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Beijing 2008 Live: Great Wall Peri électrique
Great Wall fears nothing. Despite a threat from Fiat over the Peri model which is a carbon copy of the Panda, the Chinese carmaker launched the Peri and has unveiled an electric version at the Beijing Motor Show.
The electric Peri is powered by a 67bhp electric engine and relies and lithium-ion batteries to store the energy. The carmaker claims the electric Peri achieves a 112 miles range and a top speed of 90mph.
Plugged on a special terminal, the Peri can be 70% recharged in 10 minutes. However details remain scarce.
April 22, 2008
Beijing 2008 Live: BYD F3 et F6 hybrides rechargeables
Along with the surprising E6, BYD has also displayed the hybrid-powered F3 and F6 models once again already seen at Detroit and Geneva.
Less exciting than the E6 concept, the F3 and F6 are powered by a dual-mode hybrid solution which offers a 70 miles range in electric mode. A small petrol engine recharges the batteries while running like a generator. Unlike the E6 which comes with a lithium-ion battery pack, the F3 and F6 are equipped with normal batteries which penalize the recharging time. The F3 takes 10 hours to get fully charged. Aware of the problem, BYD has featured a second plug on the F6 enabling the batteries to be filled more quickly when plugged to a special device.
The F3 is a previous generation Toyota Corolla revamped by BYD while the F6 is a unique saloon sold as a flagship on the Chinese market.
April 22, 2008
Beijing 2008 Live: BYD E6 électrique
The Chinese carmaker has unveiled the E6 model, an all-electric car, which might go on sale within two years.
The E6 is available with two engines options. The entry level is powered by two electric engines, a 100bhp unit at the front and a 53bhp unit at the rear and weighs 2,020 kg. The other version, which weighs 2,175 kg, is powered by only one engine at the front which delivers 214bhp. Both versions are reported to feature lithium-ion batteries which enables the two cars to achieve a 186 miles range. What’s interesting about the E6 is its ability to charge its recharge its batteries at 80% in 15 minutes.
BYD claims the entry version reaches a top speed of 87mph while the topping version achieves 115mph. The two versions runs the 0-62mph in just 9.2 seconds.
Not only the technical side looks promising, but BYD also had the idea to design an appealing car which combines an, estate and saloon styling cues. At 4550 mm long, the E6 will likely be roomy enough for five passengers.
April 22, 2008
Vauxhall unveils the Astra VXR Nürburgring Edition
There are plenty of hot hatches on the market, but they’re sometimes too common. So, Vauxhall has had the idea to launch a limited edition of the Astra VXR to celebrate the famous race track.
Based on the standard Astra VXR and priced at £21,295, each individually numbered Nürburgring edition will come with an exclusive all-white paint finish and lightweight white 18in alloy wheels, equipped with bespoke Dunlop tyres, are also specified. Other exterior features include dark tinted windows, carbon fibre effect mirrors and B-Pillars and distinctive chequered flag body graphics, to further emphasise the car’s incredible performance.
Mechanically similar to the standard VXR, the Nürburgring Edition produces 240bhp, giving it the ability to accelerate from 0-60mph in 6.2 seconds and on to an electronically-limited top speed of 155mph. Each UK-specification car will also come provided with a Remus Sports Exhaust, developed with Vauxhall’s BTCC race team, Triple-Eight Race Engineering, which provides a power increase of up to 15PS.
Like the standard car, the Nürburgring Edition benefits from a six-speed manual gearbox and lowered, uprated VXR suspension with ESP as standard. There are also the wider front and rear tracks and lower un-sprung weight offered by the new alloy wheels. Ventilated 321mm diameter disc brakes at the front and 278mm diameter discs at the back help slow things down, while blue-painted callipers remain a VXR trademark.
The Nürburgring Edition theme continues inside, with carbon fibre detailing on the door trims and fascia, bespoke leather seats with the Nürburgring circuit graphic embossed into the Recaro front seat backrests and an individually numbered plaque showing each car’s build number.
Optional extras include electronic climate control (£275), cruise control (£200), electric foldable door mirrors (£125) and adaptive forward lighting (£750).
In fact, the only thing it doesn’t come with is one of those Nürburgring bootlid stickers you can buy when you do a lap of the circuit. Such a shame, as it means you’ll have to drive it there and buy one yourself.
April 21, 2008
Ssangyong plans twenty new models in five years
The Korean carmaker has announced plans for an unprecedented raft of new models due for production over the next few years.
From 2009 through to 2014, SsangYong will invest more than €1.9 billion/£1.5 billion in 20 new models based on five different platforms, with five new engines and with monocoque construction. It’s possible that world-famous Italian styling house, Italdesign, founded by Giorgetto Giugiaro, will be involved, having already styled the latest Rexton model.
SsangYong’s new diesel hybrid technology, unveiled at last month’s Geneva Motor Show, is likely to feature in the new model line-up. The South Korean company says that a diesel hybrid can slash CO2 emissions and improve fuel efficiency by 30 per cent.
Paul Williams, managing director of British distributor Koelliker UK said: “I have been able to see some of the new models and although I can’t reveal any details, I’m very excited about what’s coming. It’s unlikely that all 20 will be appropriate for the UK, but it will mean a wider and more attractive range with much greater choice for customers. There will be different body styles and engines including passenger cars that will enable us to compete strongly in new market sectors.”
In the UK SsangYong is best known for building vehicles with a bold desgin: the Kyron, Rexton and Rodius. Just weeks ago, SsangYong launched a new luxury car , the Chairman, as a direct competitor to BMW and Mercedes in the South Korean market.
