Month: November 2010

Categories
MINI Challenge

BMW Australia withdraws support for MINI Challenge

MINI Challenge, Townsville

In disappointing, but perhaps unsurprising news, BMW Australia today announced the MINI Challenge series would not continue beyond the current season. Originally set up in 2008 with a five-year commitment commercial realities have influenced BMW Australia’s position.

MINI national manager, David Woollcott, explains, “Motorsport is becoming increasingly expensive and, together with a contraction in the television exposure, this has meant the race series has become financially unviable.

“MINI would also like to recognize the contribution of all those who participated in MINI Challenge including V8 Supercars, CAMS, our series sponsors Hertz and Pizza Capers and most of all, the teams and drivers who made MINI Challenge such a thrilling spectacle.”

This means the upcoming round on Sydney’s streets at Homebush (3–5 December) will be the last round for the series.

AUSmotive passes on its best wishes to the organisers (Toleman Motorsport), the team owners and all the drivers. Here’s hoping Homebush is a great celebration of a category that has provided some thrilling entertainment over the last three years.

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Categories
Volkswagen

Volkswagen Polo GTI – Australian pricing & specs

Volkswagen Polo GTI

Volkswagen Australia has just released pricing and specifications for its newest hot hatch, the Polo GTI. There’s good news, too, as the pre-delivery list pricing comes in under $30K and both 3-door ($27,790) and 5-door ($28,990) versions are available.

Standard equipment includes a 132kW twincharged 1.4 litre engine, a 7-speed DSG transmission, an XDL electronic diff, ESP with Hill Start Assist, six airbags and 17″ alloys. For the first time on a Polo model xenon headlights with LED daytime running light can be added as an option ($1600). Unfortunately, there is no option for a manual transmission at this stage.

The usual GTI colour palette is offered with two flat colours Candy White and Flash Red (pictured). While an extra $500 will get you pretty sparkles in your Shadow Blue, Reflex Silver or Deep Black Pearl Effect colour options.

Performance is both brisk and efficient, with the baby GTI matching its larger Golf GTI cousin by reaching 100km/h in 6.9 seconds. While the 6.1l/100km fuel economy rating is first class for a car in this segment.

Press statements from Volkswagen Australia are available after the break, including a gallery of 24 local images.

UPDATE: Thanks to Corey_R who has left a note in the comments section that all Polo models in Australia can be ordered with a Panoramic Glass Sunroof. This will be a $1700 option and will be available from January 2011 build. There is nothing official from VW Aus just yet, but the information comes from a credible source.

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Categories
MINI Safety Issues

MINI Countryman granted 5-star crash rating

MINI Countryman

The love it or hate it MINI Countryman now has one less reason to hate it. It’s performance at the latest round of Euro NCAP testing saw the not-so-MINI awarded a 5-star crash rating. The Countryman scored 84% for the Adult Occupant category, 83% for Child Occupant, 63% for Pedestrian and 71% for Safety Assist.

Interestingly the model tested was a right-hand drive Countryman Diesel, so these results are directly relevant to the Australian market. Most cars tested by Euro NCAP are left-hand drive.

You can read the full Euro NCAP report HERE. After the break you can watch video footage of the Countryman’s test, as well as reading the press release from MINI PR.

[Pic: Euro NCAP]

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Categories
Volkswagen

Splashing the cash

Volkswagen Group

Volkswagen Group wants to knock Toyota off its perch to claim the mantle as the world’s largest car maker. And to do so they know they’ll have to spend up and spend up big. So they have just announced they’ll be pouring in a massive €51.6 billion (AU$70 billion) over the next five years to help achieve their aim.

Professor Dr Martin Winterkorn, Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG said, “The Volkswagen Group will help shape the technological turning point in key areas of the automotive industry and, to do this, will continue investing in environmentally friendly technologies, efficient drives and new models.

“We are systematically pursuing the goals of our Strategy 2018 to further increase our profitability and to make Volkswagen the world’s most future-proof automotive group. The investment program we have now resolved will play a significant role in this.”

Volkswagen’s full statement is available after the break.

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Categories
Audi

So, what is the Audi quattro concept like to drive?

Audi quattro concept

When the stunning Audi quattro concept made its debut in Paris it was little more than a show car queen. It had a modest engine designed only to get it from transporter to show hall. Now, though, Audi has fiddled with the car and installed a few herbs. 402 of them to be exact, or around 300kW if you want the straight version. Powered by the wonderful 2.5 litre inline five cylinder found in the TT RS and now the RS3, as well, and tipping the scales at a whopping 235kg less than the RS3, this 21st century Quattro should be the duck’s guts. But is it?

Well, luckily for us, or perhaps more luckily for them, Matt Prior from Autocar and Henry Catchpole from Evo have been given the chance to drive the car to find out.

Matt Prior: Encouraged by Audi to press on a bit faster, I give it a bootful, at which point it feels rather less like a concept car. The Quattro really flies. Once you’ve a few revs wound on – anything over 2500 is fine – most of the lag disappears and the distinctive five-pot warble kicks in, followed by some whistling and chattering of the wastegate when you lift and start the process in the next gear. It feels R8 V10 kind of fast, but that acceleration is easier to get at. The shift is sweet too. The brakes perhaps a tad over-servoed, but manageable enough. Engine response is fine for heel and toe downshifts.

Henry Catchpole: Despite steering that could do with being a bit quicker, you can feel how light it is and what a short wheelbase it has as it snaps into corners with the rear end feeling particularly keen. It also rides amazingly well for a concept car with big 20in wheels. Even after a limited drive I want one.

While it’s very early days yet—the concept is yet to be approved for production—it sounds as though Audi’s engineers have a great platform to work on should the top brass give them the okay to build it.

