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Tesla debuts zippier Roadster Sport

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 02:27:01 +0000

For all you well-heeled auto fanatics, there is good news: Tesla Motors has made a faster car. The luxury electric carmaker on Sunday lifted the curtain on the Tesla Roadster Sport at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Tesla said it has begun taking orders for the $128,500 sportscar, which will be available in late June. The Roadster Sport has a bit more zip off the line than the original rocket-like Roadster, Tesla’s first electric car favored by tech tycoons and Hollywood types. The Sport accelerates from zero to 60 miles per hour in 3.7 seconds, leaving the original $109,000 Roadster (zero to 60 in 3.9 seconds) a few steps behind. The Roadster Sport is notable for another reason than performance: the powertrain in the car will be the same used in the Model S, a four-door electric luxury sedan Tesla intends to start making in 2011. Also at the auto show, Tesla Motors rival Fisker Automotive is expected to unveil the production version of the Fisker Karma, a plug-in hybrid luxury sedan expected to be available by the end of this year. Fisker Automotive on Monday is also planning on show off a new concept car, reportedly called the Sunset.

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Tesla debuts zippier Roadster Sport

Spectacular New Jaguar roadster sports car set for 2011

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 04:50:49 +0000

Jaguar has earmarked March 2011 and the Geneva show to launch a new two-seat sports car, likely to be called the Jaguar XE. “Geneva 2011 will be the 50th anniversary of the launch of the E-type and what better way to celebrate that than to launch a new sports car,” company boss Mike O’Driscoll told Autocar. The new sports car is tipped to be a front-engined, rear-wheel-drive, alumninium car based on a cut-down Jaguar XJ platform. Speculation is also mounting that it could be powered by a supercharged V6 engine, based on the all-new V8 motor powering the new Jaguar XFR saloon, which was unveiled at this week’s Detroit motor show. O’Driscoll also hinted that a new sports car was not the only ambition of Jaguar and that he and his team were considering a fifth, smaller model. But the new small Jaguar would not be a direct replacement for the X-type, which is due to bow out next year. O’Driscoll said: “A smaller car could be interesting for us, but it shouldn’t be a cheaper Jaguar.” He wouldn’t be drawn on Jag’s exact plans, but insiders have hinted that a car based on the 2003 RD6 concept is still being considered. O’Driscoll hasn’t ruled out further engine options for the Jaguar XF either. “In a couple of years there’s no reason why we shouldn’t put a four-cylinder diesel in it,” he said. Jaguar XFR

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Spectacular New Jaguar roadster sports car set for 2011

Motoring: Lotus Europa SE

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 03:23:09 +0000

The Lotus Europa SE doesn’t have power steering or state-of-the-art electronics, and it’s the better for it You might have read about the new Lotus Evora, a sophisticated Lotus designed to steal sales from Porsche. It was the star of the London motor show, and production of this mid-engined, V6-powered GT car is under way with sales starting in March. That’s the big Lotus news, along with the fact that the company still exists. A strong research and development division is one reason; Lotus does much of this for other motor industry clients, and has much expertise in the attributes we’ll need in the near future such as lightweight structures and alternative power units. It also builds the Tesla electric sports car. The Tesla is based on the bonded-aluminium structure of a Lotus Elise. So, too, is the other new Lotus, the latest version of a car most of us had forgotten about. The Europa, whose name reprises that of Lotus’s first mid-engined sports car in the 1960s, was conceived as a luxurious, softer-edged, compact GT, not open like the Elise but with a fixed roof like the racy, almost-hardcore Exige. Nice idea? Maybe, but the Europa has been scuppered by curious frontal styling and a feeling that, as no car of this family is ever going to be a paragon of refinement and civility, it’s superfluous. So it has had a bit of a makeover. There’s now a cheaper entry-level version and there’s the subject of this test, the Europa SE, which, at £32,293, has a bit more power and the ability to go round corners more quickly. One simple change has transformed the troubled face. The front foglights are set in housings which are no longer black but body-coloured. This means that instead of being drawn to a nose shape which looks as though it is formed out of pastry rather than glass fibre, your eye now homes in on the smiley air intake that has long been a Lotus trademark. continued…. Now let’s thread ourselves into the cabin. There’s a high sill to get past, making decorous entry hard to achieve, and once you’re in, a conflict of sights meets your eyes. As an SE, this Europa has the Luxury Touring Pack which includes swathes of self-consciously stitched leather over what, in the Elise and Exige, is normally a stark and pure dashboard. And what’s this? The key and the stalks on the steering column look familiar. They are from the old Vauxhall Cavalier, which reminds you of a key difference between the Europa and its siblings. It is powered not by a Toyota engine but a turbocharged Vauxhall one, as used in the faster version of the now-gone Vauxhall VX220 which was itself Elise-based and Lotus-built. The stalks come as part of the engine’s electronics package. You sit very low, of course, but it’s airy in here in the way an Exige is not. There’s a good view aft, via a window through which, from the outside, you can see the engine. It always was a good engine, this 2.0-litre turbo, and with the SE’s power boost to 225bhp it’s even better. Its energy extends through the speed range, helping you to make the most of the Europa’s fabulously subtle, and supple, suspension dynamics. There’s no power steering, nor any need for it in such a light car. So you feel every camber change, every tiny ice patch, and once you have recalibrated yourself to this level of detail every road becomes a sensory revelation. Hardly any cars do this nowadays, and to experience it is a joy. However, to regard the Europa as a proper grand touring car in the usual sense is fanciful, given the noise from the tyres, the primitive air-conditioning which demands use of the noisy fan if any air at all is to enter the cabin, the lack of any internal adjustment for the door mirrors. Instead the Europa makes you think about things, and do things, yourself in the way sports cars used to do. Drive a big distance in the Europa and you will learn more about the terrain you have covered than in nearly anything else with a solid roof and a heater, Exige excepted. Maybe that is what “grand touring” should be about. Forget the fat, thirsty Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Maseratis. In our grave new world, what you need is a Europa.

