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F1: Thrills and spills in spain and hUnGarY
all-new Jeep Grand CherOKee is Brand’s GaMe ChanGe
JaGUar XFr: enTrY leVel reViTalised
No 109 September 2010 Oman’s Best Automotive Resource OMR 0.500 AED 5.00 QR 5
BMw M3: BadGe CeleBraTes 25 Years
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editor-in-chiefMamma Al ta
AL roYA PreSS & PUBLiShinG
Po B: 343, Psal c 118
Al hay cmpl
Sulaa oma
emal: auma@alya.
Wbs: www.aumawb.m
eal :
tl: +968 24479888 e 300, fa: +968 24479889
cula :
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PUBLiSher
ham Al ta am@alya.
editor & GM
raj Wa aj@alya.
execUtive editor
caa B Mallk aa@alya.
co-ordinAtor
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deSiGn
Sawsa Al Muab sawsa@alya.
heAd of MArKetinG
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circULAtion
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Printer
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© 2010
All al Auma magaz a
s wbs s pyg a may b pu
ay m wu w s maag-
m AL roYA PreSS & PUBLiShinG
Auma aps usl lus al
maal, bu ss g publs ay su
maal. o publs, pyg ay su
maal wll s w AL roYA PreSS & PUBLiSh-
inG
uring August one event took place that set a landmark in the evolution of the car
n ustry. T e company e in Geey in C ina too over t e reins o management at
Vo vo Cars. In t e case o t e Swe is car ran it is a muc -awaite i e ine, especia y
hen you see the history of the brand and the particular circumstances that saw parent
ar company For nee to se it. So now t at Gee y owns Vo vo Cars, w y s ou it
ake any difference to us?
e use to oo at C inese manu acturers on a t ree-tier sca e - t e ig est eve s
ere manufacturing foreign brands for foreign car manufacturers in China, with
ro ucts t at met a most t e stan ar s o t e parent ran . T e secon were a it
ower own t e sca e. T ey oug t out esigns, manu acturing p ants an tec no ogy
rom foreign providers to make local brands and models. At the bottom of the scale
ere t e manu acturers w o c ose to o er t e est orm o attery y just rep icating
oreign car models with indigenous know-how. While this characterisation was true for
long time, it seems to be evolving, largely due to the nature of the market and the
usiness environment aroun it. T e new ea ers o t e pac are now oo ing outwar s
n order to leapfrog years of the development process.
t wi e interesting to see ow t e situation pans out over t e next coup e o years.
ther Chinese car makers are bound to follow in Geely’s footsteps.n t e ot er an t is mont as roug t a out a uge increase in t e num er o
isible accidents on the roads. Just the other day there was a multi-car pile-up on the
lip road near our ofce. It was the sort of scene you normally see on the highway,
ere spee an ac o concentration ring a out t ese outcomes. It was a it
nnerving to think that this entire event was the result of unfettered speed on a small
lip road. Thankfully there was no fatality.
ash driving is denitely the cause. The other day a crazy driver was on our tail on
e Qurum eig ts roa trying to overta e on t e 3 oot wi e ye ow ane a joining
he divider. When we let him pass, he then overtook the Prado ahead from the slow
ane and almost clipped the front. All this at a 100-plus km/h. We can only hope that
atever t e reason or t is ma ness, it was wort ris ing is i e an t e i e o
veryone else on the road.
A month of ups and downs
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{news}
4
all-New 2011 iNfiNiti QX arrives iN omaN
W ile global fuel prices, environmental
oncerns, an economic recession as
affected the luxury SUV craze in the West,which at one point of time accounted for bare-
y one-t ir as many ve ic e sa es as in 2005,
but in the Middle East it is still considered as
a status sym o wit a purpose – e it towing
or hauling large families. Suhail Bahwan Auto-
mobiles (SBA), the sole importers
o In niti cars in Oman, aunc e
the much awaited second gener-
ation QX SUV, w ic a so serves
as the new agship model.
irst revea e at t is years New
Yor Auto S ow, t e 2011 QX56
has been totally redesigned fromt e p at orm up an is ui t in
Japan. While many competitors
ave opte or uni o y construc-
tion or car- ase crossovers to
replace their large SUVs, Inniti
staye ait u y to its o y-on-
frame construction philosophy
to maintain t e truc - i e auing
capacity.
echanically, it shares most of
its un erpinnings wit t e new
Nissan Patrol and hence its chassis is stiffer
an quieter t an t e o set-up. It a so sup-
ports a quieter, smoot er an muc more e -
cient 5.6-litre V8 with variable valve technol
ogy, w ic at 400 p now o ers 25 per cent
ore power than before. Interestingly, thisengine is not t e same V8 use in t e Nissan
truc s ut it is c ose y re ate to t e 420 p
engine found in the new M56 saloon that has
een speci ca y tune to e iver pea torque
at lower revs through its seven-speed auto-
atic transmission with adaptive shift control.
T e car s manua s i t mo e eatures own-
s i t rev-matc ing simi ar to t e G37 sport
aloon and also offers tow mode. Electronic
contro o t e 4WD system no onger o ers a
ocked-in 2WD mode, instead, there’s an auto-atic mo e t at e au ts to 100 per cent rear
drive and redirects torque only when slip is de-
tected. A 4WD Hi selection activates the front
axe continuous y or s ippery con itions w i e
4WD Lo locks in for true off-road performance.
