New Cars - Tuesday, April 22, 2008 7:19 - 0 Comments

Astra VXR Nürburgring Edition: now with Vauxhall badges

There’s no shortage of automakers which claim the vaunted Nürburgring Nordschleife as their own stomping ground. Along with the likes of BMW, Porsche and Aston Martin, to name but a few, GM’s European subsidiary staked its claim last year with the Opel Astra OPC Nürburgring Edition. Now Vauxhall, its British counterpart, wants to be part of the club, too. But rather than create its own performance model, Vauxhall’s big news is that it has essentially taken the OPC Nürburgring and slapped on the shiny new griffin logo and called it its own.
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New Cars - Sunday, April 20, 2008 7:12 - 0 Comments

Porsche unveils the Cayenne Turbo S

Porsche says that Asian and Eastern European market demand for ridiculously high performance SUVs has resulted in a new addition to the Cayenne range. After a brief respite following the introduction of the current-gen Cayenne, the Turbo S moniker returns. With it comes more power, more torque, newly-available features, and a commensurate cost of entry. 2009 Porsche Cayenne Turbo SUpdated engine management and a new exhaust system raise peak output to 550 horsepower and 553 lb-ft. Channeled through a 6-speed Tiptronic S gearbox, that’s enough to rocket Stuttgart’s new über-ute to 60 mph in 4.7 seconds and give it a top speed of 174 mph. Reining in those horses becomes even easier if buyers pony up for the optional, massive ceramic composite brakes (16″ front / 14.5″. rear), now available on Cayenne for the fist time.
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Auto News - Sunday, April 20, 2008 7:09 - 0 Comments

Jaguar Land Rover CEO dies

Geoff Polites, who’s stewardship of Land Rover and Jaguar improved the health of both properties, has succumbed after a long illness. Polites led Jaguar and Land Rover back to collective profitability, and kept a steady hand on the helm during the upheaval surrounding the sale to Tata a month ago. While rumors swirled and pundits punned, it was Polites leadership that kept Jaguar and Land Rover on an even keel, with heads down and concentrating, instead of freaking out. Polites spent 40 years in the automotive business, and rose to CEO at Jaguar Land Rover in 2005. Both brands have strong, stylish product portfolios with name cachet, and David Smith, CFO of Jaguar Land Rover will step in as acting CEO for now.
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New Cars - Friday, April 18, 2008 7:09 - 0 Comments

Official - It’s the 2009 Audi Q5

For months now we’ve seen spy photos and heard speculation about Audi’s new Q5 CUV. Now, we finally have the official news on the latest entry from Ingolstadt. Unlike its big brother the Q7, the Q5 doesn’t share an architecture with a VW model. The Q5 utilizes the same underpinnings as the A5 coupe and A4 sedan/wagon. That means the Q5 has a longitudinally mounted engine rather than the transverse powerplant found in the smaller VW Tiguan. While we were in Germany to drive the new A4, Audi invited us into their design center in Ingolstadt to check out their new virtual reality design system and have a look at the Q5 in the metal, prior to its official coming out party in Beijing.
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New Cars - Friday, April 18, 2008 0:39 - 0 Comments

Official: Opel Insignia revealed

After a few leaks and an assortment of GM-sponsored “spy shots,” the Opel Insignia is here. Take note. Aimed to compete in Europe with the Ford Mondeo, Honda Accord, Mazda6 and Citroen C5, the Insignia is set to replace the aging Vectra and could come Stateside sporting a Saturn badge. The sleeker, sexier Insignia takes a few cues from the GTC concept that helped to inspire the new sedan, with a taut fascia, muscular stance and deeply drawn side blades that extend from the front fenders to run parallel with the side sills. The old V-bar has been nixed in favor of a wider grille, complimented by a pair of intake ducts and the new Vauxhall logo.
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New Cars - Friday, April 18, 2008 0:30 - 0 Comments

