Audi not trying to become a green brand like Bmw

Audi may fully intend to build as efficient vehicles as possible but it will not market itself as a green brand, as BMW has done.

Audi boss Rupert Stadler said that it will stick to its Vorsprung Durch Technik philosophy and will not have anything that is akin to BMW’s Efficient Dynamics marketing scheme. Stadler said that Audi is a “dynamic, sporty brand” that is not necessarily positioned as a green brand. However, he said that Audi will reduce car weight and will work on improving diesel and FSI technology as well as fuel consumption. He said that Audi will comply with regulations but that Audi is also an “emotional brand.”

Stadler said that Audi would only put an electric car on sale if it would be able to give the kind of performance Audi buyers have come to expect. However, he stopped short at announcing if the Audi E-tron will begin production by 2012.

Audi has set out to “improve performance of electric cars.” He explains that the company has put an emphasis on this because performance is part of its emotional appeal. In particular, Stadler pointed to the electric power giving Quattro more possibilities, such as powering the rear axle like in the A1 concept, or four wheels in motors like the E-tron.

One thing’s for sure, Stadler confirmed that Audi plans to be able to launch a production E-tron in small volumes at the end of 2012.

Nissan GT-R by Tommy Kaira

Back in April, the Japanese tuner Tommy Kaira announced its tuning kit for the Nissan GT-R a.k.a. Godzilla but nobody heard anything since then until now… Tommy Kaira revealed the first renderings with its new kit for the GT-R and looking at the photos we must admit that it is one of the best looking kits for the GT-R.

The new kit includes a redesigned front bumper with larger air intakes, a new carbon fiber front lip spoiler, new side sills, a rear trunk spoiler and new carbon fiber air diffuser with integrated exhaust system. More details to be revealed!

Infiniti Essence Concept still has chances to be produced

The response to Infiniti’s Essence Concept at this year’s Geneva Motor Show has been nothing short of “phenomenal,” according to Infiniti exec Ben Poore who spoke to Motor Trend recently.

The elation wasn’t long-lasting however, since the audience at Geneva was told at the unveiling that the vehicle was only intended to be a concept. Nonetheless, there is a glimmer of hope since Infiniti has said that its stunning design will soon influence future vehicles. Poore had told Motor Trend that the concept, a twin-turbo V6 hybrid coupe capable of a combined 592 brake horsepower, is “only a show piece… for now.” We would be one of those who would be ecstatic to see a production car that will boast a twin-turbo 3.7-liter V6 with a lithium-ion backed disc-shaped electric motor.

The truth about Audi e-Tron’s 3319 lb-ft of torque

There was a time when people can’t seem to contain themselves when talking about Audi’s e-Tron Concept. But now that its claim to have 3319 lb-ft of torque has been explored, the enthusiasm for the concept, which is currently on display at the 2009 L.A. Motor Show, has waned quite a bit.

At the recently held Frankfurt Auto Show, the electric sports car was applauded for its 3319 lb-ft of torque, which is roughly ten times what most other cars have. Now that the e-Tron makes its North American debut in L.A., the excitement has been lessened somewhat due to the discovery that the E-tron’s real torque output is much closer to 300 lb-ft than 3000 lb-ft.

Audi wasn’t exactly lying; it was that it had used a different way of measuring torque. Audi measures the e-Tron’s 3319 lb-ft of torque at the wheels while other firms report peak torque at the output shaft of a motor or engine. The difference between torque at the wheels and at the powerplant is typically about ten-fold due to the torque multiplication effect of transmission and final drive gears. Having said that, Audi hasn’t revealed how much torque the e-Tron actually produces from its four electric motors. The E-tron has 19-inch wheels wrapped in 235/35 rubber.

The car is believed to have a top speed of 125 mph. Assuming that top speed is at the motors’ redline of 14,000 rpm, this would make it similar to the electric motor in the Tesla Roadster. From this, we can compare the rotational speed of the tires to that of the engine and then the gear ratio can be estimated. With a ratio of 13.2:1 for the e-Tron, the result is a total torque output at the motors of 252 lb-ft. This is still very impressive but far from the 3319 lb-ft boasted by the company. If you compare the E-tron to a Tesla Roadster that makes 273 lb-ft of torque with a V-8 R8 that produces 317 lb-ft, it really remains to be an awesome piece of work. An electric sports car that does 0-62 mph in 4.8 seconds is quite an achievement. And it disappoints no one that the e-Tron is headed for production.

Spyker interested in Saab

General Motors Co. set a Dec. 31 deadline for itself to decide whether it will latch on to a bid for Saab or just shut it down. From now until the end of the month, GM will be considering numerous bids for the money-losing Swedish brand.

GM declined to reveal who the bidders were but it is speculated that Dutch super sports carmaker Spyker Cars NV and its Russian owner, Converse Bank, are among those that have submitted a bid to buy Saab. GM said that if it is unable to find a “suitable arrangement” for Saab by then, it “will begin an orderly wind down” of the business.

A source has revealed that Spyker had filed a written bid last Monday to purchase all of Saab from GM. The amount of the bid is undisclosed. Spyker reportedly finds Saab appealing due to its strong image.

The source said that Spyker considers GM’s plans, which include a new 9-4X crossover, to be “extremely viable.” Spyker is believed to be likely to benefit through shared technology and parts. Last Tuesday, the GM board met to discuss the fate of Saab after a deal with the Koenigsegg Group failed to prosper.

According to Bloomberg News, GM is also considering the sale of parts of Saab to Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Co. and closing the brand. A source said that in that scenario, Spyker would likely withdraw its bid since suppliers would leave and the dealerships would fall apart, letting customers lose confidence in the brand.