T e In niti QX wi e o ere
n two specication grades in
the Middle East markets and
it u -time 4WD as stan-
ard. The QX comes in either
Exce ence or ig er speci-
cation “Luxury” grade with
ach grade having the optioneit er seven seats wit
nd row captain’s chairs), or
ig t-seat ormat wit a sec-
nd row bench seat.
eanwhile, new state-of-
t e-art In niti s owroom is
oming up shortly in Qurum
n is using t e g o a In niti
etail Environment Design
nitiative’ (IREDI) concept.
T e am ience in t e s ow-
oom promises to match the distinct styling
t at eac In niti mo e as now ecome a
ous for.
Gaydon, UK-based Aston Martin, which
uwait- ase Investment Dar owns 50
per cent of, has opened its rst ofcial deal-
ership in Oman. The appointment of Al Mu-
anna A Has ar as o cia retai ers o t e
British sportscar brand in the Sultanate marks
t e sevent ea ers ip in t e GCC. T e new
Aston Martin Oman s owroom is ocate in
Al-Sarooj district of Muscat. ”The new dealer-
s ip in Oman is a strong stop towar s our ur-
ther expansion in the Middle East. Naturally,
we are e ig te to e represente in Oman
and look forward to a successful partnership
with Al Muhannad Al Hashar,” said Dr Ulrich
Bez, CEO o Aston Martin.
“The Middle East remains a vitally impor-
tant mar et or Aston Martin, ere amongst
the regional community there is huge enthusi-
asm for sports cars, motor racing and English
astoN martiN’s seveNth regioNal dealership is iN omaN
Attendng the rbbon-cttng ceremony as the charman of the Board of Al Mhannad Al
Hashar, Shakh Al Mhannad bn Saeed Al Hashar and other company exectes
eritage all of which are areas where Aston
artin exces, sai Mar Kenwort y, w o as
een appointe Aston Martin s regiona auto-
motive general manager. The new outlet will
o er t e u range inc u ing t e Rapi e an
imite pro uction One-77.
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{news}
5
suzuki kizashi top choice for europcar
bridgestoNe New retread facility iN omaN
e , even e ore it as o cia y it t e
etails showrooms in the region, al-
ost, t e entire import consignment o t e
rst batch of Suzuki’s all-new 2011 Kizashias been acquired by Europcar, one of Ajit
imji Group o Companies in Oman. We
grabbed almost the entire launch consign-
ent o Suzu i Kizas i, sai An y Prat ey,
general manager of Europcar. ”We found the
A a time w en ig running expenses
re prompting eet truck operators to
nd ways to reduce costs, there’s some
oo news or truc operators in Oman.ridgestone Middle East & Africa FZE of
ia y inaugurate its t Ban ag retrea
facility in the Middle East, in Mabella last
onth. The new Bandage retreading facility
ouses state-o -t e-art equipment, w ic
will be used by Towell Auto staff to provide
ost e ective soutions to its customers.
Trained specialists in retreading will assure
ustomers global quality of the service. The
ew Ban ag aci ity wi use co curing re-
treading technology supplied by Bridgestone
an ag Tyre So utions, t e US unit t at t e
ompany acquired in 2006. Retreaded tyres
ost 20 to 30 per cent less than new ones and
t e tyre carcass can e retrea e 2-3 times
epending on its physical condition. Thanks
to superior retrea ing process, every time a
truck uses a retreaded tyre, approximately 15
allons of oil is saved. This cutting edge facil-
ty is t e o cia Bri gestone outet in Oman
that will provide reliable and safe retread ser-
vice to t e eet operators o Oman.
“With this move we are anticipating the ex-
ansion of our existing list of customers, by
moving c oser to our customer ase. Keeping
in line with the principles of Bridgestone, our
specia ize service sta can now reac out
with better efciency and skills,” said S Kas-
turirangan, CEO o Towe Auto Centre. T e
retrea usiness wi a so a ress some o t e
current environmental issues, particularly, the
isposa o worn out tyres. Apart rom e ping
to reduce total cost of tyres, retreading also
ma es a major environmenta contri ution
in terms o t e more e ective uti ization o
natural resources which in turn helps ensure
a ea t y environment or current an uture
generations,” said Shoichi Sakuma, President
o Bri gestone Mi e East & A rica FZE.
Ramada ers: tradtall a gdtme t b Amerca brads
GMC
Moosa Abdul Rahman Hassan & Co, the ex-
c usive istri utor o GMC ve ices across t e
Sultanate of Oman, has announced a promotion on the GMC Terrain SUV during the Holy
ont o Rama an. Avai a e at a Moosa
showrooms across Oman, GMC’s Terrain wil
e o ere wit a compre ensive a ter-sa es
warranty/service package at no extra cost
The attractive package includes 40,000 km
service over two years, ve year un imite m
warranty, complimentary registration, 3M sun
contro m on a mo e s an 500-itres o
etrol besides gifts.
Chrsler, Ddge ad Jeep
Zubair Automotive Group and Shanfari Au-tomotive Company across t e Su tanate ave
jointly announced special Ramadan pricin
o owing t e recent creation o D o ar Au
tomotive – a joint venture initiative etween
Zubair Automotive Group and Shanfari Auto-
otive Company.
Besides streamlining retail pricing and afte
saes, t e specia gi t pac ages ave een
ormu ate to meet t e i erent require
ents of customers and will include at no
cost to customers services suc as insurance
egistration, servicing and E-Max gift vouch
ers. Finance is a so eing o ere at extreme y
competitive rates w ic are a so attractive othese brands. Interest rates begin as lows as
3.99 per cent.
