Author: yoann besnard

Ferrari to open new headquarters in Japan
Ferrari has chosen Japan to open its future Asian headquarters. The new headquarters will help the carmaker to increase its sales on the emerging markets such as China and India.
The location comes as a surprise. Indeed, China would have been a more obvious choice with its potential growth, but Japan is the company’s second market after the US and with a gap between poor and rich people growing in the country, there is still a lot of potential for the carmaker.
“The Japanese market is still going for a long time to represent the largest market in Asia. This is a market that has almost 1.2 million high net worth individuals, one of the highest concentrations of wealth in the world, so there’s plenty of opportunity. The key factor is to keep being exclusive,” said in an interview Ferrari Asia Pacific Region President and CEO Marco Mattiacci.
Source: Thomson
February 25, 2008
Volkswagen to launch the Scirocco at Geneva?
Will Volkswagen unveil the eagerly-awaited Scirocco at the Geneva Motor Show? The question is being raised since the car carmaker launch a mini website dedicated to the new model.
As expected, the website doesn’t really unveil the Scirocco, but the carmaker used a similar strategy in last December before unveiling the Passat CC at Detroit in January.
The website reveals a clue regarding the engine range as one picture displays the 2.0 TSI moniker. It confirms that the Scirocco will be powered by the same engine seen in the Golf GTI which has an output of 197bhp. Will the carmaker offer the future coupé with the legendary logo as was the original coupé?
The upcoming Scirocco is expected to hit the showrooms in next September.
February 25, 2008
BMW to launch a mild-hybrid 7-series within two-three years
The German carmaker will likely offer a mild-hybrid version on the next-generation 7-series due to be launched next year.
The future ‘green’ 7-Series would be powered by a mild-hybrid solution which differs from the system used by Lexus. Indeed, the car won’t be capable on only using the electric engine to move although the 7-series will be able to charge the batteries through regenerative braking.
At this stage it is unknown which engine will be hooked to the electric motor although some observers believe the car maker would use the 4.5-litre V8 diesel engine.
Due to be unveiled next year, the future limousine will be more conservative than the current model and will be available in two distinct form, a short model with sporty credentials and a more luxurious lengthened version.
Source: Just Auto
Source photo: Motorauthority
February 25, 2008
Hyundai announces i30 estate pricing
Hyundai has announced the i30 estate pricing which starts at £12,995 for the 1.6-litre petrol engine entry level.
The Hyundai i30 estate will be available with three different trim levels: Comfort, Style and Premium. The Comfort level comes with air conditioning, 15” alloy wheels, ESP, six airbags, electric folding door mirrors and the required USB/iPod connections. The Style trim adds 16” alloy wheels, automatic lights-on sensor, seats with leather trim, leather on the gear knob and the steering wheel and tire pressure monitoring system. The topping level features 17” alloy wheels, climate control, auto-dimming rear view mirror, leather upholstery, heated front seats and reversing sensors.
Two engines will be on offer, a 1.6 petrol engine available with the Style and Comfort trim levels and a 1.6-litre CRDi diesel powertrain only available on the Style and Premium levels. The 1.6-litre petrol unit can be hooked to an automatic gearbox.
i30 Estate 1.6 Comfort: £12,995
i30 Estate 1.6 Style: £13,995
i30 Estate 1.6 Style Auto: £14,995
i30 Estate 1.6 CRDi Style: £14,695
i30 Estate 1.6 CRDi Premium: £16,295
February 25, 2008
British union confident over Jaguar after Tata talks
Last week, Petrol-Head reported that British unions were meeting Tata executives while a rumour about the sale of Jaguar by the Indian group was spreading in the news. It appears that the meeting went rather well as union confirmed their support to Tata.
"We are confident our members’ long term future is best served by Tata," said Dave Osborne, national secretary for vehicle building at the Unite union. "They totally ruled out offloading Jaguar or building Land Rovers in India." "There’s a couple of clarifications we still need from Ford, but I don’t see any issues arising from that," he added.
He also said Tata had given assurances that engines would still be taken from Ford and that UK manufacturing would be maintained. Jaguar has about 10,000 employees at sites in Coventry, Birmingham, and Liverpool, while Land Rover employs about 9,000 in the West Midlands and Warwickshire. Unite is the main union representing workers at Land Rover and Jaguar, and has about 12,000 members there.
February 25, 2008
Mazda to Start Road Trials of the ASV-4 Advanced Safety Vehicle
Mazda has started testing the ASV-4 on public roads in the Hiroshima region. The ASV-4 is a vehicle which utilizes vehicle-to-vehicle communications to alert drivers of oncoming vehicles at blind intersections or on twisting roads with limited visibility.
By reducing driver oversight or error, Mazda aims to mitigate two vehicle collisions at blind intersections, rear-end collisions and accidents when a vehicle performs right turns.
