Author: Liam

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Aston Martin Mercedes-Benz

Aston Martin seeking technical partnership with AMG

Aston Martin V12 Vantage S

Aston Martin has announced it signed a letter of intent with Mercedes-AMG GmbH to enter into a technical partnership with the German firm.

The deal is expected to see AMG secure a 5% stake in Aston Martin in exchange for access and development of bespoke V8 engines, along with electric/electronic (e/e) components from Mercedes-Benz Cars.

A formal agreement is yet to be signed but both companies are working towards finalising the deal, which may be subject to regulatory approvals, before the end of the year.

“We have selected AMG specifically as the basis for this powertrain development process,” said Ian Minards, Aston Martin Product Development Director.

“Aston Martin sources cutting edge technology from key suppliers around the globe and the opportunity to include content from Mercedes-AMG GmbH in our next generation sports cars is, clearly, good news.”

Ola Källenius, Head of Mercedes-AMG GmbH added, “We are proud to work with Aston Martin and provide them with powertrain and e/e components for their forthcoming sports cars. This is proof of AMG’s technological and performance expertise and a real win-win situation for both sides.”

No further detail will be provided from either manufacturer until the partnership has been signed off.

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Formula 1 Red Bull Racing

“Ricciardo did an excellent job at Silverstone”

Daniel Ricciardo testing for Red Bull Racing, July 2013

Daniel Ricciardo’s hopes of landing the plumb Red Bull Racing seat in 2014 are improving by the day it would seem. And it appears we won’t have long to find out if he’s got the gig.

Speaking ahead of this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, Dietrich Mateschitz told Autosport, that an announcement isn’t far away. “There is no decision yet, and it is still under discussion within the team. It will be announced after Budapest,” the Red Bull owner said.

“But Ricciardo did an excellent job at Silverstone, and [Jean-Eric] Vergne was very good,” Mateschitz added.

Daniel set the fastest lap of the day during testing at Silverstone last week. That time was set in the morning session when he was driving for Toro Rosso. After switching to the Red Bull Racing garage over his short lunch break he backed up his morning performance with the third quickest time of the day.

Jean-Eric Vergne believes he’s still a chance to land the job at Red Bull, but it would appear as though it’s a straight fight between Ricciardo and Kimi Raikkonen.

With Louts on the brink of securing new investors it’s looking more likely that Kimi could elect to stay with his current team for 2014. And that would be a great boost to Daniel’s chances of replacing fellow Australian Mark Webber at Red Bull Racing.

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

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Formula 1

2014 F1 season to be capped at 20 races

2013 German Grand Prix

Following word the Austrian Grand Prix is expected to return to F1 Bernie Ecclestone has said there will be no more than 20 races in 2014.

The Russian Grand Prix will debut next year and if the New Jersey Grand Prix can get its act together we’re facing the prospect of a 21 race calendar.

“We will have 20 races, not more,” Ecclestone told Austrian paper Kleine Zeitung.

So, something has to give and it’s likely to be New Jersey. Indeed, Niki Lauda, Mercedes AMG F1 team non-executive chairman, has said, “As far as I know, it’s already gone from the calendar.”

It’s understood Red Bull has signed a seven year agreement to host Formula 1 races at its Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria, starting from next year. It turns out there are still some government-related hurdles to clear, relating to noise limits and spectator numbers.

“I don’t know everything else at the moment. Ask me again in the summer,” added Ecclestone. “Red Bull is very good for the sport, very good for Formula One. Everything is so professional at Red Bull, quality-wise at a high level. I think Red Bull will organise a very good grand prix.”

[Source: Planet F1 & crash.net | Pic: Red Bull/Getty Images]

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Accessories & Tech Toyota Video

If you had to drive a Prius you’d be hacked off too

Toyota Prius

This story is more than a little disturbing. You think of big multi-national banks getting hacked. You think of your computer picking up a dodgy virus. But how many of us have ever thought about our cars being hacked?

Andy Greenberg from Forbes recently met up with a couple of geeks to show us what it’s like to drive a car that wasn’t really in his command:

As I drove their vehicles for more than an hour, Miller and Valasek showed that they’ve reverse-engineered enough of the software of the Escape and the Toyota Prius (both the 2010 model) to demonstrate a range of nasty surprises: everything from annoyances like uncontrollably blasting the horn to serious hazards like slamming on the Prius’ brakes at high speeds. They sent commands from their laptops that killed power steering, spoofed the GPS and made pathological liars out of speedometers and odometers. Finally they directed me out to a country road, where Valasek showed that he could violently jerk the Prius’ steering at any speed, threatening to send us into a cornfield or a head-on collision.