“At this special time of year we are com
itte to cee rating Rama an toget er wit
our customers an are o ering t em t e es
deals in the Sultanate during the holy month,”
sai C ris E war s, genera manager o
Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge in Oman.
T ese a e va ue pac ages are eing o
ere across a t e t ree ran s on new ve
icles purchased until the September 30.
Andy Pratley of Eropcar th Anl Seth of Moosa Abdl Rahman Hassan & Co. LLC, drng
the key handoer ceremony
izas i to e astoun ing y attractive, wit its
old and futuristic design and a styling that is
ear y cut out rom t e rest in its c ass. Eu-
opcar will offer the model with 2.4-litre VVTngine and CVT transmission.
eanw i e, t e Kizas i wi e o ere to re-
ail customers in two variants designated as
Deuxe an Premium. T e top en premi-
m comes with features such electric sunroof,
ruise control system, leather upholstery, 18in
port a oy w ee s, 10-way power seats wit
emory, parking sensors, fog Lamps, Rock-
or Fosgate Au io System wit a itiona
ub-woofer, auto leveling HID headlamps
it was ers among ot er eatures . Suzu i
s cee rating its centenary wor wi e an in
man, the cars are available from Moosa Ab-u Ra man Hassan & Co LLC, t e exc usive
istributors.
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{Regional news}
6
Jaguar’s all-New XJ hits meNa showrooms
Jaguar Middle East and North Africa has an-nounced the arrival of the all-new XJ. The
company’s much anticipated four door ag-
ship is now on sale throughout the region.
Building on the success of the new XK and XF
models globally and in the Middle East, the
introduction of the All-New XJ is a landmark
for the revitalised Jaguar brand. Ian Callum,
Jaguar Design Director said: “The All-New XJ
is a thoroughly modern interpretation of the
quintessential Jaguar. It is the most emphatic
statement yet of Jaguar’s new design direc-
tion.”
The model will be offered in four specica-tion levels – Luxury, Premium Luxury, Portfolio
and Supersport, thus allowing the customer
to tailor the car to suit their tastes of choice
in colours, veneers and trim options. Powered
by the 5.0-litre naturally aspirated V8 and
5.0-litre supercharged V8, the engines offer
470hp and 510hp respectively.
New features for the range include air sus-
pension, continuously variable damping, ac-
tive differential control and quick- ratio power
steering deliver the blend of responsive, dy-
namic handling and rened, supple ride ex-pected from a Jaguar.
Robin Colgan, managing director of Jag-
uar Land Rover Middle East and North Africa
said: “We are very excited about our All-New
agship which sets benchmarks in terms of
design, performance and engineering. Jaguar
customers in this region look for luxury, indi-
viduality and performance and we’re certain
the agship All-New XJ, which is truly beauti-
ful and exhilarating to drive, will enjoy success
here, just like the XK and XF.”
The CTS Coupe is an important model in
the refreshed Cadillac line-up that has
taken extra time to reach dealer showrooms
due to some unusual circumstances. First
shown as a concept over three years ago, the
production model was originally expected to
be launched early 2009, but the May 2009 on-
sale date was pushed back during GM’s re-
structuring and eventually set for an August
2010 on-sale date.
The good news is that both the 2011 Ca-
dillac CTS Coupe and CTS-V Coupe are now
available to pre-book at Cadillac showrooms
across the Middle East. The cars will start ar-
riving in showrooms this month. While, the
design of the models remain virtually un-
changed from the concept car, the normal
version is powered by a 3.6-litre V6 engine
that churns out 304hp [net] while the 6.2-litre
V8 engine producing 556hp [net] comes from
the world’s fastest production saloon in the V.
“The Cadillac CTS Coupe is a dramatic design
statement,” said Ed Welburn, vice president –
GM Global Design.
“We did not create it as a result of sifting
through reams of market data, nor is its shape
trimmed to suit the input collected at a con-
sumer clinic – it is emotion on four wheels
and the very essence of what denes Cadillac
today.”
cadillac dealers pre-bookiNg cts aNd cts-v coupe
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precedented in Oman’s buoyant retail
utomotive sector, Towe Auto Centre
aunched four models of Mazda cars simultaeously at their Azaiba and Wattayah show
ooms on a sing e ay. T e mo e s inc u e
the multiple award-winning and compact
egment uster, Maz a2, t e tur o c arge
version of the mid-sized crossover CX-7, and
igger CX-9 along with the spacious and
porty Maz a6.
“Today we are proud to announce that we
re pro a y t e on y auto istri utor in t e
ultanate or even the GCC to launch four
ars in one ay. Maz a cars are nown or
t eir riving ynamics, an o er ot a nat-
rally aspirated and supercharged model.T ese power u new cars o er a sporty ee
nd stout engines, all without compromis-
ng t e a i ity to seat com orta y. T ese a
ew Maz a ve ic es are great or t e ami y,
s well as individuals who gain pleasure by
riving t eir automo i es, sai S Kast u-
irangan, CEO, of Towell Auto Centre.
{Regional news}
7
2011 NissaN 370z roadster arrives iN the regioN
Hot on t e ees o Oman or its new pro -
ct introductions, Mazda has now UAEn its sights. With Galadari Automobiles, the
ran s soe istri utors in t e UAE, t e car-
aker launched
t e 2011 Maz a2
ast month in both
atch and saloon
versions.
