This is the new Vauxhall Insignia VXR, General Motors’ 321bhp turbocharged super-saloon with four-wheel drive.The Insignia is a Mondeo rival, but with the VXR version Vauxhall wants to take the fight upmarket, to the 328bhp Audi S4 and 295bhp VW Passat R36.GM is taking this battle extremely seriously too, having spent a considerable amount of time honing the VXR’s chassis at the Nürburgring and packing it with as much technology as it can lay its hands on.Thanks to a 2.8-litre V6 turbo Ecotec engine — which has the same block as the old Vectra VXR’s unit but gets a new head and camshafts, revised turbo and different mapping — the Insignia is good for 0-60mph in 5.8sec and a limited top speed of 155mph.The engine features a micro-alloy forged steel crank, 60-degree cylinder angle and die-cast alloy oil sump. It’s fitted with a single twin-scroll turbocharger and variable valve control for improved throttle response.The Insignia is the first VXR model to feature four-wheel drive; it gets a Haldex system similar to that found in the Saab 9-3 Turbo X, although the settings have been reworked.The transmission is coupled to an electronic limited-slip differential (eLSD) which applies more or less torque to either of the rear wheels to help that end of the car follow the direction of the front wheels.Stuart Harris, brand manager for VXR, says the car’s handling will have a rearward bias and claims drivers will be able to power out of understeer.“It [the VXR] has always been seen as a competitor to the Audi S4 and low-end BMW M products, and I think it is going to surprise a lot of people,” he added.The VXR, which will be available as a saloon, hatch and estate, is 10mm lower than the Insignia SRi and rides on 19in wheels, although 20-inch lightweight forged alloys are available as a cost option.Brembo brakes with colour-coded calipers and cross-drilled discs provide the stopping power.The VXR’s styling is restrained, but it bears more than a passing resemblance to the GTC concept seen at the 2007 Geneva motor show.There are twin mesh intakes at either side of the main front grille, and both the hatch and saloon get a small rear spoiler and dual matt chrome exhausts.Inside there are Recaro front seats, a new VXR steering wheel, different instruments and a VXR gearknob.The car is not due on sale until the summer. Pricing has yet to be revealed, but Autocar understands that it is likely to cost just over £30k, with estate variants carrying a premium of around £1400.
New Car: 2010 Audi Q7
Form an orderly Q – Audi’s biggest SUV has been given a host of updates! As well as a facelift, the latest Q7 gets a more efficient diesel engine.The changes up front include a redesigned radiator grille with vertical chrome bars and a contrasting black finish, plus a heavily ribbed bumper guard. Options include adaptive xenon lights with LED running lamps.The release comes after we brought you these spy shots of the undisguised facelifted model out testing.At the rear, there’s a lighter aluminium tailgate, standard LED lamps plus a two-tone finish for the bumper. And four new colours have been made available, including the Teak Brown shown here. Inside, the seven-seater gets a redesigned instrument cluster with metallic edging for the dials and extra chrome.The 240bhp 3.0 TDI is also available as a new ‘clean diesel’ with a complex exhaust gas recirculation system. At 31.7mpg as opposed to 31mpg, it is a little more economical, but nitrogen oxide emissions are drastically reduced. All engines get a brake energy recovery system, too. Sales start later this year.
First Sketch: MG6
Meet MG’s hot new fastback – which could be heading here! Set to debut at the Shanghai Motor Show at the end of April, the MG6 is based on the Roewe 550 – successor to the Rover 45 and MG ZS.While details are still sketchy, these concept drawings reveal the new car’s low-slung coupé profile and strong, dramatic lines, which set it apart from the more staid 550 saloon. Engines are likely to be shared with with the Roewe, however, and the range is set to include a 1.8-litre turbo.The hatch will be sold in Europe alongside the British-built MG TF roadster, giving the Chinese company a foothold over here. SAIC now owns the brand outright, having taken over Nanjing – the firm which originally bought MG. But Ford now owns the Rover name.SAIC also manufactures the Roewe 750 – a redeveloped Rover 75 – and will reunite the former British brands further by showcasing the MG6-based Roewe N1 in Shanghai. An increasingly confident SAIC has recently been linked with a buy-out of GM brands Buick and Saturn.It also has a joint venture with VW in China, and is said to be discussing a model swap with Proton. This would see the latter rebadge the 750 in Malaysia, and SAIC in turn would market a rebranded version of the Savvy city car.