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Motoring: Lotus Europa SE

Upcoming dymanic Audi A7 four-door coupe

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 03:14:39 +0000

First hi-res images of the Audi A7 Sportback Concept (the nameplate on the car seems to say Audi Sportback Concept) set to be displayed at the Detroit Auto Show tomorrow have been unveiled on the internet. The front-end looks alot like the ones shown on the Audi metroproject quattro and its evolution, the Audi A1 Sportback Concept, except the front grille loses the vertical slats, leaving only the horizontal ones. It has a fastback roofline, more like the Porsche Panamera rather than the Aston Martin Rapide, which might lead some to think its going to have a hatchback boot, but a look an image of the rear after the jump and you can see the bootlid’s lines do not really meet the rear glass in a way that a hatch would, but then again Audi could also be doing a hatchback-sedan dual bootlid combo much like Skoda’s new Superb. The Audi A7 is said to be larger than the Audi A6 and built on the new Audi MLP platform, which is modular in terms of length and width to suit different sizes of cars while retaining many components in the interests of economies of scale.

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Upcoming dymanic Audi A7 four-door coupe

The Affordable Honda Insight hybrid bids for broader audience

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 03:07:49 +0000

To hear Honda tell it, the new 2009 Insight coming to market this April is all about making hybrid technology available to Gen-Y. That’s because it’s smaller and less expensive than the class-leading Toyota Prius or Honda’s own Civic Hybrid. We drove the Insight in Arizona recently and found it also more fun to drive than most hybrids, another attribute that ranks high among young buyers. Depending on who’s doing the defining, Gen-Y, also known as Millenials, is comprised mostly of people in their 20s or late teen years–Honda says they’re age 20 to 29, significantly younger than today’s crop of hybrid-car owners, predominantly in their 50s. But Insight is a five-seat compact sedan, a practical, mainstream car that–given current economic circumstances–is likely to find a market among older consumers, up to and including the baby boomer parents of those Millenials. Honda hasn’t set a firm price yet except to say it will be cheaper than the Civic Hybrid, but the expectation is that it will be significantly under $20,000, perhaps in the high $18,000 range. The new Insight gives Honda a dedicated hybrid model again, which it has lacked since dropping the original two-seat Insight in 2006, but the new car dumps the whole hair-shirt routine. Its front structure is shared with that of the Fit, the sub-Civic model that sits at the bottom of the company’s U.S. car range. By reducing the size of the battery pack (seven nickel-metal hydride or NiMH cell modules vs. 11 in the current Civic hybrid) and the electronic control module so that they now fit below the rear floor behind the 10.4 gallon gas tank, Honda gave the car a useful rear cargo area, folding rear seats, and enough rear seat room for average-size adults. Where the tiny original two-door coupe prioritized weight savings with its costly all-alloy structure (built alongside the S2000 and NSX), the new one is more conventional but lighter than most sedans. The curb weight of the new Insight is less than 2,800 lbs (2,733 for the base LX model, 2,785 for the tricked-out EX), or 200 pounds lighter than the ’09 Prius and 100 pounds less than the Civic Hybrid. Overall, the Insight is shorter, about 10 percent smaller inside, lighter and will be less expensive than the Toyota Prius, the big dog of dedicated hybrid models, which itself sees a new version revealed in Detroit, but one that’s not going on sale until fall as a 2010 model. continued…. Styling of the Insight resembles that of Prius, both being shaped to accommodate five passengers with minimal aerodynamic drag. Honda claims Insight is significantly slipperier, but that factors in the lower frontal area of its smaller car. To these eyes, there’s a nicer curve to the Insight’s roofline, which peaks a little farther back than the Toyota’s and doesn’t look so humpbacked. If there’s a styling cue that says “hybrid” to Americans, it must be the lower window in the back of the rear hatch, a feature of the original Insight and Prius. It’s here, too, while at the front the Insight borrows the signature face of the FCX Clarity fuel-cell