“Launch of 2011
az a2 in t e UAE
epresents a stra-
tegically important
tep or Maz a,
ignalling theran s entry into
the small car seg-
ent. T e UAE mar et continues to remain a
ore ocus in our regiona expansion strategy.
The economic downturn has further validated
ur commitment to t is mar et, as t e coun-
try along with the Middle East at large, has
merge as one o t e more resi ient regiona
ar ets or automo i e manu acturers as com-
ared with North America and Europe,” said
enji Sato, sa es an mar eting manager o
azda Middle East. Engineered as a ‘PersonalSmart Commuter t e tren y, t e variants
will be offered with a 1.5-litre, four cylinder
ngine mated to
our-spee trans-
ission. With killer
ty e, great ue
conomy an an
ffordable price
tag, t e current
version of the Maz-
a2 was aunc e
n 2007 an as
agged more than0 awar s wor -
wide including ‘Car
o t e Year in many mar ets inc u ing Japan,
ew Zeaan , C i e, Bugaria an Greece. No-
tably, the MAZDA2 was selected as the ‘2008
Wor Car o t e Year WCOTY at t e 2008
ew York International Auto Show and has
esta is e a istinguis e position in t e
su -compact segment.
mazda eNters the uae sub-compact
car market
TowELL on An ovERDRivE wiTH
MAzDA
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{Brandwatch}
8
haNdle with caret n qn n cn-
g n sn’ v n n-n . an xn .
T
hese days, a cash rich Chinese company
buying a loss making European set-upwould barely get a detailed headline men-
tion in international business news today, but
when such a move is in the somewhat fragile
automotive sector, then there’s bound to be
some noise. The reason for this is historical.
Most of the marriages or mergers between
motorcar companies in the current decade
have ended up in a messy divorce or total
loss. Cash strapped General Motors’ topped
that list with the unceremoniously dumping
Mitsubishi, Suzuki, Subaru in 2008, followed
by the recent sale of Saab. In 2007, Daimler-
Chrysler ofoaded Chrysler to a venture capi-
talist and Ford sold Jaguar and Land Rover to
Tata Motors.The latest acquisition saga this year of
Volvo from Ford by a edgling Chinese car
maker Geely is being considered as a high-
prole merger in the wake of a credit crisis.
Analysts fear that one problem seems to be
often overlooked in these mergers is that the
rate of failure is more than corporate stability
and protability. But after a lost decade as a
Ford brand, Sweden’s Volvo seems to have en-
tered a new era under the ownership of Chi-
na’s Geely. Geely has reportedly paid close to
$1.8bn for Volvo, which is less than a quarter
of what Ford paid for the Swedish company in
1999. The reason for this optimism is based
on how the new owner plans to move forwardwith this ambitious investment, which comes
at a time when the Chinese domestic market
is beginning to show signs of maturity – in
terms of vehicle quality, design and volumes
among others.
So what does Geely expect to make out
of this deal? First, it will give the ambitious
13-year old Chinese carmaker a rock solid
technical foundation. Arguably, Volvo’s good-
will and equity is unparallel in terms of safety
and sturdiness in cars, key attributes now for
Chinese carmakers who are keen to capitalize
on the current boom by offering products of
<< g qn
v n us$1.8n f>>
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{news}
9
global standards. Meanwhile, on the opera-
tional front, Geely Group chairman Li Shufu
has promised continuity for Volvo and the al-
liance will start producing Volvo branded carsfor the domestic market from its newly an-
nounced Shanghai facility. The plant will pro-
duce Volvo’s three-door, four-seat hatchback
C30 and mid-sized ve-door estate car V70
in 2012. The positive outcome is that there
will be cross sharing of talent and resources
between the brands, but Volvo operations
will largely continue independently. There are
no plans to merge it with Geely or dilute the
brand’s strong Nordic identity. However, Geely
management does realize that Volvo is a niche
brand and not a cash cow for its bottomlines,
but what it stands to gain certainly is worth
much more than the investment provided it is
able to handle the delicate relationship.
Geely’s chairman Li Shifu has shown remarkable maturity in the way the deal has
been nalised. The rst step of the alliance has already been made where the C30
hatchback and V70 estate will be produced in the new Shanghai plant in 2012. Volvo
will continue to operate as an independent entity.
Regal Ramada ers
AuDi [oMAn]
Audi is inviting customers across Oman to
visit s owrooms w ere uxury mo e s are e
ng offered at attractive prices and an unbeat-able package which includes Audi’s ve-yea
service pac age, a t ree-year warranty an
24-hour Audi roadside assistance. Models on
o er inc u e t e A4, A5, Q7, Q5 an t e Au
TT. Prices of the models offered by Audi Oman
for the Q5 begins from RO13,950; Q7 from
O19,950; TT, rom RO10,950 an A5 Coupe
from RO19,250. “At Wattayah Motors we be-
ieve t at Rama an is tru y t e time o giving
and we are aiming to reward our customers
wit t e est specia o ers an ea s so t ey
can ee t e spirit o t is specia time wit us,
said James Oliver, general manager of AudOman.
niSSAn/infiniTi [uAE]
Ara ian Automo i es, t e exc usive eae
o Nissan, In niti an Renau t in Du ai an
the Northern Emirates has introduced specia
o ers across its Nissan an In niti pro uc
ange. Customers will receive cash rewards
o up to D 25,000 w en purc asing a new
issan ve ic e uring Rama an. Ara ian Au
tomobiles will also pay the 10 per cent down
ayment or customers w o purc ase a new
Inniti vehicle. All customers will receive free
rst year insurance an a ve-year un imite
i eage warranty wit t eir respective purchases. The Ramadan offer is valid across
a Ara ian Automo i es s owrooms in Du a
and the Northern Emirates. Customers can
contact Ara ian Automobiles on 800 NISSAN
647726 or 800 INFINITI 46346484 o
ore information.
