Year: 2013

Categories
Audi Motor Shows

Detroit 2013: Audi RS7 Sportback

2013 Audi RS7 Sportback

Audi has rocked up to Detroit with a brand new addition to its RS model range. This time it’s the RS7 Sportback on show, powered by the same 412kW twin turbo 4.0 V8 as found in the new RS6 Avant.

The RS7 Sportback uses its power, 700Nm of torque, 8-speed tiptronic transmission and quattro all-wheel drive system to great effect, too. It’s able to reach 100km/h in only 3.9 seconds and while its top speed is limited to 250km/h, if you ask nicely, Audi will remove the limiter allowing a v-max of 305km/h.

Australian buyers will have to wait until early next year to get their hands on the RS7. Full details from Audi can be read after the break.

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Audi Video

New balls please

Novak Djokovic thinks he can serve faster than the top speed of an Audi R8 LMS

Sometimes sporting promotions work well. And sometimes they don’t.

Here’s an example of the latter, featuring tennis ace Novak Djokovic and an Audi R8 LMS filmed on the main straight at Sandown. It is so lame and has so many flaws we can’t even be bothered to point them all out.

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Categories
Formula 1 Mercedes-Benz

2014 Mercedes V6 F1 engine hits the right note

Mercedes V6 F1 engine

The future of F1 in 2014 sounds bright, according to selected media who were lucky enough to hear a new Mercedes V6 turbo engine at full noise on Friday.

Ever since the FIA declared F1 would be switching to 1.6 litre turbocharged V6 engines from 2014 fears have existed that the new engines would produce a sound not befitting the world’s premier motorsport category.

Mercedes-Benz provided the first sample of F1’s new era at an invitation only test at its High Performance Powertrains facility in Brixworth.

“The engines are going to be loud, but I think sweet sounding,” said Andy Cowell, managing director of Mercedes-Benz HPP on Friday.

“The frequency will be higher and, with the turbocharger running at 125,000rpm, they will be loud,” added Cowell. “There will be a new quality to the racing too. It will edge towards a thinking drivers’ formula to get the most from the car and the available fuel energy.

“The engines will also deliver much more torque—especially on the exit of the corners. Cars with more power than grip coming out of the corners—that is something that we all enjoy.

“They will also put F1 back at the cutting edge of new technology—which is what the fans want.”

Another change in the new engine regs is a greater reliance on KERS, which will be referred to simply as Energy Recovery System (ERS). Currently KERS offers an extra 80hp for 6.7 seconds per lap, but ERS will boost performance by 161hp for up to 33.3 seconds.

“Today it is difficult to be quick without KERS—for 2014 it will be impossible to go racing without ERS,” Cowell claimed.

Unfortunately for us Mercedes has protected their intellectual property and those present on Friday were prevented from taking any cameras or audio recording devices into Brixworth. The end result means there will be no audio revealed to the public at this early stage in development.

[Source: Autosport]

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Categories
Formula 1

VIDEO: 2012 Formula 1 season highlights

2012 F1 highlights

While we continue to count down the days until the 2013 Formula 1 season kicks into gear let’s take a moment to reflect on the season just gone.

Special attention, of course, given to the description text from this YouTube clip, which reads:

All content belongs to Formula One Management(FOM).
The official F1 2012 season highlights by FOM.
These highlights were shown at the FIA’s 2012 Prize Giving gala.

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Formula 1 Red Bull Racing

Marko says Webber can’t handle pressure

Mark Webber talks to Helmut Marko, 2010 Belgian GP

Helmut Marko, Red Bull Racing’s motorsport advisor, has taken the unusual step of heaping more pressure on Mark Webber by saying the likeable Aussie can’t handle pressure. More unusually, Marko’s comments were published in Red Bull’s in-house title The Red Bulletin.

“It seems to me that Webber has on average two races per year where he is unbeatable, but he can’t maintain this form throughout the year,” said Marko.

“And as soon as his prospects start to look good in the world championship, he has a little trouble with the pressure that this creates.

“In comparison with Seb [Vettel’s] rising form, it seems to me that Mark’s form somehow flattens out.”

Webber’s disastrous race at Abu Dhabi in 2010, which, in part, handed the world championship to teammate Sebastian Vettel, also remains strong in Marko’s memory.

“In 2010, it was particularly extreme. Webber headed into the final race with better chances than Vettel, and he probably carried the disappointment of his defeat into the 2011 season, which is so easy to understand,” he added.