car. Inside, Insight is a bit more Spartan than a Civic Hybrid or Prius, but not punishingly so. The base LX model, like Honda’s own subcompact Fit, has good interior appointments for its price class, including automatic climate control, power windows and locks, tilt-and-telescope steering column, rear window defrost and a cargo light. The EX, distinguishable from outside mostly by its alloy wheels vs. the full-cover steel wheels on the LX, adds cruise control, paddle shifters, steering wheel controls, vanity mirrors and map lights, heated side mirrors, variable speed intermittent wipers and such, but the big addition comes with optional navigation system with voice recognition and Bluetooth. Even without the navi system, the instrument panel steps up to give hyper-milers the information they want about fuel and power usage, and using those we were able to post short-range fuel economy readings into the high 50 mpg range, and even bettered 62 mpg on a 16-mile test loop incorporating significant up- and down-hill portions. This was not a creep-and-crawl exercise, though we did moderate our driving style for the test and engage the “econ” button to call up functions that enhance fuel mileage. This driver-selectable mode (there’s a green button the dash, left of the steering column) engages the idle-stop function at higher speeds, uses recirc mode on the a/c more often, reduces the climate control system’s peak fan speed, and adjusts the drive-by-wire throttle programming to optimize the driver’s inputs in concert with how it operates the CVT. Peak power is also restricted by four percent, unless you floor it, in which case you get the full output. On a longer test route where we drove normally, the dashboard readout was in the 45 to 46 mpg range using Econ mode, and slid into the 41-43 mpg range without it. The more compact electronic package, despite having fewer battery cells than the Civic Hybrid’s, doesn’t sacrifice much power–each module makes 30 percent more power than before, so the Insight’s package is rated at 5.75 Amp-Hours vs. 6.0 for the Civic Hybrid version. Peak output of 100.8 Volts is low vs. the larger battery pack, but unlike the circumstance in many earlier Honda hybrids, the Insight sometimes moves under electric power alone–we saw this at steady low speed operation (25 to 30 mph) on level or downhill terrain when we drove it in Arizona, as indicated on the dashboard display. The 1.3-liter inline four-cylinder gas engine makes 88 hp on its own and 98 hp combined with the electric supplement (vs. 110 for the 1.5-liter in the Civic Hybrid). On its own, the electric motor produces 13 hp at 1500 rpm (vs. 20 for Civic’s) but, more importantly, its 58 lbs-ft torque output contributes to an overall rating of 123 lbs-ft., for lively acceleration. As ever, Honda’s IMA (integrated motor assist) approaches hybridization differently than does Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive system. Where Toyota’s approach tends to excel in stop-and-go city driving, aided by its stronger electric motor’s ability to accelerate from a standstill under electric power alone, Honda’s system does best on the highway cycle. The current Prius is rated by the U.S. EPA at 48 mpg city/45 highway for a 46 mpg combined. The new Insight is rated at 40 mpg city, 43 mpg highway and 41 combined–that’s for a lighter, smaller car, but one that feels livelier when driven back-to-back with the Toyota. Another reason this is so is that the Insight may be the best-handling hybrid sedan yet. Like other mpg-conscious cars, it still rides on tires designed for low rolling resistance, but these aren’t the hard narrow sort found on the original Insight, but ones we could live with–175/65 R15, with an all-weather compound. Front suspension is McPherson strut, rear by torsion beam, and the overall balance is improved by mounting that heavy electronic module low in the chassis. Honda, ever mindful of criticisms, has also done a masterful job of tuning its electric power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering and the electronic braking system (discs front, drums rear, with ABS and the regen feature for the drivetrain) for smooth, responsive operation with better feel than before. You’d never mistake the new Insight for a sports sedan, but as hybrids go, it goes well. For a livelier package, look to Honda’s promised hybrid versions of the Fit subcompact and the upcoming CR-Z coupe. We think those cars, more than the Insight, are likely to find the younger crop of buyers Honda seeks to bring into the hybrid fold.