BMw [SyRiA]
ahi Motors, the exclusive importer fo
MW Group in Syria is offering its custom-
ers an interesting pac age on se ecte BMW
odels. The offer includes 25 per cent dis-
count on ve ic e registration on any BMW 7
Series, 50 per cent on t e BMW 316i an 30
er cent on all other BMW models. Customers
w o c oose to nance any new mo e wi e
entitled to two years interest free instalments
on t eir payments. Ba i Motors wi a so e
offering customers purchasing the BMW 316
a complimentary BMW Service Inclusive pack-
age, w ic covers a major servicing on BMW
cars for the rst ve years or 100,000 km
T e BMW Service Incusive pac age o ers t e
nancial security of being able to budget own
ership costs for the contract period.
volo’s nestment n crash testng has pad rch ddends for the former oners and ts
brands. Geely will also benet from Volvo’s expertise in automotive safety
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{news}
10
rn n n, x n n n n n
n’ n n n
It’s no secret that last year, the global luxury
segment ren ere a mixe per ormance
when it came to sales gures. Small luxury
cars outper orme t e rest o t e in ustry
in sales, but large luxury vehicles struggled
in comparison to the overall auto market.
An t ats a tren every motorcar manu ac-
turer would want to reverse. While, the usualrepresentation o u tra- uxury ve ic es rom
high-end manufacturers such as Rolls-Royce,
Ferrari and Lamborghini were conspicuously
a sent at t is years opening motor s ow in
Detroit, but most chose to instead exhibit their
most-covete cars in specia customer ocuse
events.
ow, catering to the ultra wealthy is noth-
ing new, ut w at is new in t is rat er ong
spell of recession is that retailers and manu-
acturers are inventing new ways to mar et
more of their products to the super rich.
ne o t e ways t at retai ers are
md
u
si
a
va ue to an expensive ran instea o trying
to pus a ran e wit esser options or ower
ricing. And it seems this latest marketing
antra is wor ing quite we an since
the Middle East is still among the
strongest mar ets or ig en
cars an expensive customization
options, hence it it’s not surpris-ng to see u tra uxury carma ers
such as Bentley, Rolls-Royce offer-
ng more espo e mo e s, especia y or t e
iscerning Mi e East customers wit varying
tastes and needs.
ere s a oo at some o t e u tra uxury
odels that are heading this way this year
an going y t e tren s, t e region can ex-
ect to a more mainstream or exotic names
to the bandwagon soon.
Betle
ritish ultra-luxury automaker Bentley has an-
ounce t at it wi e pro ucing two sepa-
ate special edition Continental models for
t h e Middle-East market only. The
two mo e s inc u e are t e
ontinental Flying Spur Ara-
ia an t e Continenta F y-
ng Spur Speed Arabia. The
lying Spur Arabia getst e stan ar 6.0- itre twin
turbo W12 engine with 552bhp and 650Nm
o torque. T e Fying spur Spee Ara ia gets
that engine tuned upwards to 600bhp and 750
m, shaving a tenth of a second off the 0 to
100 m sprint time 4.8 instea o 4.9secs
and adding 10km/h to the top speed, now
at 322 m . Distinguis ing t e mo e s wi
e a special ‘Arabia’ motif will include a front
udguard badge as well as a tread plate and
as tray i a a ge wit t e espo e Ara-
ia signature. Both models also get their own
et o w ees. T e F ying Spur Ara ia comes
- diamond alloy wheels, whileSpur Speed Arabia features
o e 20in rims in s ining si ver.
er touches include ventilated
eats t at can coo or warm
Author:
For Middle East only!
<< t m e n n
10 n bn >>
assengers, veneere picnic
tables inside the cabin and a
c rome ue cap wit t e B
nsignia of Bentley. Bentley
will limit the two special edi-
tions to a com ine tota o
ust 50 units.
We ave create t ese
lusive new models for our
ic customers in recognition
growing importance o t ese
l customers. Bentley has a
u tra ition o eing a e to
r an persona ise our cars to
yling and driving tastes of our
t ese specia -e ition Bent eys
skills for the Middle East Mar-
Dow ing, regiona irector,
East.
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11
HALf A MiLLion K-SERiES EnGinES
RoLL ouT fRoM MARuTi SuzuKi
aruti Suzu i In ia Limite , t e countrys
eading car manufacturer has announced the
ro uction o a recor a a mi ion units o
he K-series engine in less than 23 monthsThe rst K-series engine was manufactured in
cto er 2008 an t e car company as an in-
talled capacity of 500,000 units annually. To
eet t e growing mar et eman , Maruti Su-
uki recently announced an expansion plan of
itiona 200,000 K-series engines y 2012.
aruti Suzu i pro uces two versions o
he light weight aluminium construction nor-
a y-aspirate engines t at isp ace 998cc
nd 1.2-litre respectively and these engines
ower seven Maruti Suzu i mo e s incu ing
A to-K10, Wagon R, Swi t, Ritz, Esti o, Swi
zire and A star. “Introduction of K-series en-ine in In ia is an examp e o Maruti Suzu i s
ommitment to take the engine technology in
n ia to t e next eve . In a s ort span, t e
ompany as sca e up t e pro uction o K-
eries engine manifold. K-series engines are
nvironment r ien y an ue e cient w i e
elivering performance,” said Shinzo Nakani-
i, MD an CEO o Maruti Suzu i. T e news
ngines o er est-in-cass ue e ciency com-
ined with top performance.
