Author: yoann besnard

Suzuki A-Star Concept to be unveiled at New Delhi

Suzuki will join the global car’s band when it unveils its Suzuki A-Star Concept at New Delhi Motor Show. The concept car previews a future global car Suzuki intends to build in India at Maruti Suzuki’s Manesar plant beginning in October 2008.

Specifications of the model remains unclear, but it is said that the small car will be powered by a 1.0-litre petrol engine which will compliant with Euro 5 emissions. A four-seater, the concept-car is displayed as a five-door model but a three-door variant mustn’t be ruled out.

It’s too soon to comment on the styling, but one does not expect the production model to be so appealing as Suzuki will focus on cutting cost. However, the future Suzuki will keep the overall shape as it will likely be sold in Europe and Japan under the label Alto.

Suzuki plans to increase the Manesar’s production capacity to 1 million vehicles in order to meet the Indian demand and also export cars to Europe.
December 12, 2007
Mercedes to offer tiredness detection system in 2009

Mercedes might become the first car maker to produce a device that detects driver’s tiredness as it is undergoing its final test phase.
Dubbed Attention Assist, the system uses various sensors to analyse driving behaviour and recognises tiredness-related changes in the driver’s personal driving style. In this event the driver is prompted to take a break. Unlike other methods of detecting tiredness, the Mercedes system evaluates a series of indicators in order to assess the alertness of the driver and to recognise the gradual transition between
being awake and being tired.
During every journey Attention Assist continuously observes the driver’s typical behaviour patterns and uses these to create an individual driver profile which serves as a basis for recognising the symptoms of tiredness. Where there is a significant deviation from the saved empirical values, the system determines whether or not there are signs of encroaching tiredness. Whether and when the driver is warned also depends on the time of day, the duration of the trip and the individual’s driving style.
The system records various data such as the speed, the longitudinal and lateral acceleration, but also the angle of the steering wheel. It also takes into account the way that the indicators and pedals are used, certain driver control actions and various external influences such as a side wind or an uneven road surface. Several studies revealed that one efficient way to detect tiredness is to focus on the wheel. Indeed, tired drivers can be spotted by a series of typical steering wheel movements.
Mercedes has tested the device over 500,000 kilometres first with the help of a driving simulator located in Berlin and then in real conditions. The final tests will include trials in several climate zones, in city traffic and long distance journeys.
The Attention Assist system will be available in Mercedes cars from 2009.
December 12, 2007
Sergio Marchionne stays and has appointed Luca De Meo new Alfa Romeo’s CEO

After Antonio Baravalle’s resignation from its CEO position at Alfa Romeo, a rumour emerged about the departure of Sergio Marchionne. The Fiat CEO ruled it out in an interview and announced that Luca De Meo will be the new Alfa’s CEO.
Sergio Marchionne explained his decision by saying: ‘The way Luca De Meo has dealt with big challenges with commitment, passion and determination is the best guarantee for the relaunch of Alfa Romeo and for the development of marketing for all the Fiat group brands.’ The departure of Baravalle was the worst time for the Italian brand which is rumoured to be in big difficulty.
Fortunately, the newly appointed CEO Luca De Meo has shown enough talent in the 500 launch and his communication skills will be very useful to Alfa Romeo. Born in 1967 in Milan, the young manager graduated from Bocconi University with a degree Business Economics and from Insead. He held several sales and marketing positions at Fiat, Renault and Toyota before becoming Lancia Marketing Manager in 2002. De Meo was recently appointed to the newly-created marketing chief post after relaunching the Fiat brand and Fiat said he will keep this post.
December 12, 2007
Aston Martin has opened a new design center

Aston Martin has opened is new design center in Gaydon in a move to be more independent from the former owner Ford and reach new markets.
The new design center is part of the ambitious plan set to expand sales globally, especially in emerging markets. It will allow the car maker to design future cars quickly without depending on exterior help and will also be helpful in reducing time development at a time when testing have been lengthened since the company has left the Ford Premier Automotive Group. Likewise if Ford still owns a share in the British carmaker, it is rumoured that Aston in in talks with Mercedes-Benz to share platforms.
In an interview, CEO Dr.Ulrich Benz also said he wants to increase the Gaydon factory’s output to 7,000 vehicles in order to decrease waiting list time. The latest model, the DBS has already been sold at 1,500 units which represents 5 years of production at eh current pace of 300 cars per year. If the British brand wants to increase its sales in emerging market like China or India, it certainly needs more production capacity. It has already planned to outsource the Rapide model’s production to an European coachbuilder.
December 12, 2007
Hummer to go to Japan