We especially like this last line from Catchpole’s review, “If you put the sat-nav into ‘Race’ mode then it will apparently read you pace notes for the road ahead like a rally co-driver!” For the full text follow the links below.

[Source: Autocar & Evo]

Categories
Motorsports

2010 Macau Grand Prix highlights

2010 Macau Grand Prix

The Macau Grand Prix has a long and proud history. Many of the drivers to win the event have gone on to enjoy stellar Formula One careers, including Riccardo Patrese (winner in 1977, 1978), Ayrton Senna (1983), and Michael Schumacher (1990). Even a few Australians have stood atop the winner’s podium, Kevin Bartlett (1969), Vern Schuppan (1974, 1976) and David Brabham (1989).

Since 1983 Formula Three cars have been the main event and last weekend was no different. If you missed the 57th running of the race fear not, there’s a short highlights package for you after the break. The opening segments were filmed on a Canon 7D, too, pretty amazing, really.

[Source: Cinema5D]

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Categories
Formula 1

Daniel Ricciardo to drive for Toro Rosso in 2011?

Daniel Ricciardo

There is a rumour developing that says Daniel Ricciardo could make his Formula One debut in 2011 with Toro Rosso. The Red Bull junior team has already confirmed Jaime Algesuari and Sebastien Buemi as its driver lineup for next year. However the door was opened for Ricciardo when team boss, Franz Tost, said, “You never know what will happen in F1.” It’s understood Buemi is the driver who would make way for the young Aussie.

Tost’s comments follow those of Dr Helmut Marko, Red Bull motorsport advisor, who said, “We pushed Bernoldi, Klien, Liuzzi and Speed without a breakthrough. Daniel Ricciardo is the next top talent. A new Vettel? I don’t know.”

Ricciardo is the official reserve driver for both Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso. He has twice tested for Red Bull, at the end of the 2009 season and again earlier this month. Both times the 2009 British F3 champ has impressed by putting his name at the top of the time sheets.

In Abu Dhabi Ricciardo was asked for his thoughts on making his F1 debut following his recent test program, the 21-year-old said, “I think I’m probably as ready as I can be.”

It would be great to see the young West Australian join Mark Webber in Formula One next year, so we hope this emerging rumour is on the money.

[Source: Eurosport | Pic: Red Bull/Getty Images]

Categories
News Red Bull Racing

Red Bull F1 car ready for Australian Festival of Speed

Red Bull Racing RB5

This weekend will see the inaugural Australian Festival of Speed at Perth’s Barbagallo Raceway. In town for the event will be Mark Webber and Daniel Ricciardo. Red Bull Racing has also been kind enough to bring along a Formula One car for Mark to play with. He’ll be doing a few laps in this four year-old demo car to please the crowd.

Festival of Speed boss, Terry Mader, reckons Mark should be right to set a new lap record at Barbagallo with the 2005 mark of 52.261 seconds under serious threat, “Mark’s said he can get it up to 280km per hour on the long track. It’s a very short track (compared to an F1 circuit), but he knows it well because he used to drive around it in a Formula Ford a long time ago.”

[Source: perthnow.com.au via motorcentral | Pic: Alf Sorbello]

Categories
Audi

Audi quattro concept looks set for production

Audi quattro spied in Malibu

This Audi quattro concept, or perhaps that should read, the Audi quattro concept was recently spotted in Malibu, California. It’s understood the Paris Motor Show star was out on a photoshoot, with a red 1980s Ur-Quattro also along for the ride. The cruisey quattros had a Police escort and all.

Okay, that’s not the properly exciting bit. Apparently the guy who snapped the spy pics (see link below for more) spoke to the lucky folks with the stunning quattro concept and was told Audi will be putting the concept into limited production. Bravo!

Let’s just hope the earlier rumour that its price could be a whopping £200,000(AU$320,000) is proved false.

[Source: Jalopnik]

Categories
Audi

More Audi RS3 eye candy

Audi RS3

Following the release of official RS3 info from Audi earlier this week comes this series of wallpapers sourced from the Audi.de website. Shown above is an RS3 fitted with the black optics package, which includes the gloss black grille; good, and the black wheel with red detailing; bad.

There are 17 pics in all from the gallery and you can check out the rest after the break, along with a promo video showing the RS3 in all its glory.

Further, here is a brief email exchange between AUSmotive and Audi AG:

Am: Is there any chance the RS3 will feature a manual gearbox in future?
Audi: No

Am: Is the production of the RS3 limited to 2700 units, or any other number?
Audi: No

Am: Is the quattro system exactly the same as found in the current model S3, or have there been some revisions?
Audi: The rear axle differential, prop shaft and drive shaft are reinforced.

Continue reading “More Audi RS3 eye candy”
Categories
McLaren

McLaren announces UK and Euro pricing for MP4-12C

2011 McLaren MP4-12C

McLaren Automotive has set the price for its upcoming MP4-12C supercar. Pricing starts at £168,500 for UK buyers, while European customers will be coughing up €200,000 plus. Those of us in other markets will have pricing confirmed at a later date.

For comparison, an Aston Martin DBS will cost you £170,500, a Porsche 911 GT2 RS is £167,915, while a Ferrari 458 Italia will set you back £169,545. Importantly, the Perodua Myvi 5dr pricing begins at £7,799, so you could by 21 of those if the 12C doesn’t float your boat.

Full detail available after the break.

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Categories
MINI

MINI refreshes local lineup

2011 MINI range

The faclefited MINI range is now on sale in Australia. It’s a pretty standard refresh with minor cosmetic changes, including front brake ducts, LED rear tail lights. MINI has also thrown a bit more fruit into the standard equipment, such as Bluetooth phone capability across the range. Mechanically, things are pretty much the same as before.

Full details, including pricing, can be found in the MINI Australia press release after the break.

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