Bespoke at its bestr-r m c -
pn a d. t n
n n n n n
n ’ n n n.
e bespoke two-door Phantom coupé
draws its inspiration from the stunning
an scape o t e Baynuna area in t e western
egion of Abu Dhabi, UAE. With a history that
ates back centuries, the region is renowned
or t e majesty o its san unes, capture
through the interior and exterior styling of thear w ic incorporates s a es o eige an
rown, further complemented by a tan ever-
ex roof.
T e inay an marquetry, inspire y t e
traditional, vibrant colours of an Arabian cam-
arness, were an -cra te at Ro s-Royces
oodwood plant. Swift, agile and powerful
haracteristics of the region’s famous falcon,
a e S a een, are mirrore in Ro s-Royces
river-oriented Phantom Coupé. With a mar-
uise-w ite exterior, eaturing a twin coac
ine in Tudor red and offset by a red and Sea-
hell leather interior, the coupé is designed to
a e a statement.With a view to highlighting the falcon and
so t e art o a conry, a t e e ements ea-
ture a distinctive, falcon motif. From the fal-
on inay in rass, c emica y etc e rom a
sing e piece o stain ess stee , to t e a con
embroidered head-rests, which encompass
11-t rea co ours an oast a staggering
1,011 stitches per head-rest, it is a true rep-
esentation o t e s i an creativity o t e
artisans at Goo woo .
“The Bespoke programme continues to be aconsistent river or our usiness in t e region,
with four of the world’s top 10 selling Bespoke
eaers ase in t e Ara ian Peninsu a, sai
James Cric ton, Ro s-Royce Motor Cars Re-
gional Director for the Middle East. “The rst
a o 2010 saw our est sa es resu t ever
for the Middle East region, having doubled
our sa es in comparison to t e same perio
n 2009. T e Bespo e Programme, w ic as
the highest global uptake in the Middle East, is
a service o ere to Ro s-Royce c ients or in-
dividualization beyond the option list; the cli-
ent may speci y eatures o t e car, in or er to
create one s own, unique mo e . Meanw i e,during the rst half of the year, Abu Dhabi Mo-
tors tre e its sa es o Ro s-Royce ve ic es
n comparison to the same period in 2009, a
growt o over 200 per cent.
<< r-r n n
n xn j>>
fERRARi in iTALiA RECALL
T e year 2010, cou e est escri e as
the year of the recall and even exotic auto-
a ers suc as Ferrari aven t een spare
It seems that a series of inexplicable res
ave affected several new Ferrari 458 Italia
supercars. A ter e ving into t e issue, Fer
ari has found the cause and a solution to
t e pro em. W en t e car is riven to ig
ex aust temperatures in ot am ient tem
eratures, an adhesive used in the whee
arc assem ies ten s to over eat an a ow
the rear wheel housing heat shields to move
aroun . In extreme cases, t e g ue can egin
to smoke and even catch re,” explained a
errari spokesman. The re problem has been
so ate to on y a an u o cars out o t e
1,248 units sold to date and as a goodwil
gesture Ferrari wi rep ace t e ve ices w ic
were lost to re for its owners, and will recal
and repair all existing vehicles.
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12
audi’s regioNal liNe-up fortified with
the r8 v10 spyder
I2007, Au i rst intro uce t e R8. At
the time many observers felt to unlock the true potential of the car, it needed some
ore power rom its t en V8 powerp ant.
Audi happily obliged the critics by shoehorn-
ng a Lam org ini-source 5.2-itre V10 t at
sends 525hp and 530 Nm of torque to all four
wheels, thanks to a sophisticated quattro all-
w ee - rive system. T e on y t ing missing
was an open top version.
irst seen at Fran urt Motor S ow ast Sep-
tember, the latest addition to Audi’s regional
ine-up and will be available in showrooms
across t e Mi e East an Levant t is mont
s the open top R8 Spyder. “The R8 Spyderwi se a se ecte num er o units on y. Its
true value lies in its role as an ambassador of
t e Au i ran , sai Je Mannering, manag-
ng irector o Au i Mi e East. Au i o ers
a classic manual and an R tronic sequential
six-spee transmission as an option. On t e
erformance front, 0-100km/h comes in 4.1
secs an top spee is 313 m .
esi es a ascinating pac age o tec noo-
gies, inc u ing t e Au i Space Frame compris-
ing of aluminium and carbon bre composites,motorsport erive ry sump u rication or
the engine, launch control for maximum ac-
celeration, super fast reacting magnetic ride
tec no ogy, 19in w ee s wit asymmetric
tyres and optional carbon bre-ceramic discs.
T e car sports a c ot so t top in c assic Au i
sty e, w ic eeps t e ve ic es tota weig t
and center of gravity low. The top opens and
c oses wit in 19 secon s, even w i e riving
at speeds up to 50 km/h and the ESP stabiliza
tion system as a Sport mo e an can a so e
comp ete y eactivate .
The R8 Spyder 5.2 FSI quattro rolls on 19-inc w ee s s o up ront wit 235 35 tires
and 295/30 tires in the rear. The four brake
iscs are interna y ventiate an per orate ,
and are gripped by a total of 24 calipers. Op-
tionally available from Audi are large carbon
er-ceramic iscs t at are ig tweig t, ro ust
and long-lived. The ESP stabilization system
as a Sport mo e an can a so e compete y
eactivate .
