Motorward

---

• Tesla Suing Top Gear Over Roadster Review
• Jaguar Annonunced New 2.2 liter Diesel Engine
• Toyota Prius Now As Airport Taxi
• Audi A4 Reaches 5,000,000 Milestone
• 2012 Mustang Boss 302 Quarter-Mile Video
• Video: Full Footage of Hinson Corvette’s 230mph Crash
• Buick Envision Concept SUV Teased
• Ford Mad Max Interceptor Concepts
• Chrysler S-Concept Models Revealed
• Porsche Panamera Turbo S Revealed

Tesla Suing Top Gear Over Roadster Review Posted: 30 Mar 2011 09:48 AM PDT Three years after Top Gear reviewed Tesla Roadster, the makers of the car have no decided they didn’t like what they said in the show and therefore they are suing Top Gear and BBC! They had expressed their anger with Clarkson’s review of the car at the time, but three years on they are apparently started to see the effect of Jezza’s strong comments. Tesla is angry that the show is repeatedly aired on different channels, and it’s on the Internet, and on DVD and on the lips of the nation to be honest. But what are they complaining about? Well, in that film the roadster apparently ran out of charge way way sooner than it was supposed to run out. Then they show the car being pushed by the crew inside a hanger where it had to be recharged for hours. That scene was too much for Tesla to watch and it’s still hurting them. Jezza also claimed that the back up Roadster suffered from complete brake failure and it also overheated. Again, Tesla says rubbish, you just made that up to make the show more interesting. “The programme’s lies are repeatedly and consistently re-broadcast to hundreds of millions of viewers on BBC channels and web sites, on other TV channels via syndication; the show is available on the Internet, and is for sale on DVD around the world,” Ricardo Reyes, Tesla vice president of communications was quoted as saying by TGDaily. “Today, we continue to field questions and explain the serious misconceptions created by the show. Tesla demands BBC to correct the review or stop broadcasting it. BBC has not yet responded officially, but sources close to them suggest that they are prepared to defend vigorously. Tesla is actually doing it. This case will only make Top Gear more popular. The Silicon Valley boys better make their cars right!

Jaguar Annonunced New 2.2 liter Diesel Engine Posted: 30 Mar 2011 07:09 AM PDT Jagura XF is currently undergoing a cosmetic surgery. Along with the XF’s looks, Jaguar also debuts a brand-new 2.2 liter diesel engine designed mainly for fuel efficiency. Despite that it generates a very good for its displacement 190 PS and 332 lbs ft of torque. As for the economy, it returns 52.3 mpg on the combined cycle while emitting 149 g/km of CO2. It is installed in a north-south configuration for the first time and promises a quieter operation than regular diesel engines. Jaguar has always been good at making decent diesel engines. As Top Gear proved their 3.0 liter diesel V6 can take you from Switzerland back to Newcastle on one tank. The same engine is gutsy enough to take you around the Nurburgring in well under 10 minutes. The new common rail 2.2 liter unit though is more economy-focused as it comes with a water-cooled turbocharger with low-friction pistons, new injectors and a new crankshaft, plus a new intelligent Stop-Start system. The new XF test mule also debuts an advanced eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox. The seventh and eighth gears in this new box are effectively overdrive gears for balance between efficiency and performance. With this transmission, the XF 2.2 diesel goes form 0 to 62 mph in 8.5 seconds and reach a top speed of 140 mph.

Toyota Prius Now As Airport Taxi Posted: 30 Mar 2011 06:48 AM PDT Britain is rapidly moving toward the green zone and they’re adamant that cars, and the current transportation system on the whole, is the biggest obstacle in this quest. That’s why they’re constantly trying out new methods of improving them. This last couple of days London Mayer Boris Johnson welcomed a number of new electric cars from Peugeot and Citroen and started campaigns to persuade people into buying them. Another campaign sees the hybrid’s king Toyota Prius as the new airport taxi for London, Gatwick, Bristol, Cardiff and Southampton international airports. The Toyotas are supplied by Hills Toyota of Woodford Green in Essex to Checker Cars who employs 1000 drivers and is the official taxi operator for the aforementioned cities. With the low carbon dioxide emissions of 92g/km and fuel economy of 70.6mpg (combined cycle), the Prius is perfect candidate for the job, specially as it offers decent practicality as a cab as well. Standard features on the T4 five-door hatchback include Bluetooth, heads-up display, seven airbags, electric windows front and rear, 17-inch alloy wheels, rain-sensing wipers and cruise control. In addition, Checker Cars has specified the leather option pack. "We will expect to replace the cars every couple of years," said Checker Cars' Managing Director David Crouch. "We're initially using them at Stansted but we will then involve our other airports."Our environmental policy is to reduce emissions wherever possible, and we're also looking for greater economy in the operation of the fleet, because with fuel prices as they are that's becoming more and more important. Congestion charge is also a factor."

