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.

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.

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.

Porsche slashes its dividend after posting a massive pretax loss

After posting a huge pretax loss, Porsche Automobile Holding SE dramatically cut its dividend, marred by writedowns on stock options for heavily inflated Volkswagen shares. Porsche SE recorded a 4.4 billion euro ($6.60 billion) loss before tax. This confirmed a profit warning it issued just days before its 2008/09 fiscal year ended on July 31.

In the previous year, its cash-settled VW stock options gave Porsche windfall gains of 8.57 billion euros.

Porsche SE then submitted a proposal for a symbolic dividend of 0.05 euros per preferred share that it will distribute after taking 1 billion euros from earnings retained in the past to post a small 8.2 million euro net profit based on German accounting standards.

In a statement from Porsche SE, the main factor in the loss was a write-down on cash settlement options to VW shares.

Another factor influencing the result was the “hidden reserves and liabilities” recognized in the course of the purchase price allocation for the shareholding in VW.

Volkswagen’s vehicle deliveries up with 11.1% in October

Volkswagen AG may have recorded strong results in October but it is now sternly warning investors against interpreting those figures to mean that the car industry will be headed for a lasting rebound. VW says that sustained recovery is still a long way yet and that 2010 is expected to be a difficult and challenging year, according to VW sales chief Detlef Wittig.

He had forecast in September that group volumes would stagnate at about 6.2 million vehicles both this year and in 2010.

In October, VW reported a double-digit growth in group sales due to the flurry of demand in China and Germany. Last month, VW delivered 557,300 vehicles across its eight car brands, representing an 11% improvement.

That gain pushed up cumulative sales for the first time in 2009. For the first ten months of 2009, VW’s volumes have been up 0.6 percent to 5.32 million. Due to high demand in China, Brazil and Germany, the core VW brand saw October deliveries rise 17 percent to 349,800 vehicles.

Czech subsidiary Skoda pushed its sales up by 33 percent to 65,600 cars last month, while VW’s money-losing Spanish brand Seat reported a slight gain of 1.9 percent to 29,600 units.

Vw Passat Highline Plus launched in the U.K.

Wolkswagen has added a new trim level to its Passat range called Highline Plus that has been loaded with numerous amazing features. As made obvious by its name, the Highline Plus builds on the current Highline model and is easily distinguishable by the chrome grille surround.

The Highline Plus offers all the features of the standard Passat Highline, including ABS and ESP, six airbags, 17-inch alloy wheels, semi-automatic climate control, cruise control and leather upholstery. The model was equipped with Bluetooth connectivity and VW’s new RNS sat-nav system, which features a five-inch color screen. This new system, priced at £795, will soon be available as an option on other Passat models. The Highline Plus will be available with most Passat engines, from the 1.8 TSI 160 to 2.0-liter TSI 170, with or without Bluemotion. The Highline Plus costs £750 more than the standard Highline with prices starting at £20,515 for the 2.0-liter TDI 110 PS.

Mercedes-Benz may bring a small luxury car to the United States by 2012

Daimler AG will bring in a small luxury car to the US by 2012, CEO Dieter Zetsche has told The Wall Street Journal. The car will be pitted against the Audi A3 and BMW’s 1-Series and Mini Cooper. Zetsche said that the small Mercedes-Benz would offer upscale luxury features in a small package.

Mercedes-Benz plans to import at least one of four next-generation compact models it will start selling in Europe in late 2011. Zetsche said that while the company believes that customers want cars to show some statement, the “definition of luxury will be somewhat different” since it will have less CO2 emissions and have a more modest look.

GM still aims to receive state aid for Opel restructuring

General Motors Co. does a quick roundabout and takes back what GM’s chairman, Ed Whitacre, told Germany’s Muenchner Merkur newspaper about not needing state aid to help restructure GM’s Opel segment. Whitacre had told the German newspaper that he believes GM will not require money from the German federal government for Opel.

In no uncertain terms, Whitacre said, “If Mrs. Merkel doesn’t want to give us anything then we will pay for it ourselves.” After the publication of the interview, German Economy Minister Rainer Bruederle said that GM can cover the cost of restructuring by itself.

According to a report made through German public television station ZDF, Opel labor leader Klaus Franz called talk of GM not needing aid as “short-term propaganda.” He claims that Opel’s works council would not negotiate with GM until it had laid out a plan for the company for up to 2014.

What makes the topic politically charged is because German politicians feel betrayed by GM’s decision to keep control of Opel after having agreed last September to sell a majority stake to a consortium led by Canada’s Magna International Inc. Chancellor Angela Merkel had given her full support for the deal, which provides Magna billions to restructure Opel.