As predicted the number refers to the fourth ASV vehicle which is part of a project that began in 1991. Previous projects gave birth to various advanced safety technologies. These include: a rear vehicle monitoring system that detects vehicles approaching from behind at highway speeds; and Mazda’s Precrash Safety System, which uses milliwave radar to monitor for oncoming obstacles, then alerts the driver and automatically applies the brakes if necessary.

These new safety devices have recently been praised by Thatcham.
February 25, 2008
BMW to unveil the ConnectDrive technology at Geneva
BMW has announced that it will launch the new ConnectedDrive technology at the Geneva Motor Show next month. The new technology will enable BMW owners to access the Internet from the iDrive system.
The ConnectedDrive service will be provided by EDGE technology (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution), which is the same service that Apple uses to connect its iPhone to the internet. The connection will be slower than what’s known as a 3G connection and the interface will be controlled via the iDrive button.
In using the internet, the BMW iDrive Controller acts in the same way as a conventional computer mouse. The display presents internet sites in high resolution, an additional function serving to enlarge specific sections on the display by a factor of 1.5 or 2.
The presentation of internet sites on the display is only possible for safety reasons with the car at a standstill. As with the configuration of TV and/or DVD functions available as an option on cars with BMW iDrive, the internet site disappears as soon as the vehicle exceeds a speed of 3mph. But on models equipped with an optional DVD system in the rear, the internet function might also be added, allowing passengers on the rear seats to surf the net also when driving at higher speeds above 3mph.
The ConnectedDrive technology is only available in Europe at first but will likely be launched in other countries in the upcoming years.
February 25, 2008
Maybach to build the Landaulet concept car
Maybach has announced it will build the Landaulet version unveiled at the last Dubai Motor Show since it has found enough customers to cover the cost of the project.
Actually, each model will be built on order although it is reported that the company expect to produce 20 vehicles. Sales price will start at £615,000. The new model is based on the current Maybach 62 but adopts a sliding roof over the rear compartment. Opening and closing the roof takes 16 seconds.
The Maybach Landaulet will likely be powered by the V12 engine from the Maybach 62 S. Thanks to twin turbochargers, the V12 has an output of 612hp from its 6.0-litre of displacement. This is continuously available between 4,800 and 5,100rpm, and the engine also delivers its peak torque of 1,000Nm between 2,000 and 4,000 rpm.
The Maybach Landaulet will help the German marque to increase its global sales in an attempt to catch up with Rolls Royce. Last year, the British carmaker sold 1,000 vehicles while Maybach struggled to sell 400 units.
February 25, 2008
Renault unveils the Laguna III GT with a unique four-wheel drive system
Renault has decided to spice up its tame saloon, the Laguna III, by unveiling a GT version which features a unique four-wheel steering system.
As the GT badge implies, the Laguna III adopts a slightly more aggressive design with a larger front grille, lateral air-intakes, headlamps with black masks and a GT logo on the B-pillar. On the inside, there is the usual package including the aluminium pedals and a sportier gearshift lever knob. The upholstery combines black leather and light grey alcantara on which the GT logo is embossed.
The Laguna III GT will be available with a 205bhp turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engine and a 180bhp 2.0-litre dCi diesel unit. The car sits on 225/45 18-inch Bridgestone Potenza tires roomy enough to feature 320mm diameter discs at the front and 300mm discs at the rear.
The GT appears to be rather a cost cutting sporty version of the normal versions, but the French carmaker equipped the car with a unique four-wheel steering system taken from Nissan. Indeed, the Japanese company sold a four-wheel steering models which didn’t convince buyers to pay the extra money as the system was adding to much weight for a limited benefit. Called Active Drive chassis, the system has been enhanced by using a computer which monitors steering inputs, vehicle speed and traction every 10 milliseconds and adjusts the angle of the rear wheels to suit.
February 25, 2008
Honda rolls off the two millionth car from its Swindon factory
Honda has announced that its British factory located in Swindon rolled off the two-millionth car since it started manufacturing cars 16 years ago. The two-millionth car was a silver CR-V.
The Swindon opened for the first time 22 years ago to build car parts before producing car in 1992. Recently, the company has invested £80 million to integrate more and more parts manufacturing. Of this amount, Honda invested £22m in a new plastic injection and painting facility capable of moulding and painting 1,300 sets of bumpers for the Civic and CR-V each day. The engine plant gets £16m for a new casting facility which will enable it to independently cast diesel blocks, a process which, until now, has only been carried out in Japan. £50 million is being invested in welding and paint production technology, increasing efficiency and production flexibility.
The factory which employs 4,200 people, has a production capacity of 250,000 vehicles, 50% of the company’s current sales in Europe. Last year the production reached 237,783 units. The Swindon factory builds the three-door and five-door Civic, included the Type R version, and the CR-V.
February 24, 2008