Author: yoann besnard

Ford to slow down V8 Mustang production

The rising gas prices combined with the debt crisis make another victim. After the pickup models, Ford has announced it will decrease the production of the V8 Mustang.
The announcement is surprising as the V8 engine represents 52% of the sales compared to 30% originally planned, but Ford expects 2008 to be gloomy and doesn’t want to end giving discount to get rid of unwanted stocks.
In November, sales decreased by 28.1% from 10,230 to 7,352 over the same period last year and since the beginning of the year, sales decreased by 18.1%. The November fall might be explained by the pre-orders taken by Chrysler for the new Challenger.
The next-generation Mustang will be unveiled in 2009 and some development mules have already been spotted.
December 12, 2007
Volkswagen TSI receives two awards in Japan

Volkswagen has received two awards in Japan for its TSI engines in the Car of the Year categories of “Most Advanced Technology Award 2008” and “Technology of the Year”.
The first prize has been awarded by Japan’s automotive journalists elect the most advanced technology while the second was elected by the jury of the Automotive Researchers’ and Journalists’ Conference.
Combining a direct injection system with a turbocharger and a supercharger, the TSI offers the power of a large engine with the displacement usually seen on small cars. The 1.4-litre petrol engine can produce 138 bhp or 168bhp. Hooked up with a DSG gearbox, the less powerful unit enables the Golf to run the 0-62mph in 8.8 seconds, achieves a top speed of 205 km/h and yet consumes an average of only 7.1 litres of fuel in urban traffic and a mere 5.7 litres on the cruise.
The small engine will be featured on the new Superb, the first large saloon to be equipped with such a tiny engine. Do not expect to see the 1.4-litre on a future Audi A4 or A6, even a Passat as company sources revealed that customers were not ready to drive executive saloons with small engines. Maybe the success of the Superb might change the minds.
December 12, 2007
Lucky James to drive the DBS again

James Bond will drive once again an Aston Martin in his next movie as the British car maker has announced that the lucky Daniel Craig will drive the DBS model.
Aston Martin CEO, Dr Ulrich Bez, said: “Aston Martin is proud of our long association with James Bond. It is the perfect car for James Bond as it delivers the complete driving experience and bridges the gap between our road and track cars – the DB9 and DBR9.”
Oddly, in the books written by Ian Fleming, James Bond drives a Bentley that he replaces with a Jaguar. Maybe Jaguar should have worked harder to feature the XF in the next James Bond which s scheduled for international theatrical release in November 2008.
December 12, 2007
New young head of design for Skoda
The head of design at Skoda, Jens Manske will leave the Czech car maker to move the VW Group Design Department on 1 February, 2008 where his future assignment remains unknown. Under his leadership, Skoda design team styled the new Superb and some future models. He will be succeeded by a young designer Jozef Kaban.
Born in Slovakia in 1973, he graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts & Design in Bratislava with a degree in Product And Industrial Design. He was discovered by Hartmut Warkuss during a design contest organised by Skoda and was offered a job as a Junior/Assistant Designer, later as an Exterior Designer. in 1997 he received a Master of Art at the Royal College of Art and joined Volkswagen. He designed the exterior styling of the 1999 EB 18.4 “Veyron“ concept car and worked on various models until 2003 when Hartmut Warkuss retired. Jozef Kaban moved to Ingolstadt where he worked on several projects before becoming Head of the AUDI AG Exterior Design Centre.
December 12, 2007
Ex-Mussolini Alfa to be auctioned

