Category: Motor Shows

Categories
Motor Shows Volkswagen

Wörthersee 2013: Design Vision GTI previewed

Volkswagen Design Vision GTI

Here’s your extreme Golf GTI. It’s a bit more extreme than we were expecting too. So far we’ve only got a handful of sketches to go on, but look at that body work! To go with the out there exterior styling Volkswagen has given the ‘Design Vision GTI’ a massive 370kW punch. 370kW; that’s 500 horsepower!

The grunt for this race-ready GTI is provided by a 3.0 litre V6 TSI engine with twin turbochargers. Peak torque is 560Nm (4000–6000rpm) and with its DSG transmission and all-wheel drive system Volkswagen reckons the Frankenstein GTI will knock off 100km/h in 3.9 seconds. Top speed is predicted to be 300km/h.

Inside the 20″ rims you’ll find large ceramic brakes (380mm front, 356mm rear) and red-painted calipers to add some bling. The tyre package is extreme too, for a GTI, running 235/35/20s at the front and 275/30/20s at the rear. The wheels are based on the Austin alloys found on the new Mk7 GTI and have had their spokes designed to help discharge heat from the brakes.

The flexibility of Volkswagen’s MQB platform has afforded the design team the opportunity to shorter the car by 15mm, while increasing its width by 71mm. With that comes increases in the track (57mm front, 63mm rear).

All sounds pretty good so far, we can’t wait to see more.

Continue reading “Wörthersee 2013: Design Vision GTI previewed”
Categories
Motor Shows Motorsports Seat

Wörthersee 2013: Seat Leon Cup Racer

Seat Leaon Cup Racer

How goddamn cool is this! It’s the Seat Leon Cup Racer, packed with 243kW of race-prepped goodness ready for customer racers to hit the circuit.

In addition to the very tasty looking and no doubt functional aero package the front track has been increased by a healthy 400mm to aid handling. Because racecar, the interior has been stripped out to save weight with a specially created TFT digital display to feed information to the driver.

Beneath the bonnet is a familiar Volkswagen Group 2.0 litre turbocharged four cylinder engine, strengthened to withstand the rigours of competition and tuned to produce 243kW/350Nm. It’s coupled to a 6-speed DSG transmission driving the front wheels using an electronically controlled diff.

And here’s the catch, if you want one it’ll set you back €70,000 plus taxes. If you want the endurance-spec, which comes with a sequential transmission and mechanical diff, you’ll need €95,000 plus taxes.

Also joining the Leon Cup Racer on display at Wörthersee is its baby brother the Ibiza SC Trophy. That’s powered by a 147kW 1.4 litre turbo four, with a 7-speed DSG and mechanical diff. It can be all yours for €31,500 plus taxes.

Continue reading “Wörthersee 2013: Seat Leon Cup Racer”
Categories
Mercedes-Benz Motor Shows

New York 2013: Mercedes-Benz CLA 45 AMG

Mercedes-Benz CLA 45 AMG

It’s only a few months since the covers came off the stylish Mercedes-Benz CLA sedan at the Detroit Auto Show in January and already we have the cooking AMG version. Of course, we knew the CLA 45 AMG was coming thanks to last week’s leaked pics.

Most of the fruit is already known as it’s based on the A45 AMG hatch. Which means we can fire up the orchestra, sound the trumpets and declare: this car features the most powerful four cylinder production engine IN THE WORLD!

To remind you, then, the 2.0 litre turbocharged engine boasts an incredibly impressive 265kW/450Nm. Coupled to a 7-speed DCT and 4matic all-wheel drive system the CLA 45 AMG sees off 100km/h in 4.6 seconds. Equally impressive, perhaps, the CLA 45 AMG has a rated fuel consumption as low as 6.9l/100km.

How much would you expect to pay for all this? Well, we’re g;ad you asked, we have no official word from Mercedes but we reckon you should budget some 5–10 grand more than the price of the A45 AMG hatchback.

So, with the CLA 45 AMG and Audi S3 sedan, New York’s Auto Show has ushered in a couple of desirable German sedans that have been warmed over by their respective performance divisions.

Hmm, one can’t help but think back over a quarter of a century to the BMW E30 M3 and think, haven’t we seen this before? We cant deny these new hot sedans owe their existence to the hot hatchbacks that have preceded them, but it’s still nice to see we’re coming full circle, to a degree.

UPDATE 2 April: Mercedes-Benz Australia/Pacific has confirmed the CLA 45 AMG will go on sale locally before the end of this year, full details to be announced closer to launch.

Continue reading “New York 2013: Mercedes-Benz CLA 45 AMG”
Categories
Audi Motor Shows

New York 2013: Audi A3/S3 sedan

2013 Audi S3 sedan

Audi has released details of the production-ready A3 sedan. You may recall the new-generations A3 was first previewed in sedan, sorry, notchback form at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. Basically the Yanks like boots, sorry, trunks, and that’s why we’re seeing the A3 in this format.