W s Toyota a victim o an orc estrate
mage scam? In the latest blow to main-
stream me ia ype, t e Nationa Hig way
Trafc Safety Administration has failed to nd
any evidence electronic failures led to cases
o uninten e acce eration in Toyota ve ic es.
According to the Detroit News, NHTSA ofcials
reporte t at uman error was to ame in 35
of the 58 cases under review. The rest of the
incidents were attributed to sticky/trapped ac-
e erator pe a s. Reviewing event ata recor -
rs is one small part of (the NHTSA’s) effort to
et to t e ottom o uninten e acce eration
n Toyota ve ices. At t is eary perio in t e
nvestigation, engineers have not identied
ny new sa ety e ects in Toyotas ot er t an
ticking gas pedals or pedal entrapment,” said
HTSA spo eswoman O ivia A air. As part o
ts goo wi gesture, Toyota reca e approxi-
ately 4.2mn vehicles worldwide to install a
stee rein orcement ar in acce erator mec -
anisms used in the RAV4, Corolla, Avalon,
Camry, Tun ra, an Sequoia. T e company
was eventually ned $16.4 million dollars for
ot disclosing their knowledge of the defect.
espite t is, t e NHTSA is continuing t eir in-
vestigation. The government entity is teaming
p wit NASA to etermine i e ectromagnetic
nterference (aka cosmic rays) could cause
nintended acceleration.
No evideNce of toyota electroNic failures
kia uae lauNches
2011 sportage
at New dubai
showroom
A Majid Motors Co. – the sole distributor of
IA cars in t e UAE – aunc e t e 2011
KIA Sportage SUV at their all-new state-of-
the-art showroom in Deira, Dubai. The new
s owroom a so ou es up as KIA UAE s new
Dubai headquarters was ofcially opened last
mont . Its not o ten a car ea ers ip gets to
launch a brand new car and showroom at the
same time, so we’re very happy with the tim-
ing, sai Mo amma K a er, GM o A Maji
Motors Co.IAs new Deira s owroom is t e secon in
the area and is located right in the hub of the
area’s automobile market. The dealership has
ten s owrooms t roug out t e UAE, a o
which offer sales, after-sales and spare parts
services. Wit t is new s owroom, we oo
forward to increasing KIA’s sales by at least
20 per cent, sai K a er. A Maji Motors
Co wi o er t e Sportage in ot 2.4-itre or
2.0-litre variants and several trim levels.
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13
e 2011 Wranglers went into productionast month and are expected to hit dealer-
ips s ort y. T e up ate mo e s now ea-
ture larger rear windows, a body-colour hard
top on t e Sa ara an severa new co our
hoices such as Detonator Yellow, Deep Cher-
y Red, Sahara Tan, Cosmos Blue and Bright
W ite.
ut the bigger story is inside the car, where
t e interior is vast y improve wit new com-
onents and improved materials. Highlights
nclude a new steering wheel, a redesigned
nstrument pane , a revise center stac , si -
ver trim and soft-touch door armrests. New
options inc u e eate power mirrors, a pow-
er out et, an a me ia centre wit USB B u-
etooth connectivity.
2011 Jeep wraNgler aNd wraNgler
uNlimited upgraded
Brig t Automotive an Genera Motors re-
cently announced that they have agreedto pursue a strategic relationship and that
GM as provi e un ing to t e In iana auto-
aker. This is the rst funding action by the
ew y- orme Genera Motors Ventures, LLC,
and it will help accelerate Bright’s production
of the IDEA, a revolutionary plug-in hybrid
commercia ve ic e.
gm aNd bright
partNership
ford meNa
doNates vehicles
for Noble cause
F r Mi e East as steppe in a voca
tiona re a i itation training programme
for inmates at Al Wathba Department of Cor-
ections an Prisons an A Ma raq Juveni eCentre in Abu Dhabi. The vocational educa-
tion programme, run y G o a So utions Lim
ted, is conducted underthe patronage of H.H
t. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan,
eputy Prime Minister an UAE Minister o In
terior to help rehabilitate juvenile and adult
nmates.
The blue oval car company donated a eet
of eight vehicles including two Ford Expedi
tions, two For Exp orers, one Mustang, a
Crown Victoria, a Lincoln LS and one Wind-
star. T ey are now eing use y inmates to
ut the theories learned in the motor vehicle
studies programme to the test through practi
ca emonstrations o t eir tec nica a i ities.
Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) have announced
t e esta is ment o a new tec nica an
training centre in Dubai Investment Park, of-
fering access to Jebel Ali Port and the new Al
a toum Internationa Airport. T e new aci -
ty, dubbed as ‘The Academy’, was ofcially
pene ast mont y Bo Joyce, group en-
ineering director of JLR and it will serve as
regional training hub for JLR MENA ‘s entire
eaers ip networ in 19 mar ets across t eiddle East and North Africa region, as well
s Pa istan. Besi es training, t e centre wi
ouble up as the regional testing facility, al-
owing the brands to hot weather test new
n uture ve ic es, accor ing to Ro in Co-
an, managing director for the Middle East
n Nort A rica region.
The upcoming Range Rover Evoque, the all-
ew compact SUV will be among the rst ve
ic es to ene t rom t e in rastructure w ere
t will undergo vigorous testing for global
n regiona mar ets. T e Aca emy wi e
eaded by John Winchester, manager, engi-
eering operations with support from Jaguar
n Lan Rover HQ in t e UK as we as t e
egional Jaguar Land Rover MENA ofce.