VW planning to buy Potamkin’s flagship store in Manhattan

The Potamkin family has sold off its flagship dealership in Manhattan to the Volkswagen Group of America. The agreement, which was signed on Friday, will allow the conversion of the property into VW and Audi stores. VW confirmed plans to buy the 265,000-square-foot store at 11th Avenue and 56th Street from Potamkin Auto Group.

Currently, the building houses Potamkin GM, which has Cadillac, Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Hummer and Saab franchises. Brothers and co-owners, Robert and Alan Potamkin, said that they are moving the six franchises five blocks south on 11th Avenue into a smaller store that housed Potamkin Honda.

Potamkin reveals that a third of the $125 million that VW is set to spend will go to the renovation of the site. The Honda franchise has been sold to Giuffre Auto Group in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Giuffre owns Mazda, Hyundai, Kia and Mitsubishi dealerships. Robert Potamkin disclosed that Potamkin GM sells about 1,500 new vehicles each year and its Honda store’s sales are about 3,000 units annually.

The reason why the brothers are selling the Honda franchise and moving the GM operations is because property is often worth more than an auto franchise in New York. The Volkswagen and Audi stores will be run by the Open Road Auto Group, which currently owns an Audi dealership in Manhattan as well as BMW, Mini, Nissan, Mazda, Acura and Volkswagen stores in New York and New Jersey.

Porsche posts a 4.4 billion euros loss after failed VW takeover bid

A loss of 4.4 billion euros ($6.6 billion) before tax was recorded by Porsche Automobil Holding SE, Porsche AG’s parent company, in the year ending July 31. The year before, it earned 8.6 billion euros before tax. A statement from Porsche SE said that the loss is due to its failed attempt to take over the much larger Volkswagen AG.

The main factor in the loss was a write-down on cash settlement options to VW shares. Porsche said that another factor leading to the loss was the “hidden reserves and liabilities” identified in the course of the purchase price allocation for the shareholding in VW. When Porsche SE was preparing to buy a controlling stake in VW, it amassed more than 10 billion euros in net debt at a time when credit markets froze. Porsche was then required to refinance, forcing VW to extend it an emergency loan and resulting to the reverse takeover.

GM to open a number of new stores and help rejected dealers

General Motors Co. has been inviting rejected dealers to apply for new dealerships. However, it is a plan that a group of rejected dealers known as the Committee to Restore Dealer Rights has described as inadequate. GM spokesman Greg Martin said that the company is re-establishing select points in various markets around the country as part of the ongoing analysis of its dealer consolidation efforts.

Martin didn’t say which locations are being considered or when these new dealerships are expected to open. He also declined to say how many franchises would be awarded or of what criteria will apply. He did say that any dealer whose store is set to be closed can submit a proposal.

Martin said that this information was mentioned in a letter that GM sent to congressional leaders in September. According to the letter, GM will review all rejected dealer’s applications “in line with its normal business procedures.”

GM will also be selecting the proposal that is found to be the “best one for that particular market.” Tammy Darvish, a leader of the group of rejected dealers, confirmed that in the past few weeks, at least a dozen rejected dealers have received letters from GM inviting them to apply for new dealerships.

Toyota Prius continued to dominate hybrid sales

The Toyota Prius may continue to beat the Honda Insight in terms of hybrid sales but Honda says that it still has much to be pleased about. Last October, the Prius was the top seller in Japan for the sixth straight month with sales of 26,918 units for its third-generation model.

The Insight sold only 7,074 units, putting it in ninth place. The Insight may have been the first hybrid to top Japan’s sales charts this April but currently, it is being outsold by the Fit (Jazz) too.

Having sold 15,444 units in October, the Fit got second place. Even with these odds, Honda says that it isn’t concerned about the Insight’s declining sales.

The sales target for the Insight is 5,000 units monthly, making Insight’s performance for October a good sign.

Another thing is that the Fit has still got much to prove and continues to be very competitive in terms of mpg, utility and pricing.

The Fit costs much less than an Insight. The bottom line is that Honda’s Insight is exceeding expectations and that isn’t bad at all.

Superformance 1963 Corvette Grand Sport revealed

Superformance has formed a sub-brand, Duntov Motors, LLC, to develop a spot-on licensed replica of one of the most famous Corvette models of all time – the hardcore, race-spec 1963 Corvette Grand Sport. Superformance is famous for building replicas of vintage Shelby Cobras (including Pete Brock’s slippery Daytona coupe) and Ford GT40s.

Back in the 1960s, the original Grand Sport project was kept under wraps and was known only be a select few. Corvette chief engineer Zora Arkus Duntov spearheaded the project in 1962 that resulted to five examples of a race-ready ‘Vette.

These were quietly designed and built by Chevrolet’s engineering staff. Duntov held hopes that the GS would evolve into a factory-backed racer (and even a homologation-special production car). But as soon as corporate directors knew of the program, they put a stop to it and sold the cars off to private race teams.