However, as the lead pic shows, the A3 sedan need not be the domain of cardigan wearers, because there’ll be an S3 version as well. It’s no surprise that this pair of sedans are pretty much the same as their A3 and S3 hatchback siblings. And that means the S3 sedan gets the full 221kW/380Nm punch we’re already anticipating in the hatch versions.

Australian buyers will also be given the opportunity to get their hands on the A3 sedan, but not until early next year. We’ll have to touch base with Audi Australia to see if that means we can expect to see the S3 sedan as well.

In the meantime there’s the usual gallery of images after the break and they’re accompanied by a host of videos from Audi USA which tell you all you need to know about the A3 and S3 sedans.

Oh, one more thing, an RS3 sedan perhaps?

UPDATE 3 April: Audi Australia has confirmed the S3 sedan will go on sale locally in the first quarter of 2014.

Continue reading “New York 2013: Audi A3/S3 sedan”
Categories
Motor Shows Subaru

New York 2013: Subaru WRX Concept

2013 Subaru WRX Concept

So the leaked images were bang on the money; this is the new Subaru WRX Concept, we shall call it the Sexy Rexy—there’s never really been one of those before. It was revealed a few days ago at the New York International Auto Show.

We’re grateful to Subaru for providing some nice hi res pics, but in true concept form there’s next to no detail on what lies beneath the skin of the Sexy Rexy. Certainly, we know nothing of the engine or its specs.

We can tell you that the colour is called ‘WR Blue Pearl III’ and that the 20″ one-piece forged duralmin wheels are made by BBS. The model name of the wheels is RI-D if you’re really keen and they’re wrapped in specially produced 245/40R20 Dunlop rubber.

But that’s it. No more firm details, aside from a few basic dimensions (length 4520mm x width 1890mm x height 1390mm; wheelbase 2760mm). In fact, Subaru, at this point in time, hasn’t even committed to a production schedule for its newest WRX.

Let’s hope they don’t take too long and, more importantly, that the Sexy Rexy loses little in translation to production model.

Continue reading “New York 2013: Subaru WRX Concept”
Categories
Motor Shows Range Rover

New York 2013: Range Rover Sport revealed

Range Rover Sport

Officially, this time, here is the all-new Range Rover Sport, fresh from its debut at the New York Auto Show.

While the Sport was developed in conjunction with the Range Rover the Sport model shares only 25% of parts with its established sibling. The all-new Range Rover Sport is lighter than its predecessor, up to 420kg in the case of the 258PS (190kW) 3.0 litre TDV6, which will be available from 2014.

When the Sport goes on sale in the fourth quarter of this year two engines will be offered: the 510PS (375kW) 5.0 litre supercharged V8 and the 292PS (215kW) 3.0 litre SDV6. The supercharged V8 can see off 100km/h in just 5.0 seconds.

Early next year the engine range will be complemented by the TDV6 already mentioned as well as a 339PS (250kW) 4.4-litre SDV8 and a “high-efficiency diesel hybrid”, which we’re sure we’ll hear a lot more about when Range Rover is ready to tell us.

All models are fitted with a variant of the seemingly ubiquitous ZF 8-speed automatic transmission. As you would expect the Sport is only available with all-wheel drive, but there are two systems to choose from. The first is a fair dinkum 4WD set-up which includes a two-speed transfer case with low-range option and full locking capability. The other relies on a Torsen differential to distribute torque where necessary and features a default 42:58 split biased towards the rear wheels.

In general terms the Range Rover Sport looks pretty good to us. It’s the Evoque you have when you want some genuine credibility. You can feast your eyes on more pics after the break and then settle in for some heavy reading thanks to the full press kit made available for you in PDF form.

Continue reading “New York 2013: Range Rover Sport revealed”
Categories
Motor Shows News

2013 Australian International Motor Show cancelled, 2014 may follow

Jaguar F-type at the 2012 Australian International Motor Show

The future of motor shows in Australia has been thrown into turmoil with word coming through that this year’s Australian International Motor Show has been cancelled. It was scheduled to be held in Melbourne from 28 June–7 July. The 2014 show in Sydney, to be held at Homebush while Darling Harbour’s Convention Centre undergoes renovations, is also under threat.

Russ Tyrie, AIMS event director, explained the decision to News Limited: “We have made the decision not to proceed based on the consensus view of the auto industry to focus limited marketing budgets on specific activities rather than an industry motor show.”

The article expands on this putting the costs of exhibiting at the show into a broader context:

In 2008 Mercedes-Benz rented the Mount Panorama race circuit for an entire week for less than it would cost to exhibit at the Sydney show. It invited VIP guests for track test drives and says it sold more cars than it would have done at the motor show.

