Porsche Boxster. Under pressure from Porsche as rumoured, the German carmaker canceled the project.
Aware of the situation, the former Audi’s CEO has sent a warning to Porsche. How will Piech react? The former VW CEO and Porsche shareholder brought Winterkorn at the head of VW and also helped Porsche to acquire 31 per cent of VW.
June 3, 2008