Author: yoann besnard

BMW M1 Hommage concept to enter production
BMW ruled out the possibility to build the M1 Homage, but a new report has confirmed a future production version of the concept car.
In an interview with Car magazine, BMW board member, Herbert Diess, has revealed that the M1 Homage previews a supercar that the carmaker plans to launch in the near future. This news doesn’t come as a surprise. BMW has been working for a longtime on how to reach the £100,000 growing market segment.
The future supercar is said to be a rear-engined vehicle which will be focused on sports. Despite a visual link with the legendary M1, the future model won’t feature its moniker. Also unlike the M1, the future supercar will feature a wide range of engines with six, eight and ten cylinder units. The Audi R8 and the Lamborghini will likely be its fiercest competitors.
May 31, 2008
Porsche Panamera to start production in April
Porsche has been readying the Panamera for the last two years, but won’t release the super-saloon before next year. According to the latest information, the German carmaker will start production in April 2009.
The Dutch car magazine AutoTelegraaf has revealed that Porsche will start producing the Panamera in April of next year. The carmaker plans to sell 20,000 units annually. Like the Cayenne, Porsche will focus on releasing the most powerful version first to build a solid brand image for the all-new-model. At launch, the Panamera wil be available with a choice of two engines: a V8 unit naturally aspirated delivering 405bhp or turbocharged delivering 520bhp.
Later an entry-model will be launched. It will be powered by a 296bhp 3.6-litre V6 unit outsourced from VW and already seen in the Passat R36. However, the V6 will have a tough life to power a rumoured weight of 4,000 lbs. A hybrid version will be launched in 2011. Technical details remain scarce, but it will be the same V6 engine mated to an electric engine.
May 31, 2008
Tough road ahead for Tata’s Jaguar-Land Rover ride in Europe
The emission issue has the potential to become a major roadblock for Tata Motors and its two new British marques. The Indian carmaker plans to invest £700 million in new technologies.
After Ford’s exit, Jaguar and Land Rover are heading for tough times in Europe as the two companies can’t merge their average carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of fleet with the smaller Ford models. Teh tow car companies will likely be heavily taxed when the stricter regulations will be applied in 2012. Tata Motors plans to invest £700 million to to develop and implement new environmental technologies and introduce new manufacturing materials.
While JLR could have offset higher CO2 emission of its fleet by balancing it by Ford’s fleet of light low-emission cars, the same is not possible under Tata Motors as it does not sell cars in Europe. Tata Motors also faces a proposed penalty, or the "excess emissions premium", that companies have to pay for going over the stipulated curve. A premium of 20 euros per gm/km has been proposed in the first year (2012), gradually rising to 35 euros in the second year (2013), 60 euros in the third year (2014) and 95 euros by 2015. Even the most fuel-efficient car sold by Jaguar, the X-Type, currently emits 149 g/km, which is well above the stipulated norms. In 2015, the X-Type would be taxed over around £1,500. The situation appears catastrophic for a Range Rover Sport. For example the Porsche Cayenne Turbo would be £8,000 over taxed in 2012.
May 31, 2008
Toyota-Subaru coupé more details
More details have emerged on the future Toyobaru coupé.
Toyota and Subaru are currently working hard on the future common model, a coupé for young buyers. The exercice is difficult as two opposite companies’ cultures are trying to collaborate. On one hand a team attached to build exciting such as the Impreza WRX and in the other hand a company used to build high volume dull cars. Toyota is expected to reserve its version to the Japanese market, while the Subaru will be sold abroad.
The two coupés will be powered by a common engine, a re-engineered boxer 2.0-litre unit. Naturally aspirated, it is reported to deliver a power output of 220bhp at 6,500 rpm. It will be hooked up to the same six-speed manual gearbox as the Impreza WRX STI. The future coupé will share its underpinnings with the current Impreza. However, the platform will be re-engineered to be a rear-wheel drive only.
Source: Holiday Auto Magazine
May 31, 2008
Future Seat Ibiza three-door unveiled?
After the disappointing five-door Ibiza, one did wonder how the expected three-door variant would look like. Thanks to a Seat employee, we have our answer.
The three-door Ibiza seems to be sportier and less disappointing than the five-door version. After the Bocanegra concept car at Geneva, expectation was high for the new Ibiza. Unfortunately, the production version looked rather dull and didn’t meet our expectations. The three-door version appears to offer more character than the five-door hatchback thanks to large and sharp shoulders at the rear end.
This three-door version will be used for the forthcoming Cupra version which will take its styling cues from the Bocanegra after the concept car was highly praised by the press and the public.