Hot News: Cadillac Converj Gets Green Light to Produce
General Motors has approved production of the stunning Cadillac Converj, its extended-range electric-powered coupe based on the Chevrolet Volt's Voltec architecture, a well-placed source says. GM brass wants the car on the road by 2011, making it a 2012 model. This is all contingent on improved finances for GM, of course, which means it's contingent on the government's reaction to the next version of the automaker's viability plan due June 1. It doesn't hurt that the Obama administration has called for automakers to bring more fuel-efficient cars and trucks to market. A production Converj is potentially profitable and would improve Cadillac's green image at the same time.Our source says GM will follow up the Cadillac with a people-mover/crossover utility vehicle based on the Voltec architecture.A GM spokesperson contacted for this report denies the Converj's green-light status and says that nothing has changed regarding the production prospects for the car. However, our source offers a number of details that lend credence to the probability of its approval.
First, of course, a 2011 on-sale date for the Converj is a target date, and it's an ambitious one at that. While the Voltec architecture is exclusive, there's a lot of GM's compact Delta architecture in it. A '12 Converj would need all-new sheetmetal and interior, and that's possible given the advanced status of Voltec development. The drivetrain would be similar to the lithium-ion battery pack and 1.4L four-cylinder engine to be used in the Chevy Volt, although GM is likely to add battery mass to make the Cadillac a more powerful car.Our source says GM brass plans to build the car as a two-door coupe, like the concept, not a four-door with hidden rear door handles, an alternative product chief Bob Lutz floated in Motor Trend's April 2009 feature on the concept. While the concept is a tallish 55 inches, a production Converj would have to use the Volt's taller firewall, which means the car will have to grow upward in more than ground clearance to make production financially feasible while retaining general proportions.Whether you believe our source, or the spokesperson, a production Converj seems an easier bet with half of the automaker's brands -- Saturn, Saab and Hummer -- on the way out. GM can better concentrate on core new models for Chevy and Cadillac. Having such advanced green technology available for GM's low-priced and premium "core" brands would resonate with the Obama administration and the public.As for the Voltec people-mover/CUV, our source believes a Buick badge is most likely, though it also could delineate GMC from Chevy truck models and still please Buick-Pontiac-GMC dealers. The Voltec CUV could have two or three rows of seats - the compact Delta platform is related to the midsize Epsilon II platform, so this model could be larger than the Chevy and Cadillac, with more battery mass to handle the extra weight.
First, of course, a 2011 on-sale date for the Converj is a target date, and it's an ambitious one at that. While the Voltec architecture is exclusive, there's a lot of GM's compact Delta architecture in it. A '12 Converj would need all-new sheetmetal and interior, and that's possible given the advanced status of Voltec development. The drivetrain would be similar to the lithium-ion battery pack and 1.4L four-cylinder engine to be used in the Chevy Volt, although GM is likely to add battery mass to make the Cadillac a more powerful car.Our source says GM brass plans to build the car as a two-door coupe, like the concept, not a four-door with hidden rear door handles, an alternative product chief Bob Lutz floated in Motor Trend's April 2009 feature on the concept. While the concept is a tallish 55 inches, a production Converj would have to use the Volt's taller firewall, which means the car will have to grow upward in more than ground clearance to make production financially feasible while retaining general proportions.Whether you believe our source, or the spokesperson, a production Converj seems an easier bet with half of the automaker's brands -- Saturn, Saab and Hummer -- on the way out. GM can better concentrate on core new models for Chevy and Cadillac. Having such advanced green technology available for GM's low-priced and premium "core" brands would resonate with the Obama administration and the public.As for the Voltec people-mover/CUV, our source believes a Buick badge is most likely, though it also could delineate GMC from Chevy truck models and still please Buick-Pontiac-GMC dealers. The Voltec CUV could have two or three rows of seats - the compact Delta platform is related to the midsize Epsilon II platform, so this model could be larger than the Chevy and Cadillac, with more battery mass to handle the extra weight.
