Month: March 2009

Categories
Porsche

Porsche UK announces Panamera pricing

Porsche Panamera

The Porsche Panamera four door gran turismo goes on sale in the United Kingdom in mid-September. Pricing starts at £72,266 for the Panamera S, £77,269 for the Panamera 4S and £95,298 for the top of the range Panamera Turbo. In Aussie dollars that equates to around $155,000, $165,000 and $203,000 respectively.

Of course, when the Panamera does get down under it cost plenty more than that with the Luxury Car Tax, among others, seeing the prices head well north.

At launch engine options are limited to a V8, although in varying horsepower tunes and the Turbo, well, er has a Turbo bolted to it as well. Actually, one wasn’t enough, so Porsche bolted two compressors to the 4.8 litre V8, for good measure.

Six-speed manual or seven-speed PDK transmissions are on offer, along with the usual menagerie of Porsche’s pet acronyms, including PASM, PCCB, PTM and VTS. You’ll have the read the press release below to find what they all mean. That’s if you don’t know already.

More Panamera pics can be seen here: Porsche sends new Panamera into space

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Categories
Volkswagen

Inside look: How to build a Golf VI

Golf VI production at Wolfsburg, Germany

Here are four videos showing the inner workings of the Golf VI production line at Volkswagen’s headquarters in Wolfsburg.

They are fascinating viewing. There is no commentary, but the sounds from the factory floor have been captured well and add to the experience. In the third clip you can even hear The Chemical Brothers pumping through the stereo!

I’ve been fortunate enough to do a MINI factory tour at Plant Oxford in England. If the opportunity ever presents itself to tour a major production line I highly recommend it.

All four clips available after the jump. Here we go…

Source: VWvortex.com

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Categories
Formula 1

Lewis Hamilton drives F1 car by remote control

This viral ad for Vodafone McLaren Mercedes was just sent in by massive Lewis Hamilton fan Wes Stubbs. It takes us on a fictional journey from remote control car nerds right to the heart of the McLaren garage, and ends up with the current World Champion driving his F1 car via a Bluetooth equipped mobile phone. It’s pretty damn cool.

(Thanks to Wes for sending this in.)

Categories
Motor Shows News

MIMS 2009 – That’s a wrap

Melbourne International Motor Show

The doors have closed on the 2009 Melbourne International Motor Show. That brings down the curtain on individual shows for Melbourne and Sydney, with a new era set to begin in 2010.

Around 160,000 visitors attended MIMS this year. That figure is down on other years, but Motor Show director, Russ Tyrie is talking things up, “In any other year, we would be disappointed with a crowd of 160,000. But considering the impact of the global economic slowdown and with households watching every cent, achieving this number of visitors is encouraging for an industry feeling the pinch.”

Following the joint venture agreement between the Melbourne and Sydney motor show organisers there will be no major Australian motor show until the latter half of 2010.

With such a long break between events the next “Australian International Motor Show” is sure to be one you cannot afford to miss.

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Categories
Audi

Audi deals out excellence awards

Audi Centre Canberra

Usually when a press release from a manufacturer announcing internal awards reaches the AUSmotive inbox I’ll leave it be. But Audi Centre Canberra have been great supporters of this site, so it came as no surprise that they recently won Audi’s Provincial/Rural ‘Mark of Excellence’ award for the second year in a row.

This is great news for Dealer Principal Richard Rolfe who saw the opening of the new ‘Audi Terminal’ building in 2008.

Coincidentally, the Metropolitan winner, Audi Five Dock, also opened their new facilities in 2008. Full details after the jump.

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Categories
Motor Shows Renault

Geneva 2009 – Clio Renault Sport

2009 Clio Renault Sport

It’s not easy being green! At least, that’s what I imagine this poor Clio must have thought when it was revealed to the motoring world in Geneva a few days ago. It might be a great drive, it might be chock full of froggy cornering goodnessâ„¢, but there’s no escaping it has a face like a busted knee.

Most disappointingly, with the first phase of the Clio III thing were looking so good. But, the phase 2 facelift never really gave the pugnacious Clio Renault Sport much of a fighting chance really.

The new hot Clio is a bit lighter, has a couple of different variations—Luxe for general punting and the familiar Cup for more hard core hot hatch devotees—but, honestly, I’m just so disappointed in this update that I couldn’t care less. That, and the fact we’re probably not likely to see this car in Australia until the next millennium.

For the French purists I’ve no doubt you will love this car and, please, I invite you to delight over the details from the Renault press release and images after the jump. For me, I’m starting to get over it!

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Categories
Top Gear Australia

Top Gear Australia – Series 2 returns 11 May

Top Gear Australia

Just spotted on CarAdvice is news that Top Gear Australia has put out an audience call for its second series. The first recording date is just a few weeks away on Tuesday 7 April. A full list of filming dates is listed below.

Series 2 will premiere on SBS Television on Monday 11 May. Of course, this will mark James Morrison‘s debut with the local cast, joining Steve Pizzati and Warren Brown.

