You know, we can live without the Laguna and the Scenic. We really can. But when it comes down to the hot hatches, well… we kinda wish we could get out driving gloves on some Renault models on this side of the Atlantic. Certain models in specific, like the Megane 265 Trophy.
Renaultsport’s top-of-the-line model for the quickest lap time of any front-driver around the Nürburgring. But while the hardcore R26.R that preceded it was a little rough-and-tumble, the new 265 Trophy is a properly sorted an everyday driver as it is a blistering performer. That’s what the crew over at Fifth Gear found when they took the bruiser out for a spin. to watch their review.
’s hottest hot hatch, the Renaultsport Megane 265 Trophy
Of all the major international auto shows on the calendar each year, the Bologna Motor Show may not rank among the most important. But it is vital for the Group, whose numerous brands make up more than just one lion’s share of the Italian auto industry. As such, it’s not a show for Fiat to take lightly, and this year, it’s coming with a whole mess of new debuts.
Discounting and (who kind of do their own thing), the Fiat Group divisions are displaying a freshly facelifted version of the Fiat Sedici, a Nation Limited Edition, Lancia Ypsilon Black&Red edition and four new specials from Abarth.
Six years since its launch, the Sedici (Italian for Sixteen, the product of 4×4 – also known as the ) has been been treated to a minor facelift. Available in three trim levels, buyers can choose between a 120-horsepower 1.6-liter four or a 135-hp 2.0 MultiJet diesel in either front-wheel drive or selectable all-wheel drive.
The Fiat 500 Nation Limited Edition will be offered in both hatchback and convertible versions, of which a suitable 500 examples of each will be offered. The American version of the hatchback is painted blue with Stars & Stripes graphics, while the cabrio comes in white with similar graphics and a red roof.
The Black&Red edition of the Lancia Ypsilon, meanwhile, is distinguished by four color choices – two reds, a black and a two-tone black and red scheme – with either 69-hp 1.2-liter gasoline engine or a 95-hp turbodiesel.
Finally, Abarth is coming to Bologna in full force with four special editions. The 595 Turismo and Competizione models pack a 160-hp version of the Abarth’s 1.4-liter turbo four with two flavors of style. The 695 Assetto Corse takes 205 horsepower to the track, while the Punto Scorpione packs a 180-hp 1.4-liter four for a 7.5-second sprint to 62 mph, distinguished by matte-on-gloss black finish and a special snowboard in an edition limited to 99 examples.
An additional “by Abarth” package is also on offer for the Fiat 500 TwinAir that offers some of the visual excitement of an all-out Abarth performance model without modification to the 85-hp two-cylinder engine.
Like what you see? Check out all the images in the high-resolution galleries – one above, one below and two more – along with the plethora of press releases detailing each of these new debuts.
When society finally crumbles and the human race vanishes from the face of the Earth, the cockroaches will still be passing around certain automotive rumors. Their antennae will twitch with whispers of an independent-rear-suspension and a mid-engined . Now it appears that they’ll have a new story to chew on. The rumor of the V10-powered simply refuses to die off. Autocar reports that Lexus has its eye on crafting a fighter, and that the vehicle will boast none other than aversion of the snarling V10 found at the heart of the .
Don’t get us wrong. The mere thought sends our saliva glands into overdrive, even if hopped-up GS would come packing 4.6 liters instead of 4.8 as Autocar suggests. The report claims that the reduced displacement would yield around 450 horsepower. Don’t get too excited, though. All of this rumor-stoking appears to be based on the sole fact that shadowy figures inside Lexus have said that the company “would love” to build a high-performance V8. That’s far from being carved in stone.
We know that the Fiat Doblo is coming to the brand as a cargo van, but what about a passenger-hauling variant? Automotive News reports that the Ram team is debating just such a move.
The Doblo panel van will compete with the when it hits U.S. streets in early 2013. decided to offer a passenger van version after its small hauler gained a foothold in the States. Ram President Fred Diaz can see that happening to the new Fiat-based van, adding that “it could have passenger car applications.” To do that, would only need to add a second row of seats and some windows for scenery, items that are already available in other markets.
is to upgrade its joint venture plant in Turkey so that the Ram version of the Doblo can pass U.S. regulations.
Chances are if you’ve ever spun a wrench on a vehicle, you’ve likely had a Haynes service manual in your hands at some point as well. The company prides itself on producing inexpensive and informative volumes on just about every late-model vehicle manufactured these days. Now, the company’s efforts are available online.
