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Beijing 2008: Brilliance BS4 Estate
Here are the pictures of the new BS4 Estate that Brilliance launched at the Beijing Motor Show.
Two weeks ago, Petrol-Head had released a few spyshots of the unexpected BS4 Estate. The spyshots were pictures of a prototype likely to be made in Italy. However, there was some doubt whether the car was real or not. Information remain scarce. Like the BS6 and BS4m the estate variant might be designed by Pininfarina. The exterior is rather appealing and there is no doubt that Brilliance wants to move upmarket thanks to the help provided by BMW.
The new estate will join a market segment which still needs to mature in China. Chevrolet and Peugeot sell the Sail and the 307SZ respectively there. Soon, Chery will launch the A5 estate.
April 21, 2008
Beijing 2008: Audi Q5
Audi took the wraps of the long-awaited Q5 at the Beijing Motor Show. The hot SUV will reinforce Audi’s lineup and help to boost it sales to achieve its 2018 target.
Despite spy-photographers working hard on spotting the Q5, Audi will have almost succeeded to keep its latest model in the dark. Pictures had emerged recently, but interior details had remained unknown. The new A5 is exactly what was expected, a small Q7. At 4630 mm long and 1880 mm wide, the Q5 is shorter than the Q7 by 450 mm removing the ability to add a third seat row in the future. Like the Q7m the A5’s exterior styling doesn’t have the grace of the saloons, but at least, the new model will fit better on our British roads.
The Q5 is based on the company’s MLP platform also used by the A4 and A5. As expected the Q5 is only equipped with the in-house Quattro transmission unlike the new GLK. In normal running conditions, the transfer case distributes the power to the front and rear axle in a 40:60 ratio for a rear-focused style that enhances driving pleasure. When needed, the quattro driveline can deliver up to 65 percent of the power to the front axle and a maximum of 85 percent to the rear axle. In addition to the in-house transmission, the topping engines, 3.0 TDI and 2.0 TFSI, will be available the S tronic, a new twin-clutch transmission with seven speeds. The 2.0 TDI transfers its power to a six-speed manual transmission.
The engine range will offer three engines, one petrol unit and two diesel units. The entry level will be powered by the 2.0 TDI seen in the other brand’s models. Drawing on four cylinders and two liters of displacement as well, it delivers a power output of 168bhp and a torque of 258 lb ft between 1,750 and 2,500 rpm. Average consumption reaches 35mpg. The other diesel engine is the powerful 3.0 TDI. This V6 diesel engine delivers 240bhp, with 369 lb ft of torque available between 1,500 and 3,000 rpm. Audi claims this three-litre engine achieves 31mpg. The only petrol unit is the The 2.0 TFSI which has been entirely redesigned for the Q5. The power jumps to 211bhp and the torque is of 258 lb ft at 1,500 rpm and remains constant up to 4,200 rpm. The Q5 2.0 TFSI achieves 28mpg.
With the unveil of the Q5 and the GLK, the fight to dominate the premium small SUV is launched.
April 21, 2008
Beijing 2008: Mercedes GLK
After two concept cars in Detroit and Geneva, Mercedes has finally unveiled the official GLK at the Beijing Motor Show.
There was no better way to tell Europeans that Mercedes doesn’t care anymore about them after unveiling the GLK in China. It is also a clumsy attempt to steal the media coverage from the new Audi Q5. As predicted the production version is almost identical to the previous concept cars. The GLK features the latest brand’s design with sharper lines and an interior which comes with a new dashboard styling also seen on the future E-Class.
Mercedes has only released the final specifications of the American version, the GLK 350. The small SUV is powered by a 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine which delivers a power output of 268bhp. The GLK will be available with a choice of two transmissions, a rear-wheel drive system and the in-house four-wheel drive system called 4MATIC. The GLK sits on 19in wheels in standard which can be upgraded to 20in wheels. The SUV runs 0-62mph in 6.5 seconds and achieves a low 23mpg.
April 21, 2008
Smart ForTwo to be sold in China
Daimler has announced it will start selling the ForTwo in China from next year.
Daimler CEO, Dieter Zietsche has announced that the Smart brand will start exporting the small car to China from mid 2009 in an attempt to boost its global sales and turn its business into a profitable one. China will become the second large market outside Europe to get the ForTwo city car after the US where the car has been on sale since the beginning of the year.
The success met on the American market likely convinced the company’s executives to take the opportunity to launch the city car on the fast growing Chinese market where famous traffic jams and high pollution levels are favourable to smaller cars.
However, the path is far from being easy as Smart will meet a strong competition from local players such as Shuanghuan which sells a ForTwo’s carbon copy called Bubble.
April 21, 2008
Next Saab 9-5 to offer 350bhp
A Saab executive has announced the carmaker will launch the next-generation 9-5 saloon before the end of this year at a major motor show.
Saab general manager Steve Shannon has told dealers that the Swedish carmaker will unveil the eagerly-awaited 9-5 at a major motor show which is likely to be the Paris Motor Show. With this new generation, Saab wants to make a return into the premium market segment and this time the carmaker might have its chance.
The future saloon is believed to grow in size to match the competition. The next 9-5 will also get bigger engines. Although secrecy surrounds the specifications, it is said that the topping version will offer 350bhp. This number will put the topping 9-5 in competition with the Audi 4.2 FSI, the BMW 550i SE and the Mercedes E-Class 500 and the Volvo S70 V8.