All the five cars are still around today but each is worth far too much to actively drive or race. Superformance views its Grand Sport, which closely adheres to the original car, as a continuation series.

Original blueprints for the car were obtained and the engineers crafted body molds from Grand Sport #002, which was converted into a roadster by Chevy engineers shortly before the program ended.

Baby SLS AMG in the works

AMG’s next project is speculated to be a smaller V8 coupe intended to rival the Porsche 911. AMG has said that after it has launched the new Mercedes-Benz SLS Gullwing, it will be producing more stand-alone products. During the media launch of the SLS Gullwing Monterey, California, company executives informed reporters that it will soon broaden the AMG model line-up in the coming years. The next addition to the SLS range won’t arrive until at least five years from now.

The company executives said that at the moment, no official proposal has been submitted to AMG’s bosses at Mercedes. The SLS must first be able to prove the feasibility for bespoke machines. But they did admit that there have been talks about future projects, signifying that they’re leaning towards a more compact sports car built around a version of the SLS chassis. A rear-engined configuration has been taken out of the picture as it would not be in line with the AMG brand values.

A new-generation V8, which has between 5.8- and 6.2-litre capacity, is likely to be featured on the new baby SLS. The V8 features direct injection and cylinder cut-off technology. This means that only four cylinders will be used during smooth driving or when serious performance is not required. Actually, AMG is already developing this technology, which uses a hydraulic mechanism to close valves in the unused cylinders.

Energy losses are then minimized due to the ’spring’ rebound of compressed air in the cylinder. According to AMG’s product plan, the new engine with cut-off tech will appear in the next-generation SLS as well as the proposed smaller sibling, where its output might be reduced. The baby SLS is likely to retain the front/mid-engined layout of its big brother; however, it will have a shorter front end. This detail became possible because the SLS has a bonnet almost two meters long and an engine set well back towards the driver. This means that some empty space could be cut out at the front of the package.

Ford Taurus is the official vehicle of 2010 International CES

If you’re in Las Vegas from Jan. 7-10, don’t fail to check out the new 2010 Ford Taurus that will be the official vehicle of the 2010 International CES show. The all-new Taurus is Ford’s technology flagship, which offers more user-friendly technology to help keep its passengers safe and connected than cars twice its price.

Frank Davis, executive director Product Development, said that “there’s no better venue to show it off than CES.” To deliver the opening keynote address at the 2010 CES show is FoMoCo’s CEO Alan Mulally. At the CES show, Ford will also announce upgrades to its Ford SYNC system. The 2010 Ford Taurus is available at dealerships nationwide with prices starting at $25,995.

Press release:

“The smartest full-size sedan in America, the hot-selling 2010 Ford Taurus, will be the official vehicle of the 2010 International CES (Consumer Electronics Show®), to be held Jan. 7-10 in Las Vegas.
Ford President and Chief Executive Officer Alan Mulally will deliver the opening keynote address at CES, where Ford also will announce enhancements to its award-winning Ford SYNC® communications and entertainment system as well as new technology that builds on the company’s connected-car leadership position.

As the official car of CES, the Ford Taurus will be featured prominently with technology demonstrations and in signage, brochures and other written materials at the show.

“Consumers demand the latest on-the-go innovation in their cars. Ford automobiles are built with cutting-edge technology that makes driving safer and more enjoyable,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), producer of the International CES. “We are thrilled to welcome Ford to the 2010 International CES and to name the new Ford Taurus as the ‘Official Car of CES.’ We also look forward to hearing Ford’s Alan Mulally kick off the 2010 CES with his opening keynote address on Thursday, Jan. 7.”

As Davis notes, the all-new Ford Taurus is a perfect fit for CES – the world’s largest consumer technology trade show for the $172 billion U.S. consumer electronics industry. In addition to its expressive styling, the vehicle is loaded with advanced features, making it a virtual dream come true for avid techies.

“The Ford Taurus has 10 class-exclusive features not available from any other manufacturer,” said Davis. “This vehicle offers it all – from Multi-Contour Seats with Active Motion™ that are designed to reduce fatigue on long-distance drives to a voice-activated navigation system that can tell you real-time traffic and weather information, and even where to find the cheapest gas.”

The Taurus also offers the latest application of SYNC – Traffic, Directions & Information – along with 911 Assist™ and Vehicle Health Report. SYNC’s USB port and Bluetooth capability connects to MP3 players, memory sticks and smartphones, making them accessible by voice control – a more convenient and safe way to use these devices in the car.

For techies with teenaged drivers, Taurus offers MyKey, a feature that allows parents to program a key that can limit the vehicle’s top speed and audio volume to encourage teens to drive safer and improve fuel efficiency.”