Marko also claims Webber has struggled to cope with the stellar form and results of his younger teammate.

“Something that I think is also very important is that for much of his career, Mark was never in a top team, but he was always regarded as a high flyer if he only could get into the right team,” said Marko.

“Then Red Bull puts him in a car—a possible winner—and suddenly along comes this young kid and he snatches the booty from under Mark’s nose.

“Psychologically it’s not easy, of course; this would gnaw away at anyone’s confidence. It’s more than understandable.”

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

Categories
Audi BMW Fiat Hyundai Mazda Mercedes-Benz Nissan Subaru Suzuki Toyota VFACTS reports Volvo

New vehicle sales report – December 2012

FCAI banner

A round of applause for Australia’s car buying public who achieved an all-time record of 1,112,032 sales in 2012. It’s only the fifth time Australians have bought more than 1 million cars in a calendar year. Last year’s results represent an overall increase of 10.3% (103,595 sales) compared with 2011.

FCAI Chief Executive, Tony Weber, explained demand for a wider range of vehicles helped to fuel the record result. “Reduced tariffs as well as changing consumer preferences have contributed to making the dynamic and innovative automotive industry that we have today,” he said.

“The 2012 sales result bears that out. Customer demand has been high and the industry has responded with a wide range of vehicles powered by a range of different fuels.”

When you read the material after the break it seems that almost everyone’s a winner except Holden and Ford. The General returned a 9.1% drop in sales compared with 2011, but managed to hold its position as the country’s second-best seller. Although, Mazda is snapping at its heels. Meanwhile, Ford held station, to a degree, returning a 0.9% drop in sales against 2011.

However, when you consider market-leader Toyota increased its annual sales by 20.1%—coupled with strong improvements from other top 10 selling brands like Honda (+18.9%), Mazda (+17.6%), Nissan (+17.4%), Subaru (+18.2%) and Volkswagen (22.6%)—we can’t imagine there’s too many smiles in the boardrooms at Fisherman’s Bend and Broadmeadows.

Individually, the Mazda3 managed to top the charts for 2012, notching up 44,128 sales. Close behind were Toyota’s HiLux (40,646) and Corolla (38,799).

It used to be that one in every four cars sold in Australia was either a Commodore or a Falcon. Not anymore. The Commodore was the fourth-best selling model (30,532 sales), while the Falcon didn’t even make it into the top 10.

Despite 2012’s record result Tony Weber expects a small drop in annual sales for 2013. “During this election year, and with production now having caught up with back orders, FCAI forecasts a national automotive market of 1,075,000 for 2013,” he said.

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News

Life in the slow lane?

Queenstown, New Zealand

A short word to let you know that I plan to scale back AUSmotive for a while. That may mean you’ll see no updates for a week, or it might mean you see regular articles being added as per normal. I’m not really sure.

After almost five years of running AUSmotive out of love, and certainly not money, while also working full time in a totally unrelated field, I need a longer term break.

For now, though, thank you to all of you who have been regularly checking in to the site over the years and, hopefully, I’ll be back bigger and better at some stage in the future.

Liam
AUSmotive Editor/Founder

[Pic: Noah Hawthorne Photography]

Categories
Top Gear

Top Gear Season 19 starts on 27 January

Top Gear Season 19

Good news for Top Gear fans waiting for Series 19 to air, with word coming through the boys are due back at their Dunsfold hangar filming on Wednesday 23 January. That means we can expect to see the first episode of the next season on UK screens on Sunday 27 January.

For now it looks as though there could only be five episodes in the nineteenth season, but we can hope for more. Don’t forget, the latest Christmas special is due to go to air in February as well (see below).

As previously posted they’ve even been kind enough to give us a preview of Series 19, which we have repeated for you below.

  • Christmas special has been filmed, but broadcast to be delayed until February 2013. Clarkson has already hinted: “Well people here we go. Warm clothes and thick boots packed.”
  • Another cross-Euro race featuring car v public transport.
  • Kris Meeke and James May go rallying in a Bentley Continental GT.
  • Jeremy in the Ferrari F12 berlinetta.
  • Other cars to be featured include the Toyota 86, new Ford Focus ST, Jaguar F-Type, new Porsche 911, a new Lotus and the new Range Rover.
  • As well as the suggestion of including a special McLaren (not the P1, yet) and the Peugeot Onyx concept.

[Source: Finalgear]