H&H Classic Auctions will auction a 1935 Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 Pescara Spyder that belonged to Benito Mussolini on February 27 next year.
The spyder was built to special order of the Italian dictator. Sporting the chassis number 700635, the car was based on the 6C 2300. The 6C 2300 was an evolution of the 6C 1500. Its creator Vittorio Jano wanted to improve the reliability of the car and therefore designed an engine with light alloy cylinder heads with chain-driven hollow camshafts for better lubrication. The engine also featured seven main bearings for rigidity. With a 70-mm bore and 100-mm stroke, the 6C 2300 continued the long stroke that gave Alfa’s engines high-end torque for drivability.
Built by Carozzeria Touring, the car was modified before delivery to receive a dickey seat and the engine was tuned to increase the power to 95bhp from 68bhp on the standard version. The car competed at the 1936 Mille Miglia and finished 13th overall. It was driven by Mussolini’s chauffeur Ercole Boratto.
The car is also a witness of the period as it retains traces of the partial alcohol fuelling system it is believed to have operated during the Mille Miglia, when the fascist regime was promoting the use of alternative fuels.
The 1935 Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 Pescara Spyder is expected to weigh in at about £600,000-800,000.
December 12, 2007
First Tesla showroom to open soon

Despite hectic news, Tesla Motors is moving ahead as it will open soon its first showroom located on the Santa Monica Boulevard.
Known for getting one of the busiest traffic in the US, the address is also close to celebrities and environmentalists. Unlike Toyota who used a PR agency to promote the Prius among the celebrities, Tesla opened its first store where they live. Much clever and less expensive. Observers agree that the Tesla roadster is sexier than the Prius, of course.
December 12, 2007
Ford to get rid of Jaguar and Land Rover in first 2008 trimester

Ford expects to achieve the sale of its two British brands during the first 2008 trimester as it will close the bids today.
“First and foremost in our minds is to make sure that we sell to a buyer that looks to grow (the brands),“ said Mark Fields at a presentation at a Ford training facility. “We’re still going through the process.“ Among the three contenders, Tata Motors is the favourite bidder for unions, but the highest bidder will likely be the winner as Ford is struggling to restructure its US business.
Jaguar and Land Rover have been estimated at £750 million but according to the Indian press, bids had ranged between £750 million and £1.1 billion.
Whoever the winner is, it will inherit a troubled Jaguar which might have a better future thanks to the well-received XF model and a Land Rover which will achieve its best year ever with 200,000 delivered vehicles.
Source: Reuters
December 12, 2007
Video: Nissan GT-R production line

Here is a video of the production line for Nissan’s GT-R. The coupé is not a normal Nissan so a video of its production line is interesting. You will notice that it involves a lot of hand operations.
December 12, 2007
Peugeot will change its design philosophy in the future

The current design strategy led by Peugeot doesn’t please everybody, especially since the car maker has released the 4007 model sporting a Hannibal Lecter grille. The discontented group might have found its most powerful ally in the PSA CEO, Christian Streiff, who wants Peugeot to make a big design change in the future.
According to company sources, Christian Streiff wants Peugeot to drop its sporty character in order to come back to the roots: robustness, trust and bourgeois elegance. One doesn’t know what sporty character means for Streiff as Peugeot cars are not very famous for being sporty. On the other hand, robustness, trust and bourgeois elegance rhymes with taxi’s requirements for a car. Does Peugeot plan to sell taxi models all around the world as it did 40 years ago with the 404 model and then the 504 model. This is an unexpected challenge for the new Peugeot CEO Jean-Philippe Collin!
December 12, 2007
Spyshots: Chevrolet Camaro

The future Chevrolet Camaro has been caught under testing in Australia as the coupé is being developed by Holden. GM promised the car will be as close as possible to the concept. If it’s hard to guess the shapes of the front fascia and rear end, the B pillar remains true to the concept.
Due to be sold in mid-2009, the future Camaro shares its inner structure with the Holden ‘s VE Commodore model and will be available with a choice of various engine from a 3.6-litre V6 petrol unit to the Z28 V8 engine which might produces more than 500bhp.
Unfortunately like the Ford Mustang, the Camaro won’t cross the Atlantic Ocean but grey importers will likely be happy to import the car in Europe, especially with such a competitive US Dollar.
December 12, 2007