So far, the top 50 selling Haynes titles are accessible in electronic form, and the publisher says that more are on the way. Each volume can be viewed from any mobile device with an Internet connection, including smartphones, tablets and laptops, but these are more than just PDF files of the paper versions.
Haynes says that shadetree mechanics can take advantage of videos depicting the tasks at hand, hopefully eliminating time-consuming mistakes in the process. As anyone who has ever suffered through erroneous forum advice can attest, knowing really is half the battle.
Users can purchase a one-year subscription for $25 or a lifetime subscription for $30 per vehicle. for the full press release as well as a quick video on the manuals.
The droptop version of the – the one introduced to the U.S. at the that’s – has been thrown around the Nürburgring by test driver Sascha Bert, and the recipe contains all the basic ingredients: a lot of music and suspension travel, a little bit of roaring and opposite lock. You knew this was coming, but that doesn’t make it any less fun to watch when it happens, right?
Four minutes and 26 seconds of your day will disappear right …
We record Episode #257 of the Autoblog Podcast tonight, and you can drop us your questions via our Q&A module below. Check out our discussion topics or chime in to help determine what else the crew chats about this evening. Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast if you haven’t already. We’re giving a break this week, but we’ll be back with live webcasts of Autoblog Podcast production soon.
Discussion Topics for Autoblog Podcast Episode #257
The R performance sub-brand isn’t just a niche cog in the massive machine known as the Volkswagen Auto Group. If R GmbH’s heads are to be believed, it’s an instrumental component of the German automaker’s push to offer something for everyone. And after speaking with the two men shepherding R into the future, it appears that good things are on the way.
With the set to go on sale in the U.S. early next year and R-branded performance parts already proliferating throughout VW’s core products, Ulrich Riestenpatt gt. Richter, R’s Executive Director, and Dr. Hendrik Muth, R’s marketing head, are looking to the future. Fortunately, they were thoughtful enough to provide Autoblog with a small glimpse into what’s on the way.
“The future is diesel and all-wheel-drive,” Richter told us on the floor of last week’s . That could mean that the next great performance offering from VW R could come in the form of an AWD diesel hatch – essentially an oil-burning Golf R. Further, Richter contends that he can make an R version of any vehicle in the VW stable, so don’t be surprised to see a R in the coming years and the getting the green light.
Just as telling, Richter says that while hybrids have their place (VW will be at the ), the fuel savings of hybrid-electric systems pale in comparison to weight reduction. “You can get the same efficiency [as a hybrid] by dropping 100 kilos,” Richter admits, but the high cost of advanced composites – namely carbon fiber – is still too high. So that means more aluminum is on the way, and partnered with a high-performance diesel powerplant, enthusiasts should be able to have their tire-shredding cake and eat less at the pump in the process.
The seems to be having trouble gaining sales momentum. Automotive News reports that the Italian hatch is likely to fall well short of its admittedly very ambitious 50,000 unit sales target this year. The model hit the market back in March and has only sold 15,826 units through October. The report also says that of the 150 dealers in the States, 29 didn’t sell a single one last month (presumably at least some of them haven’t shifted a vehicle because they were late opening in the first place). Either way, that’s a lot of sales people looking longingly out of the show room glass. As a result, Chrysler is now offering a $500 rebate on the vehicle in an effort to entice buyers as the year comes to a close.
More alarmingly, Automotive News says that it has obtained internal company documents that indicates has around a half-year supply of 500 models on hand if sales continue at their current pace. The automaker has even in light of slow demand, reassigning 65 workers at the Dundee, Michigan plant responsible for assembling 500 engines.
Sergio Marchionne, Chrysler’s CEO, says that the problem lies with the distribution network, while dealers claim that American buyers aren’t interested in such a small vehicle. It remains to be seen whether the addition of the Jennifer Lopez-led national advertising campaign and the arrival of the 500 Abarth and related lifestyle models like the will result in a meaningful increase in sales.
For a while there, it looked like forgot about , and dismal sales numbers reflected the marque’s lack of attention. But just when it was beginning to look like Lincoln was on its last leg, Ford’s luxury arm unveiled the refreshed and at the . Those models may not go far enough to usher Lincoln back to relevance, but chief Lincoln designer Max Wolff mentioned at the show that the real changes begin with the , which during a video prior to the reveal of the revamped MKS.