New Car: 2011 Aston Martin Rapide
Aston Martin has allowed some more specifics and an additional computer-generated image—this time showing the profile view—to fall out of the Rapide information folder. And although none of the images the company has released thus far are actual photographs, they are revealing enough to confirm that Aston Martin’s sex-a-licious form vocabulary is indeed scalable to four-door proportions. (It’s too bad the same can’t be said of Porsche and its Panamera.)Essentially a DB9 coupe with an extra foot or so of wheelbase and two additional doors (all four will be of the trademark Aston "swan wing" variety), the Rapide shares much of its styling DNA—long nose, ducktail deck, and stacked grille—with its saucy two-door platform-mate. The Rapide also incorporates a door crease like that of the V-8 Vantage, as well as smoother cheeks and a thin strip of chrome trim on the back. Unique to the Rapide are One-77–style hood vents, nicely detailed headlamps with vertical LED running lights, and an all-glass roof (which, come to think of it, might be nice on the coupe, too). Inside, think DB9 with two rear bucket seats and perhaps a few unique touches and you won’t be far off.Under the hood will be the DB9’s 5.9-liter V-12, making 470 hp and 443 lb-ft of torque, with shifting handled exclusively by the ZF six-speed Touchtronic automatic transmission. Considering that the newly updated DB9 has a claimed 0-to-60-mph time of 4.6 seconds, we imagine that the Rapide should be able to do the same trick in under five while enveloping the passengers in aural ecstasy. Not fast enough? Well, it shouldn’t take long for Aston Martin to develop an even quicker version of the Rapide incorporating some of the powertrain and material upgrades used in the DBS.The car will be built by Magna Steyr in Graz, Austria, with engines coming from Aston's engine facility in Cologne, Germany. The Rapide will make its first official appearance late this year—our money’s on a Frankfurt debut in September. Speaking of money, we’re not sure how much Aston Martin is going to ask for the Rapide when it arrives at dealers in early 2010, but we can’t imagine it coming in much lower than $250K.
New Car: 2010 Mercedes S63 AMG/S65 AMG
http://zerocars.blogspot.comAs Mercedes-Benz’s S-class gets a refresh for 2010, the high-performance AMG models will be updated as well. Official press pictures will be released during the Shanghai auto show later this month, but the automaker’s German-market online configurator has spilled the beans early.If you found previous AMG versions of the S-class to be too discreet, you’ll be happy to know that the package has been sharpened considerably. The front fascia has been altered to make room for a large center air intake. The circular fog lights also have been removed, while the outer air intakes now integrate LED light strips. The S63 and S65 are distinguished by their badging, wheel choices, and front grilles. As to the grilles, the V-8–powered S63 wears five slim, horizontal bars, while the V-12 S65 displays three double strips, just like the S600. The quadruple exhaust tips are larger on the S65, and each pair meets in the middle. The taillights also feature new LED elements. We were hoping that AMG would move the shifter from the steering column to the center console where it belongs, as was done for the 2010 E63 AMG, but that’s not the case.
First Sketch: 2011 Mercedes SLS .zero cars
http://zerocars.blogspot.comFor the new SLS, Mercedes-Benz and AMG have developed a puristic sports car interior that combines lightweight construction with dynamism and high emotional appeal. Opening the unique swing-wing doors reveals an interior of a decidedly sporty nature – and immediately brings an aircraft cockpit to mind. The central design theme of "aviation engineering" is reflected in the wing-shaped dashboard, the center console in the style of a jet's operating console and the four striking air vents reminiscent of aircraft engines.The interior of this new swing-wing car offers authentic motor sports practicality, the safety typical of a Mercedes and outstanding ergonomics. Fine materials such as nappa leather, solid metal and (optionally) genuine carbon-fiber facings underline the pronounced "custom-built" nature of the SLS interior, and show enormous attention to detail."The interior of the new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG is not only very special because of the exclusive swing-wing doors. The visible influence of aviation engineering, the high-grade materials and the practicality typical of a sports car will make the hearts of sports car enthusiasts beat faster. At the same time the new interior styling indicates the design philosophy for coming generations of Mercedes sports cars", says Gordon Wagener, Head of Design at Mercedes-Benz.Sport, purism, reduction and authenticity are the design emphases for the interior of the new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. Above all, the design is influenced by the world of aviation – which is clearly demonstrated by the new swing-wing. The characteristic styling feature is the dashboard, whose powerful and dramatic wing-shape makes for an impression of width. The four air vents with their adjustable, cruciform nozzles are reminiscent of a jet's engines. An aircraft cockpit is also the visual and practical design inspiration for the long "Silver Shadow" center console in solid metal, in which all the central controls including the AMG DRIVE UNIT, which is inclined towards the driver, are consolidated. On request the center console and other features are also available in carbon fiber. As a new feature, the E-SELECT shift lever controls the AMG SPEEDSHIFT DCT 7-speed sports transmission on the drive-by-wire principle. Its shape immediately calls the thrust control of a jet aircraft to mind, and the same applies to the concave inner panels of the swing-wing doors. The high waistline reinforces the cockpit-like impression, while imparting a feeling of safety and security at the same time.All the controls are ergonomically grouped around the driver, easy to reach and intuitive to operate. In this respect too, the interior of the SLS is reminiscent of an aircraft cockpit. The logically conceived control and display concept follows well-proven Mercedes principles, easy identification of the major functions and rapid access to frequently used functions being the major attributes.
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