Audi A4 Reaches 5,000,000 Milestone Posted: 30 Mar 2011 06:30 AM PDT Audi’s understated A4 is one of the most popular mid-size cars in both its sedan and estate forms, and the proof for that is new production record it achieves. Five million units, that number speaks for itself. Audi A4′s success story began in 1994 and is now going on stronger than ever as the 5,000,000th unit which is an Audi A4 2.0 TFSI quattro in Misano Red rolls off the assembly line at Audi’s main plant in Ingolstadt. The A4 accounts for a high proportion of production capacity at the Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm plants. The A4 is kinda the symbol of Audi. Save the R8, to be honest all Audi models look the same to an uninterested eye, and they all look like the A4! And it always looked just right, not too flash, not too discrete, just right. Being an Audi, the A4 has always benefited from latest technologies, most modern powertrains and superb build quality. No wonder how it became so incrdibly popular. In the words of Frank Dreves, Member of the Board of Management for Production at AUDI AG: "This is another major milestone in Audi's history. All versions of the A4 are efficient, elegant and enjoy outstanding success in their class. Our highly motivated team and our effective Audi production system will keep this model on course for continued success in the future." Audi began production of the A4 model line at its Ingolstadt site in 1994, and since 2007 has also been building it at Neckarsulm as part of the production turntable. Today the A4 Sedan, A4 Avant, A4 allroad quattro, S4 Sedan and S4 Avant are manufactured in Ingolstadt; the A4 Sedan also leaves the assembly line in Neckarsulm."The success of the entire A4 model family keeps our two main production plants fully occupied and safeguards the workforce's jobs," says Peter Mosch, Chairman of the General Works Council. "Audi owes this success to its employees, who have invested so much know-how, quality awareness and dedicated work in the A4." Peter Kessler, Ingolstadt Plant Manager, declares: "The A4 success story at this production plant is impressive evidence of the performance that the Ingolstadt team is capable of. As the assembly lines become more and more complex, the task can only be handled with lean processes and the motivation of a high-performance team – just like we have at Audi."

2012 Mustang Boss 302 Quarter-Mile Video Posted: 30 Mar 2011 06:18 AM PDT We have all heard about the new Mustang Boss’ incredible performance and how it’s faster than a BMW M3 around Laguna Seca. But nothing proves a muscle car’s capabilities than a good ol’ quarter-mile drag. Well, Here’s a video that answer the question that’s been on the lips of the nation. Turns out if you bolt on some drag radials at the back of the 2012 Mustang Boss 302 it can run 1/4 mile in an astonishing 11.4 seconds while doing 117 mph. The rest of the car in this test was factory standard. Even with the stock rear tires the new Boss manages a quarter-mile time of 12.3 seconds which is pretty darn good.

Video: Full Footage of Hinson Corvette’s 230mph Crash Posted: 30 Mar 2011 06:09 AM PDT You know when you try to push things a little harder, to go a bit further, that’s always when it all goes badly wrong! That was exactly the case for Hinson Supercar’s record-breaking Corvette. This 1700+ hp monster already had a standing-mile record of 244mph in the bag, but they decided they want 230mph. And they achieved it of course, but upside down! Yep, the car takes off at high speed and flips in the air many times before coming to a rest on its roof. Happily the driver, who is now officially the luckiest man alive, walked away unharmed. Here’s the complete footage of the crash, plus the car’s dyno test and some other interesting bits.

Buick Envision Concept SUV Teased Posted: 30 Mar 2011 05:21 AM PDT General Motor’s Chinese branch announced a new Buick concept SUV called the Envision, set for debut at Auto Shanghai 2011 on April 18. This car is apparently made entirely in China and Americans had nothing to do with it, as it’s jointly developed by Shanghai GM and the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center (PATAC). Although it uses Buick's "dynamic, fluid, quiet and comfortable" design, they’ve included local aesthetics for the China market. The Envision is also a green car, powered by an advanced plug-in hybrid system and loads of other new technologies, as a preview of what Buick will be using in future models. The teaser image doesn’t reveal the face of the Envision, but its back-end looks promising! There’s still no word if Buick’s going to make a global model based on this concept or is it just a design exercise.