Hummer is not officially sold in Japan, but among the imported models, the brand is quite a star. For Japanese young buyers, it represents the supreme achievement of the American way of life. Despite the tiny potential market, Hummer CEO Martin Walsh has announced that the iconic brand would go to the sun rising country.
Due to be launched in next Spring, the future range remains unknown but it is likely that the H3 will be the core model. Later the H4 will follow to reinforce the lineup. Unfortunately, the success of the brand there looks hypothetical. Maybe Hummer should sign a partnership with Suzuki to produce the Suzuki MR Hummer. After all, the Japanese car maker has been selling a MR Stingray!
Japan will not be a big market for Hummer, but with only 14% of its production being exported, foreign markets will become critical to its ambition at a time when its sales are down by 22% this year because of rising gas prices and the American debt crisis.
December 12, 2007
Spyshots: undisguised CTS-V

Cadillac has a strong ambition for the CTS model and the sporty CTS-V is the company’s serious attempt set to compete with the outrageous Audi RS6, BMW M5 and Mercedes E63 AMG.
Engineers have worked hard to upgrade the CTS to German standards and the CTS-V will get upgraded tyres and tires, and chassis tuning. The car will sit on 19” wheels. The exterior styling features minor changes including a specific grille.
Final specs of the car are still unknown although observers agree today that the CTS-V won’t be powered by the LS7 engine taken from the Corvette Z06 as originally thought. The speedy saloon will have a 6.2-litre V8 that pumps out 525bhp with the help of a supercharger. The larger lower intake might favour the latter as it would help feeding the intercooler.

Click here to see all the pictures
Source: Autoblog
December 12, 2007
Peugeot 207 SW Outdoor to be on sale

Peugeot has released the final specifications and prices for its new rang-topping 207 SW, the Outdoor version which plans to attract young buyers interested in outdoor activities.

The car’s underneath features minor changes. It doesn’t adopt a four-wheel drive transmission but the ground clearance has been raised by 16 mm at the front and 21 mm at the rear. Like the late MG-Rover with 25 Streetwise model, Peugeot added large grey wheel arch mouldings and new 16” ‘Outdoor’ alloy wheels with special 205/55R 16 tyres to ensure the car can appeal to young urban people.
On the inside the 207 Outdoor receives one touch front and rear electric windows, dark tinted rear side windows and tailgate glass, washable floor mats and black or brown interior trim, but the most interesting equipment is the glass panoramic roof.
The Peugeot 207 SW Outdoor is available with one petrol engine, a 120bhp 1.6-litre unit. There are also to oil burners, a 1.6-litre producing 90bhp and 110bhp . The Outdoor version starts at £13,650 for the Sport Outdoor 1.6 VTi 120, followed Sport Outdoor HDi 90 at £14,020 and topped by the Sport Outdoor HDi 110 at £14,740.
December 11, 2007
First official photo of the new Skoda Superb

Here is the first official picture of the new Skoda Superb and do not expect to see a Volkswagen Passat clone. Despite sharing its underpinnings with the German car, the new Superb has its own exterior and interior styling.
Unlike the outgoing model, the new-generation is a four-door hatchback and is intended to take on established saloon rivals such as the Ford Mondeo and the future Vauxhall Insignia. Its exterior styling features the company’s front fascia with a bold grille and sculpted headlights while the rear end will look like a Saab’s. The interior will be differentiated from the Passat thanks to new unique dials and climate controls.
The Superb will be available with a choice of four petrol engines, the 138bhp 1.4-litre TSI, the 158bhp 1.8-litre T-FSI, the 197bhp 2.0-litre T-FSI . There will also be the traditional TDI engine range. The topping engine will be the 300bhp 3.6-litre V6 unit already seen in the Passat R36.
Skoda will unveil the Superb at the next Geneva Motor Show.
December 11, 2007
GM has opened a design studio in India

India appears to get attention from all car makers recently. After Volkswagen which will build the Up! in India, General Motors has opened a new Design Center in Bangalore. The Indian Designer is the eleventh design studio based abroad for GM and is located at the GN technical Center-India, one of the four technical centers GM owns in the Asia-Pacific region.
The studio, which will initially have about 60 employees, comes at a time when GM is having some success after struggling for years to penetrate the Indian car market thanks to a modified range that take sinto account the local tastes. Until recently GM only offered saloons while Indian market favours compact cars. In 2007, GM has more than tripled its sales over the same period in 2006. In 2008, the American car maker will open its second factory. The current plant manufactures the Chevrolet Tavera, Optra, Aveo, Aveo U-VA, SRV and the Chevrolet Spark. Almost all models are also sold in Europe.
December 11, 2007
Kia has a second Chinese factory
Kia has inaugurated its second Chinese factory built in collaboration with its Chinese partner, Dongfeng Yueda Kia Motor. The new factory will add a capacity of 300,000 vehicles to the 130,000 units already built by the Yangcheng’s factory.
Although being inaugurated yesterday, the production has already started since October. Kia produces the Cerato in two variants, a saloon and a hatchback destined for the local market. With the new factory, Kia plans to increase its market share from 1.6% to 8% in the future. Unfortunately, Kia sales have been gloomy since the beginning of the year. While the car maker delivered 115,000 cars in 2006, only 90,000 vehicles have been delivered until now for the current year.
Source: Korea Herald
December 11, 2007