We’ll see what the new MKZ looks like at the , but at the least we can say that Ford is again paying attention to Lincoln. Wolff seems excited about the future of the brand, and he focused some of his excitement in a new video that takes a look at the Lincoln design studio. Designing a vehicle certainly isn’t as easy as grabbing a pencil and paper any more, but today’s tools look much cooler if you ask us. to watch the video for yourself.
We won’t say it’s human nature to cheat, but humans and cheating go together often enough to make us consider it.
In another example of trying to make crime pay, Castilla y León television captured an auto shop in Spain that it says was intentionally damaging cars in order to get insurance money. The shop reportedly drove cars into walls, into lifts and even into other cars. The Spanish-language video is , and it includes sacrificial , Renault, and SEAT autos, among others. It ain’t pretty.
Bloomberg is reporting that Laura Soave, the head of the brand in North America, is leaving the company. The executive helped usher Fiat back into the U.S. market with the , but flagging sales, and have fallen on Soave’s shoulders, as have rumors of improper professional relationships. Rumors of her ousting/departure have been swirling for some time, making the announcement of little surprise.
Fiat has managed to move less than half of the 50,000 units per year that the company had projected for the 500 in 2011.
Soave will be replaced by Tim Kuniskis, a marketing executive within Fiat, according to the report.
UPDATE:It’s official. Chrysler has released a statement confirming Soave’s exit and Kuniskis’ ascendance. Check out the release .
Turning a Formula One team into an automaker is no mean feat. did it decades ago, and now McLaren is following suit. The first product of the newly formed McLaren Automotive – an offshoot of the F1 team – has already hit the market in the form of the MP4-12C, with several additional models planned over the coming years. But in order to do so, they’ll need a state-of-the-art production facility.
Fortunately, that’s just what McLaren has built at its cutting-edge factory in Woking, England. The new McLaren Production Centre has just opened its doors, inviting British Prime Minister David Cameron to swing by for a tour.
In announcing the visit, McLaren has also revealed the name of its next project as the MP4-27. It isn’t immediately clear if the MP4-27C will be the successor to the legendary McLaren F1 road car, or if it will simply be the company’s next race car.
Either way, that’s not all that McLaren is working on these days, beyond fielding its own front-running, World Championship F1 team, it’s supplying the electronics for the next generation of F1 engines as well as those for IndyCar, NASCAR, airplane engines and the in San Francisco. In other words, there’s not a lot of sitting still going on in Woking, and that’s just the way they seem to like it.
for the full press release and a pair of videos from the facility’s opening, and scope out the high-res images in the gallery for a look behind the curtain.
It’s been a while since of the BMW i3 making the rounds around Germany, but today we get a glimpse of the entry-level EV with new body work and possibly fitted with a range-extending engine.
When the i3 was revealed earlier this year, engineers divulged to Autoblog that the automaker to the REx model. That variant is slated to hit the market soon after the standard electrically-powered i3 goes on sale in 2013. The system – similar to the , but without feeding any power directly to the wheels – would extend the 100-mile range and be mounted alongside the 125kW electric motor (the same fitted to the and i8) in the rear. But why do we think this is the REx model? Stickers on the doors and hatch state “Hybrid Test Vehicle.”
Stylistically, the profile of the i3 has carried over from the concept, including the compact rear window between the B- and C-pillars and the suicide rear doors. Interestingly, BMW appears to have nixed the rear door’s handles, so in order to enter the back seats, you’ll have to open the front doors first, ala the . The front and rear light assemblies appear to be closer to production spec, as does the hood and hatch. And with development well underway, we should see the production version early next year.
Tata is out to battle lukewarm demand for the company’s Nano with a range of improvements to the world’s least-expensive new vehicle. Engineers have upped the Nano’s power and fuel efficiency while decreasing emissions at the same time. The vehicle’s 624-cc engine now produces a whopping 37.5 horsepower, enough to help the machine tackle up to 30 percent road grades and reach a max speed of 65 mph. The company has also reworked the suspension on the Nano with a new anti-roll bar in the front as well as a redesigned steering mechanism.
More importantly, the Nano Standard now comes with power-assisted brakes. That nicety was only available on higher trims in the past. Inside, the Nano now wears new materials available in three colors: beige, black or gray, though buyers may now select from a range of 10 different exterior paints.
Tata is likely desperate to do something to improve the vehicle’s sales. While the company originally projected that buyers would take home between 20,000 and 25,000 Nano vehicles a month, 1,200 units leave dealer lots. for the full press release.
