Author: yoann besnard

Unofficial pictures of the Ford Focus RS
Pictures of the long-awaited Ford Focus RS have emerged on the Internet. None have been confirmed by a carmaker’s announcement at the Geneva Motor Show.
There is some doubt whether those pictures are official or not. However, they seem to be realistic enough to be taken seriously. With the RS, Ford will go wild and the future owners won’t have to be ashamed when compared to the Japanese clique, Mitsubishi Lancer and Subaru Impreza, a least at a glance. Indeed, the Focus RS will only come with a two-wheel drive transmission.
Without a four-wheel drive system, the 2.5-litres five cylinder petrol engine will have trouble to send its 280bhp and its 295lb ft to the front wheels. Ford engineers added an electronic differential to master the power, but history has proved this kind of technical solution never really worked.
The car is expected to be launched at the next British Motor Show.
March 10, 2008
Toyota suffers from rising Yen
During the Geneva Motor Show, Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe said the stronger yen was making conditions tougher for the automaker, specially on the American market.
The continuing decline in the dollar is making the company’s life hard but the Toyota CEO vowed to respond. One of the solution would be to build production facilities in the markets. Opening a new factory in the US would likely help the carmaker to offer competitively priced models while keeping the carmaker’s margin high.
Watanabe also said that the stricter 2012 EU emission regulations were a challenge for the Toyota and said that there was a lag between technical innovation to cut emissions and the time when such technology is affordable. in other words, Toyota might not be ready by 2012 and is slightly upset by the new regulations. The company had expressed a similar opinion with the future CAFE regulations that will apply in the US by 2020.
Watanabe also said that Toyota was continuing work to develop a low-cost vehicle — not an ultra-low cost car such as the Nano of Tata but he had told company engineers he wanted to test-drive a concept car this year.
March 10, 2008
Bentley announces 120g/km CO2 by 2012
Bentley has surprised the industry by announcing that its future model will comply with the future 2012 EU regulation, 120g/km CO2 emission.
The statement is rather bold at at time when the company’s fleet average is around 400g of CO2 per km. Bentley sales and marketing director Stuart McCullough said that the carmaker planned to have its entire range capable of running on renewable fuels, to launch a new engine which will deliver a 40 per cent improvement in fuel economy and to design lighter cars.
While the intention is laudable, the 2012 mark is coming quickly. How will the carmaker be able to renew its entire range before 2012?
McCullough also announced that the company expects to go beyond 10,000 unitss per year. He said that “Wealth is growing and within a few years there will be 11 million high net-worth people globally with a combined purchasing power of $50-60 trillion.” The Crewe factory is currently running to capacity on its two shifts. By adding a third shift, Bentley would increase its production capacity to 15,000 vehicles per year.
March 10, 2008
Geneva: Toyota iQ
Toyota has launched its eagerly-awaited iQ model after the concept car seen at Frankfurt last year.
As its moniker suggests, the Toyota used all the brains available in Toyota City to develop a car with innovative solutions. First, there is this impressive performance of being roomy enough for four people despite a length inferior to 3 meters. The original Mini offered similar arrangements in 3 meters, but the iQ also marks five stars at the Euro NCAP crash test.
The iQ will be powered by two petrol engines and a diesel unit at first. In the future, the city car is expected to offer six engines. However, what’s interesting about the iQ is the rumour emerging at the motor show. It is said that the iQ will be also offered in a hybrid version. Where will Toyota put the batteries in the tiny car? It won’t be under the seats as there is the fuel tank there. It is also believed that the hybrid version would be powered by a 500cc petrol engine. Toyota didn’t confirm the rumour.
The iQ will go on sale from next January and Toyota expects to build 100,000 vehicles per year.
March 10, 2008
Geneva: Mercedes SL
Mercedes has unveiled the facelifted SL seven years after its launch on the market.
Despite being launched in summer 2001, the SL roadster still offered an appealing design which was still modern nowadays. However, the German carmaker estimated that the time for a revamp had come and the SL features a deep exterior facelift.