The series will run for a total of 8 episodes, which (presumably) means the last episode will be broadcast on Monday 29 June.

More details on the audience call are available below, or you can simply check out the Top Gear Australia website.

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Categories
Formula 1

BBC – Back on the chain gang

The BBC will be covering Formula One again in 2009 (no more James Allen, thank f***ing god!). For races held outside of Australia local television audiences will also see BBC’s return to F1 via Channel Ten’s coverage.

To get you in the mood the Beeb have revived their old F1 theme, The Chain by Fleetwod Mac. There’s only three weeks to go…

Categories
Motor Shows Volkswagen

Geneva 2009 – Caractere Scirocco

Volkswagen Scirocco by Caractere

The Volkswagen Scirocco is one of AUSmotive’s favourite cars. It is the wolf to the Golf GTI’s Little Red Riding Hood. This new bodykit, revealed by Caractere at the 2009 Geneva Auto Salon, certainly heightens the visual senses from the already stunning canvas supplied by VW.

The possibility of the Scirocco coming to Australia is still up in the air. Speculation suggests that the hot R20T model could make it down under, but, according to Volkswagen Australia CEO Jutta Dierks at the Melbourne Motor Show, we should remain hopeful, rather than expectant, that they can secure the Scirocco for our market.

Source: World Car Fans via GOLFMKV.com

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Categories
Bugatti Motor Shows

Geneva 2009 – Timelapse footage

The crew at Image Engineers have provided us with a nifty timelapse clip from the floor at the 2009 Geneva Auto Salon.

For some more really cool stuff, that is gigapan imagery, click HERE for a closer look at the Geneva show floor, or HERE for a much closer look at the Bugatti Veyron Bleu Centenaire.

Source: autoblog

Categories
Mazda Targa Tasmania

Mazda turbocharges Targa assault

Mazda turbocharges Targa assault

Mazda Australia is planning one of its biggest and best assaults on Targa Tasmania yet. They have signed 2008 winner, South Australian Steve Glenney, and thrown him the keys to a 205kW turbocharged RX-8 SP.

“I’m excited to be chosen by Mazda Motorsport to play a role in the development of the Mazda RX-8, and to be driving it in its Australian rally debut,” said Glenney.

“The RX-8’s a great-looking car, the rotary engine is synonymous with Mazda’s Motorsport history in Australia, and I’m confident of getting a top result for Mazda.”

Mazda and Glenney are hoping the return of the SP badge to Australian motorsport will bring a top-three finish. The RX-7 SP, the last Mazda to race in Australia with the SP badge, won four Bathurst 12 hour races in a row from 1992–95.

Also forming part of Mazda’s Targa team will be a pair of Mazda 3 MPS vehicles. Australian motorsport perennial Rick Bates returns in Mazda colours for the third year in a row. This year he will be partnered by Anthony McLoughlin. That’s the experience covered then, what about youth? Mazda, has that angle covered as well with the brother and sister team of Brendan Reeves and Rhiannon Smyth also taking the wheel of the MPS hatch.

Targa Tasmania 2009 runs from Tuesday April 28–Sunday May 3 and AUSmotive will again be there at the coalface in support of MINI competitors Andrew Robinson and Stu Jones.

A trio of press statements detailing Mazda’s plans follows after the jump.

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Categories
Volkswagen

The Mk6 Golf – it really is recycled!

The New Golf contains approx 40% recycled materials

With the launch of the new Mk6 Golf there has been some criticism that it is too much like the old model. Outwardly, despite sharing just one panel from the Mk5 (the roof), the Mk6 is a small progression from the previous model. Although, trainspotters, like myself, could spot the differences a mile away, the average punter will be hard pressed to do likewise. Indeed, it has been suggested that the Mk6 should simply be called a Mk5.5, in that it could be considered only half an upgrade.

Merits of that argument aside, it turns out that the new Golf actually is an old Golf. Or, more strictly, a recent independent audit has found that over 500kg of the car’s total weight contains recycled materials.

German authority TÃœV NORD has assessed 5,000 parts and found that there is 527kg of recycled materials used in the production of the Mk6. The bulk of the recycled matter is metal (501kg), with plastics next (15kg), followed by glass (9kg) and operating fluids (2kg).

According to the Australian specifications released with the local launch of the Mk6, the range here tips the scales from 1270kg for a 6-speed manual 90TSI, to 1380kg for a 6-speed DSG 103TDI. Assuming the 527kg recycled material figure is consistent across the model line up, that represents 41.5% recycled materials used to build a 90TSI, or 38% for a 103TDI.

The mid-weight locally is the 118TSI, which weighs 1330kg when fitted with a 7-speed DSG, and that would mean 39.5% of the car’s weight is reused matter. The spec sheets claim the DSG transmissions weigh 20kg, so add half a percent or so to those figures if changing your own gears is your thing.

Understandably, most consumers focus on fuel consumption and CO2 emissions when considering their next purchase. However, it is pleasing to see that a more holistic approach to sustainability is being taken by car makers. Further to that approach, over 85% of Volkswagen vehicles can be recycled at end of life.

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