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April 29, 2005
Bentley Arnage Drophead Coupe Gets The Go Ahead
The glamorous Bentley Arnage Drophead Coupe that was launched to worldwide acclaim at the Los Angeles Auto Show in January 2005 is to go into series production. The magnificent four-seater convertible show car stimulated such interest among Bentley aficionados, both in the USA and Europe, that the decision was immediately taken to continue its extensive development programme in time for delivery of the first cars in spring 2006.
The Arnage Drophead Coupe is a true luxury four-seater convertible for the 21st century: a unique blend of classic Bentley design and craftsmanship married to a high-technology platform sourced from the 2005 Model Year Arnage. As such, it is the perfect natural successor to the Bentley Azure, whose eight-year lifespan cemented the marque’s status as the prime provider of four-seater convertibles to this sector of the market.
"We knew that the Drophead Coupe would create quite a stir," says Bentley chairman Dr Franz-Josef Paefgen, "because it is the most sensationally beautiful convertible with strikingly contemporary lines and an unashamed luxurious interior. Yet even we were surprised by how much demand there has been for us to put it into production. Our customers obviously remembered how good our last convertible was and naturally their expectations for this car were even higher. I’m glad to say they haven’t been disappointed."
06:32 AM in Bentley | Permalink
April 28, 2005
MINI Is Most-Improved Brand In Customer Satisfaction
MINI, which is included in the study for only the second year, is the most-improved brand with an increase of 19 index points in its total score, taking it to sixth place in the overall rankings. Owners of the MINI, built in Oxford, report substantial improvements in the brand’s quality and reliability. MINI is one of five British-built cars in the Top 20, matching the number of Japanese-built models ranked at the top of the study.
06:29 AM in BMW, MINI | Permalink
April 27, 2005
The New Audi A6 Avant
At the press reveal of the new Audi A6 Avant (estate car) range prior to it going on sale in the UK this month, Audi revealed a whole host of figures to support the growth of their brand in the UK.
Last year in the UK Audi sold 77,982 new cars, an increase of 8.78 per cent over 2003. This growth was almost the same as their German rival BMW but well ahead of the 12.46 per cent decline by Mercedes-Benz.
Jon Zammett, Head of PR for Audi in the UK said, "So far in 2005 and for the first time ever, Audi has outsold BMW in the first quarter of any year in the UK. So far this year our UK sales are 25,497, up 13.31 per cent. BMW sales are 24,512, down 4.4 per cent and Mercedes first quarter UK sales at 19,143 showed a 22 per cent decline". The UK is Audi’s second biggest export market, a whisker behind the USA. Audi also has the youngest customer profile of any premium brand in the UK.
April 26, 2005
Jaguar's Next Generation XK Series
In 1996, at the Geneva Motor Show, British prestige car maker Jaguar took the wraps of its new XK8, a two-door slink mobile powered by an advanced V8 that wowed crowds and became the marque's fastest selling sports car to date.
Almost 10 years since the XK8's arrival, which also spawned the much-loved XKR (complete with supercharger), not a lot has a changed.
There was a mild makeover for the XK Series in early 2004, but the fundamental shape, and more importantly it's chassis and powertrain, had barely been tinkered with.
But all this is set to change.
06:06 AM in Jaguar | Permalink
April 25, 2005
2006 Hyundai Accent - First Look
Over the years, Hyundai and value have become synonymous and now, with the introduction of the all-new 2006 Accent, Hyundai has raised the bar, delivering a higher level of value and sophistication in the small car class.
According to Hyundai, this third-generation Accent delivers class-leading safety features and a powerful, fuel-efficient CVVT engine, all wrapped in a sleek, new exterior design.
The new Accent new from the ground up and is also larger in every exterior dimension, which translates into more interior volume. Furthermore, Hyundai claims the '06 Accent's interior space will be class leading.
06:02 AM in Hyundai | Permalink
April 22, 2005
TVR Sagaris
Designed in Bedlam, with the final design focus group run in a little lock-up garage out the back of Rampton Mental Hospital, TVR's new Sagaris sits eyeing me from the other side of the car park like a big blue herptile predator eyeing an unusually vertical hairy mammal. Subtle? No. Not a word we are going to be using here, or any variation plucked from the thesaurian depths so that a journalist can feel clever. Because the TVR Sagaris is about as subtle as being stabbed in the eyes with a stick. It impinges. Like when you get that feeling that somebody is staring at the back of your head, you'll always subconsciously turn towards it with slight unease, aware that it's just looked the other way.