April 21, 2008
VW Up to achieve 80-90mpg
Volkswagen is working hard on its small budget car which will be close to the three concept cars unveiled last year according to a AutoExpress.
As promised by the German carmaker, the production version will offer a exterior styling similar to that of the concept cars except for the front fascia and the taillights. The front end will be redesigned to adopt the corporate fascia sported by the Golf. On the inside, the dashboard will keep its touch-screen LCD panel seen on the concept cars which featured an interface similar to that of the Apple iPhone. It isn’t confirmed whether this high tech screen will be available in emerging markets or not.
The future model will be available in three and five-door hatchbacks at first . Later, a minivan variant will be launched. Under the bonnet, the Up will be powered by a 0.6-litre engine in either normally aspirated or turbocharged versions. Petrol and diesel will be offered. Secrecy surrounds the power output, but fuel efficiency will be favoured instead of performance. It is rumoured that the future small car will achieve an impressive consumption between 80 and 90mpg. In addition to the tiny engine, Volkswagen is considering adding a 1.2-litre unit and a hybrid solution.
April 21, 2008
Chrysler to build Alfa Romeos in the U.S. for Fiat?
After BMW, Chrysler is cited as a future partner for Alfa Romeo to build the Italian marque’s models in the US.
Fiat and Chrysler have entered into talks about the possibility to build Alfa Romeo models destined for the American market in a Chrysler’s factory. According to the German newspaper Handelsblatt, “Chrysler could produce the cars for Fiat subsidiary Alfa Romeo.” a Chrysler spokeswoman goes on record to say news of the talks are just speculation, adding "There could be other partnerships with other carmakers."
After the rumour linking BMW and Fiat, this potential partnership looks like to have better chance to get realized. Chrysler needs desperately to find new partners while Alfa Romeo needs a partner which doesn’t compete on the same market segments like BMW does.
This is not the first time that Chrysler and Alfa Romeo would work together. Fiat and Chrysler formed a distribution company in February 1989 to sell Alfa Romeo models in the US, but the American manufacturer sold its stake to Fiat in November 1991.
Last week Chrysler announced another partnership with Nissan.
April 21, 2008
More details on the future SL65 AMG Black Series
The closer we get to the official launch, the more details are being released about the future most powerful Mercedes model, the SL65 AMG Black Series.
The delivered power output was already known, but Motor Trend confirmed the number. The powerful SL will offer an output of 670bhp. Likewise, the magazine the staggering torque of 738 lb-ft. The news are that in addition to the power boost, engineers have focused on weight reduction. Thanks to the extensive use of carbon fiber in the fixed-roof, bonnet and front fenders, the SL65 AMG Black Series will lose 470 lbs to reach Mercedes-like weight of 4,080 lbs. By comparison, a Porsche 911 GT2 weighs 3175 lbs and the Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 only weighs 3671 lbs despite featuring a four-wheel drive transmission.
The SL65 AMG Black Series will come, of course, with technical upgrades such as wider track, larger brakes, adjustable suspension and a deployable rear spoiler. On the inside, the supercar will feature racing carbon fiber seats, flat bottom steering wheel and Alcantara upholstery.
April 21, 2008
VW to build a SUV based on next-generation Passat
The German carmaker is planning to build a new model based on the Passat to reinforce its SUV lineup.
With the goal to overtake Toyota by 2018, Volkswagen double its efforts to expand its lineup and to compete on all segments. After the Passat CC, the German carmaker is currently working on a future SUV based on the next-generation platform Passat. The future model will be VW’s attempt to get a share of the growing premium SUV market segment dominated by the BMW X3.
The largest market will be the US as dealers complain about the Tiguan, too small and too expensive for American buyers. Along with the BMW X3, the future SUV will compete with the Mercedes GLK, the Volvo XC60, the Infiniti EX37 and the eagerly-awaited Audi Q5. However, the Passat SUV will differ from competition by being a seven seater model.
The future SUV won’t share its underpinnings with the Audi Q5 as it might be obvious, but the company wants to keep the production costs as low as possible. Sharing the platform with the next Passat will certainly help. It might even be possible to extract a Skoda version as the new Superb shares its inner structure and engines with the current Passat.
April 17, 2008
Chrysler and Nissan announce new partnership to produce small car and pickup
Nissan and Chrysler have announced a new partnership to supply the American carmakers with small models which will be sold in South America. In exchange, Chrysler will produce a new Nissan truck model expected to be on sale by 2011.
Both carmakers have announced a partnership which will enable the two companies to reinforce their lineup on several markets. For Chrysler, priority is given to small vehicles as part of a plan to increase its global sales at a time when its largest market entered recession. Nissan will provide small vehicles due to be sold in South America, in the US and also in Europe. The Japanese carmaker has signed a similar deal with Chrysler and will start producing 20,000 versa for South America next year. The new deal didn’t give any details about the future planned models.
For Nissan, the new deal is good news after GM stopped negotiations over a year ago. Chrysler will build the planned Titan successor at the Saltillo Assembly Plant in Mexico. Secrecy surrounds the future pickup although some observers believe it will share its platform with Chrysler products. However it will feature a unique exterior and interior styling.
Chrysler has already signed a deal with the Chinese carmaker Chery to sell a small model, the Dodge Breeze, in Mexico.
April 17, 2008