At the 2012 Australian International Motor Show in Sydney attendance numbers were just 135,500, down from a peak of 320,000 in 2001. Similarly, 160,000 attended the most recent show in Melbourne, well down on its best figures of 257,000 achieved in 2004.

Declining participation from manufactures, citing increasing exhibition costs, had forced the Melbourne and Sydney shows to join forces to host the Australian International Motor Show in alternate years.

That theory still hasn’t worked with an anonymous manufacturer spokesperson telling News: “The exhibitor costs were getting out of hand and there are better and more effective ways to spend the money.”

Russ Tyrie added, “Decisions on future shows will be made by the committee based on market research and exploring opportunities as to how this event can best meet the needs of the industry and the public.”

[Source: News.com.au]

UPDATE 26 March: An official statement has been added below.

Continue reading “2013 Australian International Motor Show cancelled, 2014 may follow”
Categories
McLaren Motor Shows

Geneva 2013: McLaren P1 revealed

McLaren P1

McLaren published info on its P1 hypercar well ahead of the Geneva Motor Show, but here is the video from the car’s presentation. The two key numbers to take away from this clip are 600kg of downforce and 2g cornering speeds. Although, perhaps the biggest claim is Ron Dennis’ bold statement that the P1 will lap the Nürburgring Nordschleife in sub-7 minutes.

Continue reading “Geneva 2013: McLaren P1 revealed”
Categories
Green Machines Motor Shows Volkswagen

Geneva 2013: Volkswagen XL1

Volkswagen XL1

Time for a quick Geneva Motor Show catchup now with the two-seater Volkswagen XL1. It’s the slightly odd, but rather intriguing carbon fibre-bodied diesel-electric hybrid that uses just 0.9l/100km.

The XL1 has been a model a long time in the making, with its roots going back to 2002 when Ferdinand Piech, then VW Chairman, drove its forerunner, the 1 Litre car, to the company’s AGM.

Even the concept for the XL1 was first seen more two years ago. And now that it’s here Volkswagen will be making just 250 for the time being. The XL1 will only be sold in Germany and Europe and with a hefty price tag we suspect it will be as much a loss-making marketing exercise as a serious eco warrior.

The rear-wheel drive XL1 features a 35kW two cylinder TDI engine and a 20kW electric motor, coupled to a 7-speed DSG transmission. The combined 55kW will take the 795kg (unladen) green machine to 100km/h in 12.7 seconds and on to a top speed of 160km/h. In full electric mode the XL1 has a range of 50km.

In most images it’s hard to get a handle on the proportions of the XL1, as an object it looks slick and relatively well styled for what it is. But it’s not until you see a photo of the XL1 with two people on board that its compact dimensions become apparent. The press guff boasts that the XL1 is shorter than a Polo and lower than a Porsche Boxster.

We’re not really sure what the make of the XL1, but do think Volkswagen deserves a pat on the back for turning a crazy idea into a production reality, even if it’s just a limited production reality.

Continue reading “Geneva 2013: Volkswagen XL1”
Categories
Alfa Romeo Audi BMW Ferrari Lamborghini McLaren Mercedes-Benz Motor Shows Porsche Volkswagen

2013 Geneva Motor Show in video

McLaren P1

To complement our two part Geneva Motor Show picture gallery here is a selection of the best videos posted to YouTube. We start with Chris Harris’ weekly drive episode before doffing our caps in appreciation to Autocar, Evo, Auto Express and XCar.

Continue reading “2013 Geneva Motor Show in video”
Categories
McLaren Mercedes-Benz MINI Mitsubishi Motor Shows Nissan Opel Pagani Peugeot Porsche Renault Rolls-Royce Seat Skoda Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo

2013 Geneva Motor Show in pictures – part 2

2013 Geneva Motor Show

You can have your fancy pants limited-edition Lambo, or your stonking new LaFerrari, even the McLaren P1; we’re not really interested. The car of Geneva, for us, is the Porsche 911 GT3. That’s the one we’d like to take home and get intimate with. And so begins the second and final part of our Geneva Motor Show image gallery. There’s over 120 new  images to see and enjoy.

Continue reading “2013 Geneva Motor Show in pictures – part 2”
Categories
Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Bugatti Chevrolet Ferrari GM Gumpert Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Kia Koenigsegg Lamborghini Motor Shows

2013 Geneva Motor Show in pictures – part 1

2013 Geneva Motor Show

The Geneva Motor Show is still underway over in Europe and while we’re sure almost all of our readers would love to be there we’re doing the best we can to bring you a little closer to the action. Here is the first installment of over 250 pictures from the show, from Alfa Romeo to Lamborghini, which includes some of the great and not so great models on display.

That Lamborghini’s not getting any prettier is it.

Continue reading “2013 Geneva Motor Show in pictures – part 1”