Year: 2011

Categories
Koenigsegg

Koenigsegg Agera R claims six world records

Koenigsegg Agera R

The Koenigsegg Agera R hardly needs to prove to anyone that it’s a bloody fast car. A quick glance over its key stats will confirm that. It has an 830kW 5.0 litre V8 twin-turbo and weighs a relatively modest 1418kg. Surely, if you put 830kW into 1418kg you will get supersonic!

Not quite, perhaps, but the Koenigsegg website reveals a new list of production car world records waiting to be ratified by Guiness. They include standing acceleration and braking times. Here’s the full list:

  • 0-300 km/h = 14.53 sec
  • 0-200 mph = 17.68 sec
  • 300-0 km/h = 6.66 sec
  • 200-0 mph = 7.28 sec
  • 0-300-0 km/h = 21.19 sec
  • 0-200-0 mph = 24.96 sec

Impressive, don’t you think. Koenigsegg say they will be posting video of these feats to YouTube very soon.

Categories
Skoda

Skoda MissionL ‘liftback’ concept previewed

Skoda MissionL concept

Skoda has revealed two images of its MissionL concept car. It’s a ‘liftback’ design, which Skoda hopes will help the company achieve 1.5 million global sales by 2018.

Last year Skoda sold 762,000 vehicles across the globe. They’ve given themselves seven years to double that number. To aid these lofty goals Skoda is setting up new manufacturing posts in Russia and India.

Complementing the new production plans Skoda will tailor specification of the MissionL to key markets in Europe, Russia and China. While India will get its own unique compact sedan.

“Revealing the look of our new compact model, the MissionL shows exactly the direction our brand is going to take,” says Skoda Board Chairman Prof Dr Winfried Vahland. “The world premiere in Frankfurt gives a clear signal that Skoda is going full steam ahead now. We are going to present a new vehicle every six months over the next two or three years.”

Continue reading “Skoda MissionL ‘liftback’ concept previewed”
Categories
Eterniti

Get ready for the Eterniti Hemera

Eterniti Hemera

You’re looking at a teaser for “the world’s first super-SUV”, otherwise known as the Eterniti Hemera. Are you excited? Well, if you’re in the market for an SUV with a “limousine-like rear cabin”, complete with iPads, and “4×4 ruggedness” with “dynamic performance” then you should be.

At least that’s what the press guff tells us. Not much in terms of real detail is given away, but we do get an inkling that this new Eterniti outfit will be little more than a custom shop with a prestigious London address.

Perhaps that’s selling them a little short, but they say they aim to cater to buyers in “global wealth centres” who want more luxury, more personalisation and more exclusivity. They will start the process of achieving this by repackaging “the latest generation of the best large SUV platform available.”

Hemera is the Greek goddess of daytime, if you care about those sorts of things. As sure as night turns into day there will always be someone trying to part a fool and his money. The Hemera might turn out to be one of the coolest things ever made or it could be a total embarrassment for its backers. What’s your money on?

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Categories
Range Rover

Could this celebrity endorsement be any worse?

The five-door Range Rover Evoque has just been launched overseas. We reckon it and its three-door sibling will sell like hot cakes. Indeed, it will probably be the next must-have accessory in well-to-do suburbs.

So, you’d reckon using a member of the Royal Family to promote said car would be a winning strategy. But watch the video above and tell us what you think. That’s if you made it to the end.

Categories
Formula 1

Williams F1 share price plummets

2011 Hungarian Grand Prix

The share price of Williams F1 has fallen 40% since its flotation on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange back in February, according to a report in UK newspaper The Telegraph. That translates to a value of almost €100m (AU$133m).

With poor on-track performance it is probably no surprise to read this news. It paints a sorry tale for Williams, which is still the second most successful in Formula One, despite not winning a race since 2004.

Worse, is the opinion of Scott Garrett, former head of marketing at Williams, who said he does “not believe they will ever have the budget [to win again].”

“The sorry state of the WF1 equity price indicates a team that is more desperate than confident, and confidence is critical when presenting oneself to sponsors and asking them for money,” said Mr Garrett.

[Source: The Telegraph | Pic: AT&T Williams/LAT]

Categories
Green Machines Volkswagen

Say g’day to NILS, he’s from Volkswagen

Volkswagen NILS

Volkswagen is asking us to meet NILS. Apparently he is the future of commuting (we’re assuming it’s a he). While Audi has given us lots of pretty pictures of their similar urban concept, Volkswagen is coughing up a few more details. Unlike the Audi which has a 1+1 layout, NILS is only a single seater.

The NILS project has backing from the German government. Studies have shown up to 60% of commuters travel to work by car, of those 90% travel alone. When focusing on the cities of Berlin and Munich almost three quarters of all commuters travel less than 25km to get to work. So you can see why a small and efficient fella like NILS makes sense.

NILS boasts a 15kW electric engine that weighs just 19kg. Plus, if you speak nicely to NILS he will give you a mighty 25kW of power for short bursts. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but NILS is pretty trim, tipping the scales at just 460kg. He’s a only a little tacker, mind, at just 3.09m long, 1.2m tall and 1.39m wide.

With a city-commuting target market in mind NILS has a maximum range of up to 65km and can be recharged in full, using a conventional plug, in as little as two hours. He has a top speed of 130km/h and reach triple figures in under 11 seconds. NILS won’t win any sprint races with numbers like that, but he should be more than acceptable for the task in mind.

There’s a lot more to NILS as well, make sure you check out the second press release below for much more.