Ford Mad Max Interceptor Concepts Posted: 30 Mar 2011 05:12 AM PDT Ford Australia has been given a challenge by TopGear Australia Magazine to come up with a modern-day version of the Mad Max Interceptor car, paying homage to the original jet black Ford XB of the 1979 blockbuster. This could also be an exercise for post-apocalyptic car design! After all, what is going on in Japan currently showed the world that the idea of a likely apocalypse is not that outlandish anymore. Anyways, from a bunch of design proposals Ford designers had prepared in this after-hour project, they picked up these two which will be featured in the April issue of TopGear Australia magazine. They are asking the readers to vote on which car Ford should take to the next level, so who knows they might actually make it and it could lead to a new Mad Max movie. The winning car will be turned into a clay model, and then a scale version, which is expected to be revealed later this year. The two competing designs – by designers Nima Nourian and Simon Brook – are limitless in their imagination, technology and weaponry. Among the weaponry is an industrial-strength “taser” mounted to the bonnet to zap bad guys on bikes straight off the road. Other futuristic movie features include a titanium-lined body shell to interrupt police scanners and wheels with extendable spikes to shred enemy vehicles. Nourian said his design paid tribute to the 1970s Interceptor, but also drags the car into the future. “Our entire team was very excited to be involved in this after-hours project and they approached it with a great deal of enthusiasm – even those that were too young to remember the first Mad Max movie,” Said Chris Svensson, Ford Australia’s Melbourne-based Asia, Pacific and Australia Design Director. “We had a special screening of the original movie so they could understand it.” “There are some great scenes in the first movie with high-speed chases and clashes with the bad guys, and I thought I’d take that one step further,” he said. “So instead of having weapons and machine guns, we’ve got an industrial strength taser that’ll zap cars dead and out of the way. Brook’s car was equally threatening. “During high-speed pursuits, the wheel’s inner spokes on my design would pop out and start ripping up other cars,” Brook said. “They’d do some serious damage to other people’s vehicles.”

Chrysler S-Concept Models Revealed Posted: 30 Mar 2011 04:50 AM PDT Chrysler didn’t wait for a major motorshow to reveal their new lineup of S-Concept models and put them on display at the 2011 Spring Festival of LXs in Irvine, California. The S-Concepts are based on the 200 and 300 models which are tarted-up with body kits, big wheels, and special colors. As Tim Kuniskis, Head of Chrysler Brand Marketing says while unveiling the 300 S-Concept to Eminem’s “I Need A Doctor” song , they want people to tell them whether or not they should make these vehicles. Nice gesture, but they probably will make it anyway. Details of the upgraded S-Concepts are yet to be revealed but based on the pictures, the car’s get revised grilles, spoiler lip, side skirts, smoked lights, tinted windows, rear spoiler, new tailpipes, and 18-inch dark rims, plus a very nice dark chrome paint job. It’s fair to say they want to appeal to younger customers who otherwise wouldn’t go for a 300 because it looks too serious. The modifications have worked for the 300 and it looks really cool, but we’re not sure about the 200 because it is not a very nice car to begin with! They also had a tricked-out Town & Country on display. They shouldn’t bother with that one to be honest. via: WCF

Porsche Panamera Turbo S Revealed Posted: 30 Mar 2011 01:52 AM PDT Just like the Cayenne, Porsche Panamera too gets a range-topping Turbo S model. The four-door Gran Turismo is powered by a tweaked version of 4.8 litre V8 biturbo engine which now delivers 550 hp (410 kW) and 750 Nm of torque. That is 50 more hp and 50 more Nm over the standard Turbo. The extra power is achieved by using improved turbochargers with titanium-aluminium turbine wheels and modified engine control. It also has an overboost function that engages at kick-downs, or in the "Sport" and "Sport Plus" mode of the standard Sport Chrono Package. This big luxury sedan also comes with Launch Control feature that enables it to go from zero to 100 km/h in just 3.8 seconds and reach a top speed of 306 km/h (191 mph). That is an astonishing record for such a gigantic and seemingly heavy car. Despite the extraordinary performance, Panamera Turbo S has an NEDC average fuel consumption of 11.5 liter per 100 km (25 mpg). That can be lowered to 11.3 using the new 19 inch, all-season tyres with optimised rolling resistance developed for the Panamera by Michelin. As you expect the car is also packed with a great number of electronic controlling system such as Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC), Sport Chrono Package Turbo or Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus (PTV Plus), to name a few. Other changes over normal Turbo models include 20-inch Turbo II wheels with increased rear axle track width, side skirts from the Porsche Exclusive range and the adaptive extending four-way rear spoiler in the exterior colour. The new combination of black/cream is offered exclusively for the new Panamera Turbo S with agate grey/cream also being added as an exclusive combination from the autumn. This is obviously the best version of the Panamera, even though it costs a whopping 167,076 euro in Germany. But the main problem with it is still the way it looks. We wish Porsche spends a bit less time in the engineering department and a bit more in design.

You are subscribed to email updates from Motorward To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610