May 31, 2008
Five Euro-Ncap stars for the new Superb
The Skoda Superb has achieved five stars in independent crash tests performed by Euro-NCA. ONe didn’t expect less from a company which wants to compete with the best brands on the market.
Superb has received five stars in independent crash tests performed by Euro-NCAP which points out that the protection of the occupants’ knees and thighs is excellent. The Superb has achieved the highest possible scores also in side impact and pole impact simulations, receiving 35 points for the protection of adults and 40 points for the protection of children. The quality of pedestrian protection is very high, too.
“The new Superb has been developed to provide the occupants with maximum possible safety. The Euro-NCAP results confirm that we have managed to produce a top-quality vehicle in terms of performance, user comfort, as well as safety, one of the key aspects from the customer’s perspective, and I am indeed very pleased about that”, said Dr. Eckhard Scholz, Škoda Auto Board Member responsible for Technical Development.
May 31, 2008
Hyundai Genesis sedan to start at $33,000
Hyundai has finally announced the pricing for its luxury saloon, the Genesis. The entry level will start at a competitive $33,000/£16,500.
If this news doesn’t really concern us as the Genesis won’t likely be brought to Europe, it still shows us how Hyundai plans to move upmarket in the future. The Korean carmaker will compete on the value for money to convince people to buy a luxury saloon without any brand image.
For $33,000/£16,500, the entry-level is powered by a 290bhp 3.8-litre V6 petrol engine hooked up to a six-speed automatic gearbox. Equipment includes 17in alloy wheels, fog lamps, heated side mirrors, heated leather seats, cruise control, parking sensor and dual-zone climate control.
The upper version is powered by the Tau V8 petrol engine which delivers 375bhp. It is hooked up to a six-speed automatic gearbox. in addition to the equipment found on the V6 version, it comes with 18in wheels, chrome exterior moldings, a leather wrapped dash, premium upholstery, tilt and slide glass sunroof, power tilt and telescoping leather-wrapped steering wheel with memory function, a 15-speaker Lexicon premium sound system, power rear sunshade and rain-sensing wipers. V8 engines and huge equipments are given for $38,000/£19,000.
May 30, 2008
Mitsubishi admits it is developing micro-car to battle Smart, Toyota iQ
Mitsubishi has confirmed that it is currently developing a city car set to compete with the Toyota iQ.
The Japanese carmaker has confirmed the rumour about a future small city model. In order to rely on its expertise, the carmaker will build the car according to the Kei car standards. In Japan, this special category has fiscal incentives, but must respect some strict standards. Length must be less than 133in, width less than 58in and engine displacement must be less than 660cc. Output power must also be less than 63bhp. However, for the European markets, the car will be powered by the same 1.0-litre petrol engine as the Smart ForTwo.
The car will be a rear-engined and rear-wheel drive model. The architecture is similar to that of the i model. In the previous post, we explained how the idea to build a global city car complying with Kei cars standards was a really bad idea. Compared to an iQ or a ForTwo, a Kei car won’t be innovative enough. However, a competitive price might be a major asset. Innovative small cars or exported Kei cars? Market will deicide the outlook.
May 30, 2008
Nissan to build new Chinese vehicle assembly plant
In a previous post, Petrol-Head reported how the Chinese market is a top priority for Nissan. The Japanese carmaker has announced it will build its fifth production facility in China.
Nissan will team up with Dongfeng Motor Co to set up a new joint venture which will be intended to build light commercial vehicles. Located in China’s Henan province, the new facility will have a production capacity of 120,000 vehicles and will cost £73 million to build.
What’s interesting about this new facility is that the produced vehicles will also exported outside China. Until now, when a foreign brand vehicles built in China are reserved to the growing Chinese market. With this move, Nissan is sending a strong message to European, American and Japanese workers. In the future, Nissan will be bale to build anywhere, where the production cost is the cheapest.
May 30, 2008
Honda number 3 in the US
After being overtaken by Toyota, Ford leaves the Top 3 on the American market as Honda has sold more cars than Ford.
Honda is taking profit of its lineup by increasing its sales on the American market in April and overtaking Ford there. Honda sold 437,102 vehicles last month, While Ford delivered 421,000 units. This trend will likely be confirmed next month and in the future as long as gas prices are rising.
Honda lineup features small vehciles such as the Fit, CR-V and Civic will enables the carmaker to increase its sales by 3.6 per cent since the beginning of the year, while the market has decreased by 9.2%. Ford suffers from a lineup focused on large vehicles. Often criticized for not selling V8-powered models, Honda might be the winner of the economic downturn. Chevrolet only sells 30,000 units more than the Japanese carmaker. At this pace, Honda will likely become the second brand in the US by the end of this year.
May 30, 2008