The only saving grace, at this stage, is the hackers have to be in the car with you, with a cable connected to the car’s main ECU in order to get that level of control. However, in a test done back in 2010 remote access was gained to an unnamed make of car through its cellular connection and Bluetooth function. Scary, hey!

It was also interesting to read that Toyota already tests their cars to ensure they’re not vulnerable to a wireless attack. Maybe they, and all manufacturers, might need to up the ante?

[Source: Forbes | Thanks to Aaron for the tip]

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BMW Video

The motor does that BMW growly thing

BMW 435i

Chris Harris takes the BMW Vegetable Bum Water 435i out for a drive this week. He likes this new 4 Series a lot. But then doesn’t. Watch the video to find out why.

After watching this clip there’s two things for you to remember. First, if you’d like to buy a new BMW 4 Series we’ve got the skinny on local pricing. Second, no drifting!

Continue reading “The motor does that BMW growly thing”
Categories
Formula 1

Pirelli previews 2013 Hungarian GP

Pirelli P Zero F1 tyre

Since the exploding tyre dramas of the British Grand Prix we’ve been told teams had mounted tyres the wrong way around, that the teams are too paranoid and threats of a driver boycott prior to the German Grand Prix.

That culminated in hastily arranged test of newly created tyres (2012 carcass, using 2013 compounds) spliced into the recent young driver testing at Silverstone.

So, in their official video preview (available below) of this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix you’d reckon Pirelli would mention something about the new tyres. Even if these videos were produced months ago you’d reckon they’d be able to edit the voiceover. Apparently not.

In the pre-race press release, though, we do get some acknowledgement.

“Hungary marks the first event for our latest specification P Zero tyres, which consist of the 2012 construction matched to the 2013 compounds,” confirmed Paul Hembery. “These tyres were tried out by the teams at Silverstone during the young driver test, who benefitted from the opportunity to adapt the set-up of their cars to best suit the new tyres.”

Hembery goes on to discuss some of the features of the Hungaroring circuit. “Now they get to use them in competition for the first time, and with qualifying particularly important at the Hungaroring, the work done in free practice will be very important,” he added. “Overtaking at this circuit is never an easy task, so the teams will be looking to use strategy to maximise their opportunities to gain track position.

“The selection of medium and soft tyres should provide plenty of chances to help them do that, based on the data that all the teams gain with different fuel loads in free practice. Temperatures in Hungary can be very high, and this is the other factor on which the levels of wear and degradation experienced will depend.

“Traction and braking are two critical aspects of tyre performance in Hungary, with the teams running a set-up designed to emphasise these key areas. With levels of lateral energy relatively low, tyre performance rather than durability will be the limiting factor and this will form the basis of the strategy selected—with the teams aiming to keep the tyres within the peak window of operating performance for as long as possible.

“The design of our latest tyres should help them to do this.”

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Ferrari Formula 1

On board with Kamui in Moscow

Kamuo Kobacrashi

Kudos to Ferrari for releasing onboard video footage of Kamui Kobayashi’s recent exploits in Moscow. It’s warts and all and nothing has been edited out.

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McLaren

McLaren P1 “XP2R” spied at the Ring

McLaren P1 XP2R

This very tasty looking McLaren P1 was seen in testing at the Nürburgring recently. It looks like any old P1, but was carrying discrete XP2R badging. A more extreme version of the already extreme 908hp petrol-electric hybrid P1 perhaps?

No, apparently it’s just a bog standard P1 prototype. McLaren employs a strict lettering system for its test vehicles:

  • XP: Experimental prototype
  • VP: Validation prototype
  • PP: Pre-production protoype

Accordingly XP2R means the car pictured is an early prototype, the 2 means it’s the second XP model and the R denotes it is a revised spec.

That’s the official word from McLaren at least. Given some details of the P1 hypercar have already been released, including predicted performance figures, isn’t it a bit late to still be trundling around in an experimental test car so close to its expected launch?

What if that R actually meant something more? The niche sportscar maker wouldn’t like that its claimed performance numbers for the P1 are down on the equally impressive 963hp LaFerrari. So could the R indicate a new range-topping model to sit above the P1? If this is the case McLaren is unlikely to confirm as much when asked by inquisitive journos.

[Source: Autocar | Pic: PistonSpy]

Categories
BMW Green Machines

BMW i3 images leaked ahead of official launch

BMW i3 leaked image

BMW’s i generation is due to begin in earnest next Monday when the all-electric i3 city car is officially launched. We’ve seen it concept form before, most recently as the i3 Concept Coupé, but now leaked pics of the production model have emerged.

Earlier this month BMW released technical details of the i3, including a 24 page press kit (185kb PDF). The i3 will be powered by a 125kW/250Nm electric motor capable of covering up to 200km in its most efficient Eco Pro+ driving mode. In regular daily use BMW says the i3 has a range of 130–160km.

