Maserati will be showing off a new model at the Paris Motor Show—the GranTurismo MC Stradale. Details are pretty light on, but Maserati have stated the car will have 336kW (450bhp). That will make it the most powerful car in their current line up. Unsurprisingly, the GranTurismo will be the fastest new Maserati money can buy, and the lightest, as well.
The GranTurismo goes on sale in Europe in early 2011 and will launch in Australia towards the end of next year.
Following the release of images of the new Continental GT from Bentley you can now feast your eyes on a new video clip. Despite ending somewhat abruptly the footage has a great blend of imagery featuring production and design techniques interwoven with the big GT driving around the Ascari race track.
The list of races for the 2011 Formula One season was released by the FIA overnight. There will be 20 races in all, making next year’s calendar the longest in F1 history. Some of the details revealed in the leak following the Hungarian GP have proved to be off the mark.
Bahrain will again host the season opener (13 March), with the Australian Grand Prix to follow a fortnight later (27 March). The order of events then continues to loosely follow what we’ve seen to date in 2010.
Four back-to-back races have been confirmed: Malaysia–China (April), Spain–Monaco (May), Germany–Hungary (July) and Japan–Korea (October).
There have been 19 races scheduled this year, all maintain their GP status into next year. The new race for 2011 is the inaugural Indian Grand Prix (30 October), it will be the third last race on the calendar. Following that race will be a trip to Abu Dhabi (13 November), before Brazil once again hosts the season finale (27 November).
So, 20 races, hey—is this starting to become a few too many? No in-season testing. Reduced number of engines. Ever-tightened budgets. Yet, more races, meaning more television revenue coming in to the sport. Hmm, is there something not quite right about this?
A full list is available after the break.
Back in 2003 Bentley launched a new Continental GT. It was one of the first models to emerge under Volkswagen ownership. It was a great looking car. It had a big, demanding presence, while having some of the nicest curves in the game. That’s a picture of it above. Looks great, doesn’t it. Well, as it happens, that is actually the new Continental GT. Yep, it’s a brand spanker.
So the gentlefolk at Crewe have taken the evolution path, then. And why not, this new Continental GT looks fantastic. To be fair, the car looks even more svelte than before. The iconic crease lines over the wheel arches are what gives this grand tourer its classic shape, perfectly complemented by the well crafted roofline.
The GT is still powered by a 6.0 litre W12. Manufacturing improvements now see that lump producing 423kW (575 PS) and 700Nm. The GT still looks big, so it should come as no surprise, then, that she tips the scales at 2320kg. Despite that, when coupled with a new ZF 6-speed auto and Volkwagen Group’s Torsen all-wheel drive system, the GT can reach 100km/h in 4.6 seconds. That’s a couple of tenths quicker than a BMW M3. If you keep your right foot buried into the floor, you’ll reach 160km.h in 10.2 seconds.
Continuing the bold statements made by this car is the fuel consumption. It’s very bold, actually. The overall combined rating is 16.5l/100km. But I guess sir won’t be too fussed by trivial matters of his Bentley’s fuel consumption.
Coming in late 2011 is a high-output, high-efficiency V8. That sounds suspiciously like the terms used to describe the engine in the Audi RS5. Coming up after the break are more pics and an extensive press release with thanks to the Bentley PR department.
This rather stylish looking hatchback is a Holden Cruze. It will have its first public reveal in a few weeks on the Chevrolet stand at the Paris Motor Show. The car has been designed and built by Holden’s Port Melbourne design studio.
The Cruze will be made in Australia and is set to roll off local production lines towards the end of next year. It’s no Astra, but it’s still a pretty handy looking piece of kit. Thankfully, the Holden version won’t share that unfortunate Chevrolet nose.
This new Porsche Boxster test mule was recently spotted by a member of the public at a fuel station in Germany. It offers a good look at the overall shape of the next model Boxster even though finer details have been covered up.
The current Boxster range has been signed with the Spyder which is fast becoming acknowledged as a modern classic. The new range will build on that legacy with a stiffer chassis to improve handling and more efficient engines to satisfy European regulations.
We should see the new Boxster some time in 2011.
[Source: Bild]
It has been reported that young UK rally driver Kris Meeke is the first to put pen to paper with the new MINI/Prodrive WRC team. Meeke, currently racing in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, would not confirm the signing saying only, “My focus remains on this year and winning rallies with Peugeot.”