The most obvious changes occur on the front fascia with new headlights inspired from the successful CLS model, a new grille and a new bonnet. At the rear end, the roadster gets new taillights and new bootlid that comes with an integrated spoiler. The revamped SL is certainly more aggressive with those changes, but it also loses a bit of elegance.
March 10, 2008
Geneva: Honda Accord
Honda has launched the eighth generation Accord at Geneva hoping to meet the same success as with the outgoing model.
The new Accord is the carmaker’s new attempt to take on the German clique such as Audi, BMW and Mercedes… However the new model will likely compete with the Alfa Romeo 159 and Saab 9-3 models. With this new generation, the company went wild in terms of design. The exterior styling is not as futuristic as the Civic, but it is sharper and more aggressive than the outgoing generation.
The eighth Accord will offer two petrol engines and a diesel unit. The entry level will be powered by a 2-0litres, followed by the 200bhp 2.4-litres unit. Along with the petrol engines, the unique diesel offer will be the 2.2-litres DTEC engine.
March 10, 2008
Geneva: Think Ox
The Norwegian carmaker has unveiled a new model at Geneva under the the shape of a compact model due to be launched next year.
While the City model hasn’t been on sale everywhere in Europe, the carmaker is working hard on its latest project, the Ox. With this compact model, Think will try to go mainstream by offering a car that can match the characteristics and the performances of a normal compact model.
Technical details remain scarce although Think claims that the Ox can run the 0-62mph in 6.9 seconds and offer a range of 124 miles. The Ox is estimated to weigh in around £26,000 which is a lot compared to any compact model available on the market. However, with rising gas prices, the OX might become an interesting offer as the company claims that 1km will cost £0.76.
If the carmaker announced a launch date sometimes next year, the Ox is far from being built. Indeed, Think wants to establish a partnership with a carmaker to produce the Ox at a large scale. A announcement was expected at Geneva, Think surprised the industry by unveiling another king of announcement, an investment from GE. The American giant has invested £3million in the company and £20million in the battery provider A123 Systems. With such a financial support, Think might finally take off.
March 10, 2008
Geneva: Opel Meriva Concept
Opel has unveiled the Meriva Concept that previews the next-generation Meriva due to appear next year. The Meriva concept features rear-hinged doors called Flexdoor.
With the rear-hinged doors, Opel hopes to help parent’s life by improving access to the rear seats. if you have ever tried to get your small children off the car, you will understand how the Meriva might change the order in the small Minivan segment. Already leader, the next Meriva might oblige other carmakers to reconsider their model architecture.
On the inside, the rear seats can be easily removed and the interior provides a lot of storage compartments. The Meriva Concept seems to be roomy enough for four tall passengers. because it is much bigger than the current generation. The Meriva Concept offers similar dimensions to that of the former Citroen Picasso. Opel hasn’t confirmed whether the next-generation will keep the same dimensions or not.
March 7, 2008
Geneva: Toyota Urban Cruiser
Toyota has revealed its latest weapon to conquer young customers, the Urban Cruiser, a European version of the Toyota Ist sold in Japan.
The Urban Cruiser will go on sale from January next year and the Japanese carmaker tries to persuade us that the Urban Cruiser is environmentally-friendly by promoting its small size compared to bigger SUVs.
At 3930mm, the Urban Cruiser will be the smallest crossover available on the European market. It’s even smaller than a Vauxhall Corsa. It will likely be powered by a 1.5-litre petrol engine seen under the bonnet of the Ist in Japan.
March 7, 2008
Geneva: BMW M3 Cabrio
BMW has launched the 3-Series Cabrio at Geneva powered by the V8 engine of the M3 coupé which promises incredible sensations with the roof down.
The transformation from coupé to convertible has obliged the engineer to reinforce the structure of the current convertible in order to handle the power. Compared to the coupé, the M3 Cabrio is 230kg heavier which has almost no consequences on the performance. The M3 Cabrio can still run the 0-62mph in 5.3 seconds, just 0.4 seconds more than the coupé.
The M3 Cabrio is featured with a new gearbox, a seven-speed dual-clutch called M-DKG, which offers eleven modes: five in automatic mode and six in manual. All modes evolve gradually from soft driving to sporty conditions.
March 7, 2008