06:08 AM in TVR Sagaris | Permalink
April 21, 2005
Tokyo Auto Salon 2005
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Ducks Garden Fairlady Not a pretty ornothologist, sadly, but a rehash of a 1967 Nissan drop-top. And Ducks Garden are the tuners who could find nothing better to do with an ageing MX-5. |
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Honda Fit HB Honda's 'Incremental Mould' technology gives customers the chance to design their own bodywork. And this is Italian styling legend Zagato's crack at the Jazz. Fit? Try beer goggles. |
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Elexceed RS Eco-commuting was once about Sinclair C5s. But this is Tokyo, and they're in a hurry. The £10k RS is a plug-in single-seater that'll do 44 miles between charges and hit 45mph. |
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Esprit 350z Z33-R This is Nandrolone abuse, muscle-car style. Esprit has stuffed a 2.6-litre twin-turbo straight-six from the Skyline GTR into Nissan's 350Z. And tweaked out a full 702bhp. |
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Mugen Legend Max Think Honda Legend, think slippers and pension books? Not Mugen. It's jammed in a detuned 600bhp four-litre V8 Le Mans engine, and it still revs to 10,000rpm. |
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Proto Star Part Rolls-Royce, part coffee cake, all ill-disguised Honda Jazz. It's a design study from Shizuoka College of Technology. Thanks guys. |
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Toy Box Alligator II Somewhere under this Thunderbirds freak show is a Micra. And chop shop Value Progress says just 10 orders will put the £22k six-wheeled eyesore into production. No. |
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Mazda MX-5 Coupe Bit late in the day, but we like the Italian sports car inspiration behind the MX-5 Coupe. Have Mazda's design bods been taking notes? |
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RX-7 If twin turbos don't quite fit the brief, sod it, try twin engines. Scoot has mated two of Mazda's manic rotary units to create its 470bhp RX-7 street racer. |
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Puchiche It's hard to be taken seriously when your name is Yamashita. Harder still when you spend £16,000 of your hard-earned turning a Suzuki Cappuccino into a carbon-bodied 911-a-like. |
06:04 AM in Honda, Mazda, News, Nissan | Permalink
April 20, 2005
1997-2002 Plymouth Prowler
Styled like a roadster of the 1930s, but redone in the mode of the '50s, the Prowler looked like no other modern car on the road. Motorcycle-type front fenders, for instance, moved along with the front wheels. Like the Viper before it, Prowler had been a show car--but one later made ready for the street. Appearances aside, the Prowler's technology was strictly up-to-date. About 900 pounds of aluminum were used--in the hood, front side panels, doors, rear deck, frame, bumpers, front-suspension wishbones, and seat frames. Plastic was used for rear body panels, rocker panels, and front fenders. Borrowed from Chrysler's LH sedans, the 3.5-liter V6 engine produced 214 horsepower. Rear-wheel drive helped impart a more traditional hot rod feel. Prowler's sole transmission was a rear-mounted automatic unit with Chrysler's Autostick manual-shift feature, which permitted manual gear selection when desired. Antilock brakes and traction control were not available, though brakes were all-disc. Front tires were 225/45VR17 size, while the back end held massive 295/40VR20 rubber. Both tires had run-flat capability--essential because there was no room for a spare tire. The retro theme continued into the interior, which featured a full complement of gauges at the center of the dashboard, in an elliptical pod. That pod matched the body color--which was purple-only in the Prowler's first season. A tachometer was mounted atop the steering column, simulating the look of aftermarket speed equipment. Standard equipment included air conditioning, a tilt steering wheel, cruise control, 6-disc CD changer, and a defroster for the convertible top's glass rear window. Power windows, locks, and mirrors also were standard.
06:33 AM in Plymouth Prowler | Permalink
Future Audi product pipeline revealed
Just got out of a meeting with my Audi mole and he told me that the S6 and the S8 are officially committed to and will be in the USA sometime next year.
Look for a 5.2 litre engine lifted from the Lambo running at 550HP.
Also, the A5 (or Q5 depending on the final name)is a go for 2007-08.
And finally my favorite, The Lemans has been officially approved and will see the light of day as a real production car in 2007-08!
Get more info.
06:07 AM in Audi, News | Permalink
April 19, 2005
The new Lexus GS450 hybrid
Lexus Unveils Second Ground-Breaking Hybrid Luxury Vehicle. The world's first gas/electric hybrid-powered luxury SUV, the RX 400h, goes on-sale in less than a month. Today, at a press conference at the New York Auto Show, Lexus unveiled yet another ground-breaking hybrid vehicle. The 2007 Lexus GS 450h is the world's first hybrid luxury sedan and the first full hybrid vehicle with a front engine and rear wheel drive.
"Once again, we've applied our formula of no compromise engineering - this time to a luxury sport sedan which proves to us that hybrid power trains can work superbly in virtually any application," said Lexus Vice President of Marketing Mark Templin. "It's very important to continue pursuing substantial reductions in fuel consumption and emissions, while continuing to improve performance and driving pleasure. Our customers wouldn’t have it any other way."