April 21, 2008
Fiat sets european record for emissions reduction
Among the 10 best-selling automotive manufacturers in Europe, Fiat recorded the lowest average CO2 emissions value for vehicles sold in 2007, according to a recent analysis by JATO Dynamics.
The JATO analysis placed the Fiat brand (137.3 g/km) ahead of Peugeot (141.9 g/km), Citroën (142.2 g/km), Renault (146.4 g/km), Toyota (148.8 g/km), Ford (149.1 g/km), Opel/Vauxhall (152.9 g/km), Volkswagen (161.7 g/km), BMW (176.7g/km) and Mercedes-Benz (188.4 g/km).
“The results of this important analysis reward Fiat’s ongoing commitment to finding innovative solutions to reduce levels of polluting emissions and CO2,” explains Lorenzo Sistino, managing director of Fiat Automobiles. “Fiat’s aim is always to stay as close as possible to people’s real needs, and its commitment does not end here. Irrespective of what is decided by European politicians, our aim is still to achieve the lowest average adjusted level of CO2 emissions for Fiat cars by 2012,” he added.
As it continues its quest for alternative fuels, Fiat will continue downsizing its diesel and petrol engine vehicles, as seen on the new 1.4 T-Jet and 1.6 MultiJet
families. In particular, the adoption of new-generation turbochargers, combined with smaller capacity engines, will likely allow the carmaker to achieve performance levels that are comparable to or even better than higher capacity power units, but with lower fuel consumption and emissions.
April 21, 2008
Volkswagen unveils “Park Assist Vision”
Volkswagen has unveiled the “Park Assist Vision” which independently guides the equipped vehicle, a Passat, into any parking space.
Imagine that you need to park the car, but are too lazy to do it. With the “Park Assist Vision”, get out of the car, slams the door, walks away and aim a remote control back at the car. Your car now proceeds to reverse park itself into the available space, it then independently cuts the engine and activates the door locks. You dreamt it, VW did it. Volkswagen is now presenting a concept system at the Hanover Fair which is capable of perpendicular parking – and of doing so fully automatically. The only thing the driver needs to do is select an available space on the monitor of the navigation system, set the selection lever of the automatic-drive vehicle (DSG) to “P” and alight from the car. The driver can, of course, choose to stay in the vehicle until the vehicle has been manoeuvred into its space.
Two cameras located in the left and right exterior mirrors are responsible for gauging the dimensions of the parking space. The video signals are transmitted to a 2-GHz high-performance computer which then analyses them and sends commands to the steering and drive systems. If the driver has himself initiated the parking manoeuvre, the “Park Assist Vision” will reverse the vehicle into the parking space in accordance with the previously computed course and using electromechanical power steering, the electronic parking brake, DSG and the engine power produced by the idling mixture. Two additional cameras at the front and rear of the vehicle as well as the system’s ultrasound sensors monitor the operation and will stop the vehicle if necessary. The driver may also interrupt the manoeuvre at any time using the remote control.
This new driver assistance system is still in the trial phase of development, and a date has not yet been set for introduction of the system to series production.
April 21, 2008
Beijing 2008: Geely Panda
Geely has unveiled a new small car dubbed Panda because of its front fascia similar to that of the eponym animal.
A five-door hatchback, the small car tries to hide its styling cues copied from the Toyota Aygo by featuring panda-like nose on the front end. However, the rear doors and the hatchback are a carbon copy of that of the Aygo.
The adopted name causes concerns. Initially, the car was known as Aoo, until the first information released by the carmaker revealed the Panda moniker. But then Geely discovered that an Italian carmaker had had the silly idea of registering the name for a small car. Will the current Chinese Panda keep its name?
The Geely Panda is powered by an in-house petrol engine which delivers 71bhp. The small car costs around £3,600.
April 21, 2008
Spyhots: BMW next 7-Series interior
A picture of the dashboard of the upcoming has emerged on the Internet.
The German car magazine, Autobild, has released a picture of a pre-production version dashboard of the next BMW 7-Series. The new dash keeps the overall shape of that of the current model, but adopts some curved lines and integrates the LCD screen. The pre-production dashboard mixes wood inserts and black panels on the central console.
As expected, the 7-Series inherits its gearstick from the X5 and keeps the controversial iDrive system. The gearstick will control the new eight-speed automatic gearbox.
April 21, 2008
Mitsubishi to build a low cost car
Mitsubishi has announced that it is currently working on a low cost model expected to be launched by 2010.
Mitsubishi is the latest carmaker to join the budget car battle by announcing its intention to sell its new model in 2010. While other carmakers have generally developed a new platform or used an all platform to build compact models, Mitsubishi is taking a different path which might also be riskier.
In order to cut cost, the Japanese carmaker plans to reuse a platform used to build the famous Kei car. Mainly available in Japan, those small vehicles are powered by a 660cc petrol engine. When exported, they come with a bigger engine. For its low cost model, it would likely be a 1.0-litre engine.
"The mini vehicle business in a sense is a weakness because they are only sold in Japan, but we can turn this into a strength by building a global car using the platform," company’s president Osamu Masuko said.
The car is rumoured to cost below 1 million yen/£4,800. At first glance, Mitsubishi’s project looks a bit clumsy. Indeed, the carmaker already offers the small Minica (pictured) for ¥765,450/£3,750 on the Japanese market. In the UK, the Peruoda Kelisa costs £4,812 while a proper Hyundai i10 only costs £6,495. In emerging markets, the famous Logan doesn’t ease Mitsubishi’s situation. In Romania, the entry level Logan only costs £5,100 and is much bigger and roomier than any Kei car Mitsubishi offers.
By taking the easy path, Mitsubishi might meets failure.
April 21, 2008