Nissan GT-R SpecV goes on sale in Europe

Nissan isn’t giving potential buyers a lot of time to decide on whether they’d want to purchase the SpecV model, Nissan’s recently revised 2011 GT-R supercar. Only 40 examples of the car will be made for Europe, reflecting the 40th anniversary of the launch of the first Nissan to wear the GT-R badge.

In the UK, the SpecV has a price tag of £124,900 (based on 17.5% VAT and £405 RFL) which is converted to about €138,000. Nissan will only be accepting orders for the GT-R SpecV at Nissan High Performance Centres (NHPCs) across Europe until January 22, 2010, so there’s really no time to lose.

The SpecV model has a number of features worth mentioning. First, the car has various lightweight carbon-fiber parts, no rear seats, revised springs and fixed-rate dampers, carbon ceramic brake system from Brembo, a titanium exhaust system, bespoke Recaro carbon fiber bucket front seats and 20-inch Ray alloys with extra grippy tires.

The maximum horsepower output is unchanged but the engine’s performance is enhanced with a new high gear boost control device, which briefly increases boost of the twin turbochargers for greater torque in the intermediate-to-high speed ranges. The upgrades to the SpecV resulted to a weight saving of 60kg or 132 lbs over the standard GT-R.

Capstone CMT 380

One of the cars that stood out at the LA Auto Show was the Capstone CMT 380, a hybrid supercar with electric power from 96 lithium ion batteries and assistance from a 30 kw bio diesel powered micro turbine. Or what is essentially a jet engine. Designed by video game producer Richard Hilleman, the car is capable of an electronically limited 150mph top speed.

It is capable of accelerating to 60mph in 3.9 seconds. If in purely electric mode, it can go 80 miles but this extends to 500 miles when the turbine is brought into play. No figures are available for emissions but they are described to be “ultra-low.” Capstone is set to raise production next year, with 10 to 15 cars to be sold at £171,000, most likely in kit form. Potential UK customers shouldn’t be dismayed though since company boss Jim Crause considers it a simple process to convert the CMT 380 to a right-hand drive and eventually make it to the UK.

Dodge Viper receives its last limited editions

As the Viper sports car will be phased out next year, Chrysler will soon be developing a replacement car that will appear sometime in 2012 with the supervision of Fiat’s Sergio Marchionne. In the meantime, we’ll have details of the last model year Viper to think about.

It will be an SRT version, which will have a limited run of only 500 units. But it’s not likely that any of these cars will look alike since Chrysler says that there will be at least 7,600 possible appearance combinations. Comprising the 500 units is an assortment of special, limited-edition models. One is the Dodge Viper ACR 1:33 Edition — a tribute to the car which set a new lap record last month at the Laguna Seca raceway – that will have 33 units.

Then there’s the Voodoo-edition Viper ACR with an all Black Clear Coat exterior and a Graphite Driver’s Stripe outlined in red that will only have 10 units. There isn’t much information known yet about the special editions but Chrysler said that it will reveal more as their release dates near. An 8.4l V-10 engine propels all the cars, allowing them to develop 600 hp and 560 lb.-ft. of torque. The car is then able to accelerate from zero to 60mph in 4 seconds and attain a top speed of 202mph. For improved high-speed acceleration and higher straightaway speeds, Chrysler will add a shorter fifth gear ratio (changing from 0.74 to 0.80).

To control the cars’ power, there will be a ZF Sachs twin-disc clutch and a heavy-duty six-speed manual transmission. The Vipers will still have the body styles that people have grown to expect – a Roadster and a Coupe. They will also come with the ACR (American Club Racer) package. Two new colors — Toxic Orange Pearl Coat and Bright Silver Metallic Clear Coat – will be available for the exterior. There will also be a choice of six stripe options, five different interior color combinations, four different wheel choices and three available interior bezels.

Infiniti FX Millionaire Edition to debut at 2009 Amsterdam RAI

Infiniti announced today that a special limited edition of the FX 37/ FX 50 called Millionaire. This new edition which will be produced in just 100 units, will be revealed on December 14 at the Amsterdam RAI.

Priced at €95.450, the new Infiniti FX 37/ FX 50 Millionaire Edition will feature a dark graphite finish, roof rails, grille and air intakes covered the same color while inside we will find a very elegant Alcantara trim with brown stitching, center console and various panels made of carbon fiber, a Connectiviti + satellite navigation with 10 GB of extra memory for storing music, a new Around View Monitor which allows the drivers to see around the car and a new Bose Sound System.

Toyota Prius pummels Honda Insight in the hybrid war

At the marketing launch last March, the Honda Insight was being pushed to be “the hybrid for everyone.” Unfortunately, its sales since then belie this statement. The truth is that it has failed to capture a large part of the market. At the time of the launch, Steve Center, Honda vice president of advertising and public relations, had said that the company doesn’t only want a “sliver of the market.”

In what could be considered a dig at the Toyota Prius, Center said that the Insight was going to be a populist’s car and not an elitist’s car. However, Honda may want to step up its advertising since Honda’s initial 90,000-unit U.S. sales goal was revised to 60,000 because of the weak economy.

Since the March launch, sales of the Insight total just 17,530, for an annual sales rate of about 25,000, according to the Automotive News Data Center. After eight months, it can be concluded that the Insight badly trails the segment-leading Prius.

A bright spot though is that the Insight is selling better than other rival hybrids. To illustrate it more clearly, Honda is selling one Insight for every six Toyota Priuses. According to Compete Inc. and Edmunds.com, the Insight just isn’t getting the interest needed to hit its sales goals.

Honda spokeswoman Christina Ra said that the Insight was not intended to compete with Prius. Instead, it was meant to be a “gateway vehicle for young shoppers” who were hit the hardest in this recession.