A two-cylinder 650cc petrol engine “range extender” is available as an option and increases the claimed maximum distance available in everyday driving to 300km.

The i3 is pretty quick too, with a claimed 0–100km/h time of 7.2 seconds, it’s as fast as a Mk5 Golf GTI (6sp manual).

Electric cars will be a new experience for many, especially when you consider the i3 has just one pedal. That means you press the pedal to accelerate and braking commences the moment you lift your foot off the pedal. BMW explains it like this:

The single-pedal control concept in the BMW i3 – configured by the BMW Group’s drive system development engineers – also contributes to the engaging driving experience. Recuperation mode is activated the moment the driver takes his foot off the accelerator. The electric motor switches from drive to generator mode, feeding power into the lithium-ion battery. At the same time, it generates a precisely controllable braking effect. This recuperation is speed-sensitive, which means the car “coasts” with maximum efficiency at high speeds and generates a strong braking effect at low speeds.

There’s been no word on Australian pricing for the i3, but we do know it will set you back €34,950 in Germany, £25,680 (after a £5,000 government subsidy) in the UK and $41,350 in the US. Averaged out that equates to around AU$45,650. We’re not sure if that is a realistic price expectation for our market, but we remain hopeful.

We’ll bring you full details of the i3 once BMW releases them. In the meantime there’s another eight leaked images for you after the break.

[Source: Autblog.nl]

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Categories
Audi

OFFICIAL: Audi S3 Sportback priced from $59,900

2013 Audi S3 Sportback

As we predicted a bit over a week ago the all-new Audi S3 Sportback will be priced from $59,900 when it goes on sale in Australia this December. That’s more than $11,000 cheaper than the list price of the model it replaces.

Audi’s hand has been forced somewhat by the introduction of more powerful competition from BMW and Mercedes-Benz, both of which were well priced against the old 8P S3 Sportback. In order to compete Audi has had to cut its asking price while still packing the standard car with plenty of equipment:

Audi S3 Sportback – standard equipment for the Australian market

  • Xenon plus headlights with LED daytime running lights and LED tail lights
  • MMI Navigation plus with MMI touch
  • Audi parking system plus: park assist, front & rear sensors with rear view camera
  • 18-inch alloy wheels in 5-parallel spoke design
  • ‘S’ specific body kit
  • ‘S’ exhaust system with quad tailpipes
  • ‘S’ sports suspension
  • Sport seats in fine Nappa leather and heating for front seats
  • Audi Music Interface, Bluetooth interface with music streaming
  • Dual-zone climate control with digital display and rear air vents
  • Leather-wrapped, multi-function flat-bottom steering wheel

The Australian spec 8V S3 Sportback will also come standard with a 6-speed S tronic transmission and offers 206kW/380Nm from its 2.0 litre turbocharged engine. Coupled to a Haldex GenV-based quattro all-wheel drive system it can reach 100km/h in 5.0 seconds, while a frugal right foot can yield fuel consumption as low as 6.9l/100km.

Audi Australia will also offer an “S performance package” for an additional $4,990 which includes items such as LED headlights, a Bang & Olufsen sound system, Audi magnetic ride and ‘S’ sports seats in fine Nappa leather with diamond stitching.

You can get the full detail from Audi after the break.

UPDATE: Audi Australia has confirmed with us that a 6-speed manual transmission will be available as a no cost option, but it will cost you 0.4s to 100km/h and a few extra bucks at the fuel pump.

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Categories
MINI

F56 MINI Cooper S revealed in unofficial renders

F56 MINI Cooper S rendering

Here’s some very finished looking 3D renders of the new F56 MINI Cooper S. They’ve been created by Humster 3D, who describe themselves as a 3D studio and online store. They also claim their virtual MINI has been created “using official references and descriptions with real units.”

We suspect that means they’ve also seen the spy shots from last month and not that they have an official role working with MINI. We do know the real F56 will be on show at the LA Auto Show in November, but you can probably expect to see pics and info from MINI before its show car debut.

So, that leaves us with these screen grabs and short video for now. Perhaps the third-generation MINI won’t look as bad as we first thought it might.

[Source: Humster 3D via MotoringFile]

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Categories
Motor Shows Porsche

2013 Goodwood FoS in pictures – Porsche

2013 Goodwood Festival of Speed

For Porsche at the 2013 Goodwood Festival of Speed it was all about the iconic 911 and its 50th anniversary. Here’s another 50-odd images from the festivities showing the many cars Porsche had on show and in action.

Porsche was also the manufacturer charged with installing the annual sculpture in front of Goodwood House. It was a trio of 911 models being thrust into the air. Quite spectacular really.

See also: 2013 Goodwood FoS in pictures – gallery 1 & gallery 2

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