Continue reading “Say g’day to NILS, he’s from Volkswagen”
Categories
Audi Green Machines

Audi A2 concept previewed in sketch form

Audi A2 concept

You’re looking at concept drawings of the next Audi A2. The first-generation, launched at the turn of the century, struggled to find a niche and production ceased in 2005. Audi will be hoping this revitalised version will do much better.

Compared to the original A2 the styling now embraces a stronger resemblance to the broader Audi family. Indeed, we quite like the look of this new model.

Of course, we’ll be seeing more of the A2 concept at Frankfurt in a bit over a week’s time. The show special features an all-electric powertrain and four individual seats. Such a layout allows the A2 to use its compact dimensions—3.8m long, 1.69m wide and 1.49m high—to best effect through a number of seating and storage layouts.

We’ve not been given a lot of detail, apart from these sketches, although the ‘matrix beam’ LED headlamps do sound quite interesting. So too the rear foglight, which uses fog to help project a triangular warning.

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Categories
BMW

2013 BMW M3 given F80 model code

BMW M3 prototype

Forget everything we’ve told you about the BMW model code for the next M3. Bimmerpost brings word the F3x coding has been dropped and will be replaced by a unique F80 codename.

That’s not all, however, with suggestions the M3 sedan will receive a stay of execution. This follows earlier reports predicting the M3 saloon would be scrapped.

Moreover, with the expected move to 4 Series badging for the next 3 Series based coupé models, it could well be that the M3 badge will remain only on four-door models. Meaning the next ‘true’ two-door M3 will actually be an M4. Adding to this pedantry, the M4 will carry an F82 model code.

The F80 M3 is expected in mid-2013, while the F82/F83 (hardtop/covertible) will follow afterwards. That’s right, the sedan is now rumoured to be the first of the new 3 Series platform to wear an M badge. For now, at least.

[Source: BimmerPost]

Categories
Formula 1 Renault

Senna stays after Renault and Heidfeld break-up

2011 Belgian Grand Prix

Bruno Senna will keep his Lotus Renault GP seat for the rest of the year following a formal break-up between the team and Nick Heidfeld. The separation was officially announced overnight and has been described as an “amicable settlement”.

LRGP Team Principal and Managing Director, Eric Boullier explains, “Our disagreement with Nick has been the subject of much media coverage lately, and we are pleased to have reached a swift and reasonable solution.

“Our separation process was already a painful one, and neither of us wanted to go through another legal hearing.”

In response Nick Heidfeld was very congenial, “Obviously I’m disappointed to be leaving Lotus Renault GP in the middle of the season. I thought I could still make a big contribution to the team, but I have to see things as they are and I want to turn my attention to the future.

“We have taken the right decision by choosing to end our collaboration today. I would like to wish all the friends I made at Enstone a successful end to the season. One thing is for sure – I’ll be back racing at the highest level soon.”

[Source: LRGP]

Categories
Formula 1 Lotus Red Bull Racing Renault

Renault Sport F1 drivers at the Nürburgring

Renault Sport F1 brings us this great little video showing half a dozen Formula One drivers fooling around on the Nürburgring Nordschleife.

Red Bull, Lotus and Renault all use the RS27 engine and Renault Sport figured it was a good enough excuse to get Sebastian Vettel, Mark Webber, Heikki Kovalainen, Jarno Trulli, Nick Heidfeld and Vitaly Petrov to do some hot laps around the ‘Green Hell’.

Mostly they were driving Meganes and Clios, but at the end we get a small preview of Renault’s new DeZir and Twizy concepts. Looks like it was a fun day.

Categories
BMW

BMW 1M Coup̩ РAustralian pricing & specs

BMW 1 Series M Coupe

They might be a bit late off the mark, but BMW Australia has just released local images and details of the awesome 1 Series M Coupé. We know how good the baby M is, too, thanks to filing two reviews of the 1M already: first on its own back in June, then against an M3 and Cayman R in late July.

As expected, BMW has confirmed the initial Australian allocation of 100 1Ms have already been sold. However, they bring the welcome news that a hoped for extra allocation of 100 cars has been now been secured. That means Australia will have up to 200 1 Series M Coupés arriving on our shores. Not bad when you consider the UK allocation was only 450. Thanks BMW Australia!

If you’ve got a spare $100K burning a hole in your pocket and you thought you had already missed out on a 1M, then get on to your BMW dealer right now.

Regular readers will be well aware we have covered the 1M extensively so you’ll all know about the well-proven M3 goodies beneath the skin and the smooth delights of the silky 250kW 3.0 inline twin-turbo, among other joys.

We encourage you to read on and check out the excellent images supplied by BMW Australia—even the Valenica Orange hero colour is starting to gain our favour now—and there’s also plenty of meat and three veg in the form of two press releases. The first you can read below, the other is the full detailed Australian Press Kit which is available for download, thanks to us here at AUSmotive.

Continue reading “BMW 1M Coupé – Australian pricing & specs”
Categories
MINI

Two millionth MINI rolls off the line

Two millionth MINI

A quick shout out to MINI who are celebrating the production of their two millionth vehicle. BMW must be over the moon at the success they have had with the MINI brand. That success has been built on the bread and butter sales achieved with the regular hardtop model which is, undeniably, a genuine modern day classic. Retro charm and substance, in the form of driving fun, have rarely combined so well.

Ten years on from its initial launch BMW is sending MINI out on all sorts of tangents. Let’s hope they don’t get too greedy and stray too far from the formula that has allowed them to reinvigorate one of motoring’s all time classic icons.

To help celebrate this milestone MINI will be launching a ‘Two Million MINIs – Two Million Faces’ campaign on Facebook where you could be in with the chance to win the specially created MINI Convertible you see here.

More details on that and MINI’s history after the break.

Continue reading “Two millionth MINI rolls off the line”