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The Affordable Honda Insight hybrid bids for broader audience

Chrysler shows off concept cars, battery powered vehicles

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 03:04:41 +0000

Chrysler President and Vice Chairman Jim Press, left, and Frank Klegon, Executive Vice President – Product Development, introduces Chrysler 200C EV concept car at the North American International Auto Show Sunday in Detroit. DETROIT — Chrysler LLC, the company with arguably the most to prove at this year’s North American International Auto Show, unveiled some concept cars Sunday that it has no immediate plans to produce. The highlight was the Chrysler 200C, an attractive luxury sedan featuring interior electronics that would let consumers search traffic cameras in real time to scope out upcoming intersections, let drivers download and buy music via the Internet and help users keep track of friends who might be nearby. In other words, they showed off a classic concept car — a vehicle loaded with features that are nowhere near ready for production and may never serve a practical purpose. The company also showed off a handful of vehicles that it showed off at auto shows and press events last year. Plug-in hybrid versions of the Jeep Patriot sport utility vehicle, Chrysler Town & Country minivan, a Dodge two-seat sports car and the Jeep Wrangler were all on display. The vehicles are all set to get 40 miles of electric-only range from battery power before using small gasoline-powered motors. But unlike General Motors, which has committed to building the Chevrolet Volt that promises similar performance numbers, Chrysler has yet to commit to actually building any of the Chrysler electric vehicles. Executives said it would produce an electric vehicle some time next year, but it hasn’t said which one, when or if it will be a battery powered car or a plug-in hybrid. Chrysler President Jim Press said the new vehicles show what the company plans to offer the American public in the future. He added that taxpayers and the company share a special bond now that Chrysler is holding $4 billion in emergency federal loans. But the company did little to address concerns over its near-future product lineup. While its minivans and pickups have been well received, the company’s mid-sized sedans don’t sell well, its compact cars are larger and less fuel efficient than any of its competitors and it sells fewer cars in a year than its top competitors do in a month. While officials clearly stated that the 200C was only a concept, they hinted that some version of it may be on the road sooner, rather than later. Unlike most concept cars, it looked like something that could be in a dealer showroom tomorrow, not a futuristic exercise in weird shapes and ugly styling. Ralph Giles, Chrysler’s lead North American designer, called the 200C “a concept that’s heavily influenced by reality.” When asked during an interview following the show launch why the car did not feature a Jetson’s-like exterior to go with its tech-heavy interior, Giles said the concept car was closer to a production model than most show cars, “and I’ll leave it to you to decide if that means we want to build it soon.”

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Chrysler shows off concept cars, battery powered vehicles

Nissan trims pounds out of new GT-R

Sat, 10 Jan 2009 01:36:20 +0000

NASHVILLE — A new lighter-weight version of the Nissan GT-R model will be considered for the U.S. market after its limited introduction in Japan next month. Nissan has trimmed 132 pounds out of the just-introduced $70,000 sportscar’s 3,814 pounds. The new SpecV model drops the street racer’s rear seats and replaces selected body, chassis and interior components with carbon fiber materials. A spokesman for Nissan North America says the company will evaluate the SpecV’s performance and customer reaction before deciding whether to give it to U.S. dealers. It will be available initially to only seven dealerships in Japan. The new two-seater variation uses a carbon fiber rear spoiler, grille, brake parts and bucket seats, with carbon fiber replacements also in the car’s instrument panel and storage area. Such enhancements are normally the engineering stuff automakers showcase at the Detroit auto show, which opens to the world media this weekend in Detroit. However, Nissan North America withdrew from the Detroit show in November, citing cost-cutting needs. SOURCE:autonews

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Nissan trims pounds out of new GT-R