Never underestimate a vehicle’s willingness to lock you out in the cold. Or, in Jennifer Lopez’s case, on stage. Lopez once again teamed up with the for the 2011 American Music Awards this weekend. The choreography during a performance of “Papi” called for the singer to hop into the driver’s seat for a quick spell, but when she tried the door handle, the car was locked. Fortunately, the windows were down, and the quick-thinking performer immediately popped the locks from inside. The rest of the performance went off without so much as a hitch.
Lopez has already starred in a number of as part of the Italian automaker’s new advertising offensive for the retro hatch. The 500 also spent some time on screen during the “Papi” music video. to check out the video of the lockout for yourself, as well as the Fiat press release on the AMA awards.
Whether he’s hosting an episode of Top Gear, writing a column for a magazine or newspaper, or putting together his own DVD special, there’s little doubt that Jeremy Clarkson has an enviable level of access to pretty much any car he wants. That ranges from the latest supercars to everyday commuters to oddball one-off classics like the . So which, of all the cars at his disposal, is his favorite this year?
The answer might surprise you. While the BMW M-Sport Touring is Clarkson’s choice for the best car of the year, it’s not his favorite. No, that accolade belongs to the one that can put the biggest grin on his mug. So which gets the top prize from the UK’s top automotive personality? to watch a clip from his new Powered Up DVD to find out.
Uncorking This Road-Legal DTM Coupe At Laguna Seca
Turn Two at Laguna Seca is one of racing’s more interesting creations. Get it wrong here and the rest of your lap will get really grumpy really fast. The AMG-Mercedes people thankfully gave us around 20 hot laps in their new C63 AMG Coupe Black Series over the course of the day – enough that we were able to get into a groove for the final 16 sorties or so. GT cars of about this size, setup and power tend to take to Laguna Seca like yuppies to mesquite.
And so we cooked all day in a fully accoutered C63 Black Series. The fixins’ on our coupe went well beyond the standard model’s race-car-for-the-road spec: Track Package, Aerodynamics Package, AMG Performance Media suite, Exterior Carbon Fiber Package, 19-inch matte black forged light alloy wheels and a fire extinguisher. We’d have preferred if some of these options actually came as standard equipment, but last we checked, we don’t own and run Daimler. Not yet anyway.
Goosing the well-weighted throttle pedal to the floor at the right moment in second gear out of Laguna Seca’s insidious Turn Eleven left-hander, the C63 Black Series filled all of Monterey County with its divine quad-barrel noise. The sound was almost enough to make that difficult corner worth tolerating.
With the X-Type standing as a rare exception, for the entirety of its history, has meant rear-wheel drive. Want drive at all four corners? That’s what its sister brand, , has been for. But not everyone who wants luxury with foul weather prowess wants an SUV. In fact, a growing number of luxury sedan buyers look for power channeled to all four wheels, and Jaguar apparently thinks it can no longer afford to sit by and watch those buyers go to the likes of (with its iconic Quattro models), (with its xDrive offerings) and (which offers 4Matic on several models).
As a result, a new story from Autocar indicates that Jaguar is preparing to launch all-wheel drive versions of the and /or sedans. The move is targeted specifically at “the snowbelt of America,” where Jaguar reportedly believes all-wheel-drive vehicles account for some 70 percent of sales.
The development of an all-wheel drive system is likely being conducted in conjunction with Land Rover, and is expected to arrive within the next two years. The project is being given a higher priority than the development of hybrid propulsion, since Jaguar estimates that its buyers are more willing to pony up for an extra set of driving wheels than a battery pack and a pair of electric motors.
When the first hit the market in 1998, its design was nothing short of revolutionary. The current model (pictured above in ), while dynamically superior, has been mainstreamed a bit, going with a more evolutionary approach. But now, rumor has it that is preparing to launch an all-new third-generation model at the rapidly approaching , and our interests our piqued.
Little in the way of details is known as to the direction Audi is preparing to take with the new TT, but sources expect it to go slightly upmarket in order to make room for a smaller, less costly R4 mid-engined sportscar. The TT, however, is expected to retain its front-engine, all-wheel-drive layout. Stylistically, we’d expect the new TT to adopt some of the design cues laid down by recently conceptcars like the from last year.
Audi, for its part, is staying mum on the subject, announcing the five-door as its major debut for the Japanese expo. Whether a new TT – be it in concept form or production-ready – will join it remains to be seen.