However a source with links to Prodrive has said, “The deal with Kris is done. David Richards has talked a great deal about having a British driver and he’s been as good as his word.”
Meanwhile dual WRC champion Marcus Gronholm will be testing a MINI Countryman WRC prototype in Portugal this week which could result in him being the next major signing for the newest team in world rally.
The MINI WRC team will contest a reduced number of events in 2011 before taking on the WRC full-time in 2012.
[Source: Autosport | Thanks to Chris for the tip]
“It is now responsible for those butterflies in your stomach. The new CLS from Mercedes-Benz. Because seduction has to be flawless.”
Well, that’s what the deep-voiced man on the video reckons. I’m not so sure, to be honest.
Mercedes-Benz has taken the cover off its new CLS four-door coupé, announcing the car will have its official reveal at the Paris Motor Show in October.
Four-door coupé, by definition, is a misnomer, of course, but in 2003 Mercedes was one of the first companies to reveal such a concept. After going on sale it did pretty well for Benz, too, achieving 170,000 sales worldwide.
This new model, then, will it live up to the expectations set by the first generation CLS? Does it manage to maintain that slaoon/coupé look?
In profile things look okay up front, but when you get to the rear, especially the point where wheel arch meets door, well, things do start getting a bit complicated, don’t they. It’s a bit hard to tell from the dramatically lit photos if this is a bad complicated, or a good complicated. It’s a bit easier to be more certain about the rear light assembly. It’s ghastly!
Full details are avilable after the break, along with more images—all accessible in 2000px super image sizing, too, just click on the pics for the larger versions.
I’d love to hear what you think of this “new design icon” from Mercedes. Have they hit the spot, or got it horribly wrong?
The new 2011 Porsche 911 (991 model code) will be a ground-up transformation over the existing 997 model. It will be up to 50kg lighter, feature all-new suspension geometry and the rear axle will be pushed back by around 75mm. This will offer more interior space, but will also afford a more optimum mounting position for the engine. Better handling and increased overall stability the result.
Improved aerodynamics, stop-start technology and a brake regeneration system will help improve efficiency by around 10%, despite the inevitable (albeit modest) power gains. It has been reported the 991 911 will feature a 7-speed manual transmission, which has been derived from the PDK unit.
Inside, the 991 will draw its look from the Panamera, including easier to read dials and a wider centre console. Overall, the new 911 will be a more comfortable place to be.
[Source: Automobile]
Jaguar’s new flagship XJ model goes on sale in Australia this month. Entry level list pricing begins at $198,800 for the short-wheelbase 3.0 Diesel and goes up to a hefty $367,800 for the long-wheelbase supercharged 5.0 litre V8. (Full pricing details are listed after the break.)
Overall the XJ is a nice looking car. In photos, at least, it has a commanding presence that is only let down by the continuation of the rear window graphic on to the car’s C-pillar.
Naturally, Ian Callum, Design Director at Jaguar Cars, reckons they’re on a winner with their 21st century take on Jaguar visual language, “The new XJ is a thoroughly modern interpretation of the quintessential Jaguar. Its visual impact stems from the elongated teardrop shape of the car’s side windows, that powerful stance and its wide track. It is the most emphatic statement yet of Jaguar’s new design direction.”
For a car that carries such weight at the top of the Jaguar model line up its surprising that just four images accompanied the Australian press release. Similarly, the UK press archive wasn’t wasting any resources, either. However, there’s enough pics to show the car at is best, even if the interior shots had to be nicked from the Jaguar website.
After AUSmotive tested the Jaguar XF recently it became clear that New Jaguar is both shedding its cardigan image of yore and giving the established German competition something to think about. But, 367-large for a new Jag – would you do it?
According to a report from UK publication Autocar, Volkswagen sources have confirmed with them the new New Beetle will be a “radical design”. The rendering above is Autocar‘s interpretation of that comment. It looks okay. I guess. Radical? Not greatly. If the above rendering is on the money, then the Beetle will be taking on a more masculine look than the first New Beetle.
Apparently, we’ll know for sure what the new New Beetle will look like at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show in January, if not a bit before.
The Beetle will be built in Mexico alongside the new Jetta. The two cars will share many chassis and engine components. It is expected the new New Beetle will be on sale in Europe before the middle of next year. Add somewhere in the vicinity of 9 months for an Australian release, maybe pre-Christmas 2011 at a guess. A convertible New Beetle will follow in 2012.
[Source: Autocar]