Mercedes-Benz GLK revealed ahead of Beijing debut

The new Mercedes-Benz GLK is set to make its debut at this weekend’s Beijing Motor Show but the first images and details of the car have already been leaked. The compact SUV was first previewed at the Detroit Auto Show back in January in concept form and as expected the final production car remains almost identical to the original show car. Designed to go up against the BMW X3 and upcoming Audi Q5, the new GLK shows a dramatic improvement in quality over Mercedes’ previous SUV models despite being an entry-level offroader. Pictured here is the U.S.-spec GLK350, which is set to go on sale early next year as a 2010 model.
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Spy Photos - Thursday, April 17, 2008 10:18 - 0 Comments

Audi Q5 Final Testing Spy Photos

Several magazines, including ourselves were given a drop kick to the head by Audi as we previously reported the A5 debut at Los Angeles last year. Then the mid-size BMW X3, Land Rover Freelander and Mercedes GLK competitor was reported to debut at Geneva last month, but much to our disappointment, it was held back by Audi in favor of the Q7 V12 TDI. Then, it was reported last month that the elusive Q5 would finally make its global introduction in Beijing. With the Beijing show starting in just three days, spy photographers in Germany have caught the most revealing prototype yet. With the front and rear ends still subtly covered with plastic cladding, design details in the hood and side body are in clear view.
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MotorCycles - Thursday, April 17, 2008 10:13 - 0 Comments

BMW S 1000 RR race bike

Let the speculation end! BMW has officially pulled the covers off of its S 1000 RR race bike, which will sprout a production model next year. General Director of BMW Motorrad Hendrik von Kuenheim says that the company is committed to building 1,000 units of the new model next year. Featuring a 1000cc inline-four transversely mounted between the frame rails and an upside-down front fork, the RR is rather conventional by BMW standards. This has allowed the Motorrad to keep the bike as compact as possible, which can be attested to by the fact that it has been spotted lapping tracks in Yamaha R6 bodywork. So far, no specifications have been given regarding power levels, but we fully expect it to be competitive with the Superbike front-runners. Traction control is also reportedly put to good use. Judging from the extensive use of (bare) carbon fiber, we’d expect the weight to be on par with the competition, as well. There’s an entire speech pasted after the break, so be sure to check it out.
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Auto News - Thursday, April 17, 2008 10:10 - 0 Comments

Volkswagen Phaeton could return to the U.S. this year, or next

To put it charitably, the Phaeton never met the U.S. sales expectations set by Volkswagen, but that hasn’t stopped VW execs from considering another push to market the luxobarge in North America. Sales of the facelifted Phaeton are up in Germany by 45.4-percent for the first quarter of 2008 and that’s making V-Dub’s brass seriously consider bringing the Phaeton back to U.S. shores. According to Autobild, many of the higher-ups at VW want to start shipping the Phaeton across the Atlantic towards the end of the year, but VW’s largest shareholder, headed by Porsche CEO Wendelin Wiedeking, isn’t convinced that the Phaeton could fly again.

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Auto News - Thursday, April 17, 2008 10:08 - 0 Comments

Volkswagen up! More details revealed

Volkswagen’s adorable little up! has the ambitious goal of becoming the next original Beetle, and new info on Auto Express seems to indicate that the Germans in Wolfsburg may be on to something. The up! will feature both gasoline and diesel-powered engines with a minuscule displacement of only .6 turbocharged liters, and a larger 1.2L three-cylinder engine may be planned, as well. The up! will also be extremely fuel efficient, with U.S. fuel economy numbers near 80 mpg. Perhaps the most eye-catching bit of info is the base price of the handsome little micro: models will sell for as little as £4,500 in emerging markets and more richly equipped European models will start around £7,500.
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New Cars - Wednesday, April 16, 2008 10:04 - 0 Comments

Citroen C3 Turns on the style

IT’S another small car design masterclass from Citroen! Supermini buyers are set to be spoiled for choice as the French giant is putting the finishing touches to its distinctive new C3. And as these exclusive Auto Express pictures reveal, this is a great-looking three-door. Back in Issue 991, we showed you images of the 2CV-inspired five-door C3, but that model appears pretty conservative next to the outlandish newcomer.  Taking a similar approach to the C4, designers aim to make two distinct versions of the C3 to appeal to very different groups. The practical five-door will offer a more conventional body, while the three-door is intended to tempt younger buyers. In Issue 1,007, we showed you the revised C2 – but Citroen bosses have already decided that this model does not have a long-term future.
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