Car News Review: April 2010

Friday, April 30, 2010

Spied: 2011 Audi RS3

Audi’s hottest hatch ever is almost ready and we have the best pictures yet of how the brand-new RS3 flagship will look.

Spied testing at the famous Nurburgring race circuit in Germany, the mule captured in the pictures is wearing an S3 Sportback shell, but don’t let this fool you, underneath, the RS version is a different beast altogether.

As well as Audi’s trademark Quattro four-wheel-drive system, it is expected that the RS3 will get a modified version of the same 2.5-litre, five-cylinder turbocharged engine found in the TT RS. As a result the RS3 will have no shortage of power, with over 330bhp and 450Nm of torque. The result of this will be a 0-60mph time of less than five seconds.

Mated to an S-tronic gearbox, the RS3 will also get a host of exterior additions over the S3, including a body kit, bonnet air-intakes and twin exhausts.

Expect Audi to unveil its new hot hatch in Paris this September. Expect a starting pricetag of around £38,000 too. For more details click here.
Thanks to: Auto Express

Hot News: BMW X4??

The success of the BMW X6 has raised the possibility of an X4 at BMW, Autocar has learned.

The giant sports-coupe/off-roader has been an unexpected success for the firm since it was launched in 2008. BMW has sold 80,000 units worldwide since its launch, which is double its initial predictions.

A BMW source revealed to Autocar that a smaller car in the same mould as the X6, likely to take the X4 name, was under consideration, but it had yet to be given the green light for production.

"We haven't made any firm decision," said our source, "however, the X6's success shows there is a continued demand for sporty off-roaders."

The X4 could be spun off the new X3's platform; that car is set to be launched later this year. It's styling could draw influence from 2001's X Coupe concept, as well as the X6.

BMW has created several niche products over the past few years, including the recently-launched X1 and 5-series GT models. The BMW Concept Gran Coupe from the Beijing motor show is tipped to be launched in 2012 as the 8-series.

Thanks to: Autocar

Hot News Up Date: Opel/Vauxhall City Car

The design of Vauxhall/Opel’s new city car will be signed off within the next six to eight weeks ahead of it going on-sale towards the end of 2012.

This is according to Nick Reilly, the boss of General Motors Europe. Reilly told Autocar that he believes his experience in conceiving, building and selling small cars will allow the car to be profitable in what is traditionally a difficult market segment to make money in.

“The whole cost chain, from development through to marketing, has to change in order to hit worthwhile profit targets with small car,” he said. “Not every rival of ours has this experience.

“There is a segment in which wealthier and younger car buyers don’t associate status with the size of the car. They want a good-looking car and are interested in technology and environmental factors such as CO2, or features such as an iPod connector.

“This segment has great potential – and there are not a great deal of rivals that are successfully exploiting it. That’s the reason why we are working intensively on such a project.”

Reilly said the pricing of the car, which will be designed and built in Europe, would reflect the positioning of the Opel brand in relation to its rivals. Although he wouldn’t be drawn on exact pricing, Reilly said it would cost more the cheapest Corsa but less than the most expensive Corsa.

It has been conceived a four-seater, but a five-seat variant is under consideration. Initial sales will be for the three-door model, with a five-door variant set to follow. It is shorter than a Corsa.

Reilly described the car as “setting new interior standards”. Engines will mainly be four-cylinder units, all equipped with a stop-start system, although three-cylinder engines are also under consideration. Reilly ruled out fitting the car with a two-cylinder engine, but an electric version will be launched.

“Such as car would suit electric drive,” said Reilly. “With pure electric drive, it becomes easier the smaller the car because you don’t need such big battery as in larger cars. Electric drive won’t likely be available at first – but it’ll come as soon as it is possible.

Thanks to: Autocar

Spied: 2012 BMW 5-Series Hybrid

The hybrid version of the BMW 5-series has been spied testing.

BMW’s first hybrid saloon will come with a straight-six petrol engine and be able to run on electric power alone.

A concept version of the car, the Active Hybrid 5-series, was unveiled at this year's Geneva motor show, and the production model is expected to go on sale next year.

The concept was fitted with a 40kW/52bhp electric motor sandwiched between the engine and the eight-speed automatic transmission.

The car is said to improve fuel consumption and reduce CO2 emissions by 10 per cent compared with a conventional six-cylinder 5-series.

It can also tailor the performance of the hybrid system by using the sat-nav to predict obstacles such as hills, corners and traffic obstructions that could affect the battery life.

By doing this, the car can charge the battery during the journey and then turn off the engine before it reaches its destination, finishing the trip on electric power alone.

BMW says this technique extends the electric-only range by up to 30 per cent.

Thanks to: Autocar