BMW’s new 116d tops 53mpg, rivals hybrids

Fri, 09 Jan 2009 04:57:32 +0000

Rated at 53.4 US mpg, the 116i is as efficient as the Toyota Prius and upcoming Honda Insight The 1-series has been a popular staple among premium small-car buyers in Europe for some time, but it has only hit the U.S. recently. The fun-to-drive and attractive compact has just gained a new sibling in the form of the 116d, powered by an efficient four-cylinder diesel. Unfortunately it’s only available in Europe. Despite the absence from American shores, it’s still a technological feat to appreciate. With its 53.4 US mpg rating in the European combined cycle, the 116d is as efficient as the current Toyota Prius and next-gen Honda Insight hybrids. And at 116hp (86kW) and 192lb-ft (260Nm) it’s just as powerful as the hybrids too – not to mention a good deal better looking. The 116d is highly practical too, available in both three and five-door guises. It’s not a sports car in 116d trim, returning a 10.2 second dash to 62mph (100km/h), but it is low in CO2 emissions at 118g/km and therefore cheap to maintain and operate with Europe’s emissions charging schemes. The future of the diesel BMW in America is still not 100% clear, but the smaller diesels are not as likely as those found in the 7-series and other larger cars due to the cost involved in their production and the low expected sales volumes – both of which eat into already small profit margins. It just isn’t a viable business proposition yet, but as 2008 proved in inimitable style, things change. The 116d goes on sale in Europe in March at an on-the-road price of £17,605 ($26,706) in the UK. SOURCE:motorauthority

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BMW’s new 116d tops 53mpg, rivals hybrids

Zolfe Orange sports car goes into production

Fri, 09 Jan 2009 04:54:21 +0000

Only 30 cars will be produced each year and most of them are headed to customers in the U.S. The Zolfe Orange is a compact British sports car designed and built for racing enthusiasts looking for a fun and relatively low-cost entry into the world of weekend motorsports. The car was spawned from a collaboration between Midlands business entrepreneur Nic Strong and former Caterham Technical Director, Jez Coates, and has just entered limited production. It features a spaceframe chassis and composite body, and tips the scales at just over 700kg. Power of 185hp (138kW) comes from a 2.3L Ford Duratec engine and is sent to the rear wheels via a Mazda-sourced five-speed gearbox and an optional limited slip differential. More engines and a six-speed manual are expected to be added to the options list later in the year. Stopping gear is from AP Racing and includes disc-brakes at all four wheels. The tires come from Avon. Despite its racing intent, the car is also available with a number of comfort features such as air-conditioning and electric windows. Pricing starts at £27,500 (approximately $42,142) for the basic ‘trackday’ trim and most of the cars are destined for the United States. Production is limited to just 30cars per year and there are plans to add an open-top roadster in the near future. source:motorauthority

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Zolfe Orange sports car goes into production

Lotus to enter exotic electric cars

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 06:33:01 +0000

Envied worldwide for producing feather-lite supercars just itching to be made into electric torque monsters (even Tesla has borrowed heavily from the Lotus parts bin), Lotus has indicated it wants to enter the world of exotic electric cars itself – perhaps even as soon as late 2009. Ever since the late Colin Chapman began building his own sportscars under the Lotus brand (way back in 1952!) the company has followed a simple philosophy for its go-fast racers: add lightness. “Adding lightness” meant that Chapman’s cars were incredibly efficient – using less fuel and fewer tires than the competition. For this very reason, Lotus cars had to pit less often during races, giving them a clear advantage over the bigger Mercedes and Ferraris that had dominated the sport until Chapman came on the scene. To this day Lotus still produces extremely light cars that make use of advanced extruded-aluminum chassis to extract exotic, supercar performance from relatively mundane components. In fact, the current Lotus Elise uses a Toyota engine similar to the one found in the Corolla. It should come as no surprise, then, that a lightweight Lotus chassis has become THE must-have Festivus gift for any company wanting to make a big splash in the EV world, with companies like Tesla, Proton, and Chrysler actively publicizing their raids of Lotus’ parts bins (note: Chrysler’s Dodge EV is a UK-only Lotus Europa model with an off-the-shelf electric motor and flash yellow paint). Surprising absolutely no-one who’s followed Lotus’ fortunes over the past 50 years, Mike Kimberly (Lotus’ current CEO and bona fide low-weight/high-efficiency evangelist to the automotive stars) will be throwing Lotus’ hat into the EV ring later this year with a new, extended-range plug-in hybrid sportsscar to be unveiled at the Geneva motor show this March (according this quick blurb in the UK’s Financial Times). I’m putting my smart money on this new hybrid being a version of Lotus’ upcoming Evora 2+2 passenger coupe (shown above), which will be sold as a 2010 model in the US beginning this April (hint: look for the battery pack to replace the car’s smallish rear seats).

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Lotus to enter exotic electric cars