Jlr academy iN uae
B noit Turi e is t e new mar eting irector
for the French brand’s operations in the
u . Turi e rings over 10 years o experi-
nce working with Renault in Europe, across
e pro uct mar eting, events communica-
ions, public relations and advertising elds.
is new position with Renault GCC will see
im ta e responsi i ity or eve oping aneploying Renault’s global marketing policy
roug out t e region, an e ping to ui
he brand’s image across the Middle East.
rior to his new position, Turibe was based in
ou ogne, France an was in c arge at centra
arketing for the worldwide advertising strat-
gy o t e Renau t an Dacia Bran s.
New md for for
reNault gulf
McLaren Automotive has conrmed the
names o its new retai partners or Ku-
ait an Qatar w o wi join a g o a networ
f 35 partners that will sell and service the
ompanys rst car, t e MP4-12C.
Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive will repre-
sent Kuwait w i e Dana Motors ta es t e Qa-
ar territory. For Sau i Ara ia an t e UAE,
Al Ghassan Motors and Al Habtoor Motors
espective y ave een con rme as retai
artners, while in Lebanon the company will
artner wit Saa & Tra . Now, t e on y an-
ouncement pending is that of the Bahraini
ealer which is soon expected after the for-
a ities are comp ete y ot parties.
mclareN me dealers
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14
more productioN details of porsche
918 spyder surface
volkswageN lauNches
iNsuraNce services
laNd rover evoQue to
use ford eNgiNes?
o swagen Mi e East as aunc e an
nsurance programme called VolkswagenInsurance Services Program for the region.
Wit t is aci i ty on oar , ran e Vo -
swagen insurance solutions will be available
t roug just one provi er, t us e iminating
the typically complicated multiple insurance
rovider relationships that customers cur-
ent y en ure. T ese services can e o taine
from ofcial Volkswagen retail showrooms
an pro ucts inc u e Vo swagen Exten e
Warranty, Volkswagen Motor Insurance, Volk-
swagen Roadside Assistance and Volkswagen
GAP Insurance.
now t ere s een very itt e in ormation
a out Lan Rover Evoques powertrain.
ut the latest news is that the carmaker is
ecret y testing For s 2.0- itre EcoBoost en-
ine which recently debuted on the 2011
or E ge an wi soon power t e 2011 For
xplorer as a denite possibility. Despite the
lose mechanical ties with the LR2, the Eco-
oost engine is we suite or t e Evoque ast produces 237hp in the new Explorer.
Jaguar celebrates 75th aNNiversary with oNe-of-a-kiNd XJ
J guar s new imite -pro uction coupe was
oined by the one-off XJ75 Platinum con
cept created to honour of the brand’s 75th
anniversary at t e amous Pe e Beac Con-
cours d’Elegance last month. The striking car
eature pearescent w ite paint t at provi e
a star contrast to t e ig saoon s ac e -out
grille, D-pillar, and custom 22in wheels. Inside,
qui te ac eat er seats contraste t e ia-
mond-stitch suede inserts. The same material
a so a orne t e ea iner an a itiona g itz
came courtesy of the Bremont Watch Com-
pany, which was responsible for the bespoke
c oc insta e in t e XJ75s conso e. T e spe-
cial edition is powered by 470-horsepower su-
perc arge 5.0-itre V8 an Jaguar say i t at
oesn t provi e enoug entertainment, t en
the bespoke 1,200-watt, 20-speaker Bowers &
Wi ins au io system s ou o t e jo .
From a private Pebble Beach customer
event, it seems that when the recentlygreen lighted Porsche 918 Spyder will come to
market with a bigger engine than the 493hp
3.4-litre V8 racing engine shown earlier. Both
the displacement and the horsepower could
get bumped up, which would combine with
three 40-kW electric motors for more than the
reported 708 hp, according to a TeamSpeed.
com forum member The member attended
a private Porsche event for the car in Pebble
Beach where it was reportedly announced that
the show car, still under construction, had a
fully-functioning all-electric mode with regen-
erative brakes and plug-in charging. However,once the engine is bolstered up, the produc-
tion model will only be sold with a PDK trans-
mission. Although currently all carbon bre,
the consumer model will have improved crash
safety thanks to aluminum at the front end.It rides on 22in wheels, though that could
change once orders are taken. Meanwhile, it
is uncertain if tailpipes will stay on the side, or
if they will move to the rear. The car will be
sold with both hard and soft tops, the poster
says, but no RS version is being planned. Side
mirrors could be replaced with cameras, relay-
ing a video image to a built-in display at the
instrument cluster. Also inside, the driver will
control the infotainment system via a touch
screen. According to the TeamSpeed post, the
Porsche 918 Spyder is currently being tested
in the form of several mules wearing the Box-ster/Cayman body. The car is expected to be
priced at about €500,000 with production lim-
ited to 1,200 units.
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15
gemballa relauNched mercedes sls
amg gt3 price
aNNouNced
Mercedes has announced the SLS AMG
GT3 wi e price rom €334,000. De
signed for GT3 racing, the car features a new
ront ascia, a venti ate onnet, a car on
re front splitter, a rear diffuser, and a huge
wing. Other goodies include a carbon-bre
ein orce sa ety ce , a stee ra ing system
a six-speed sequential racing transmission
wit steering w ee s i t pa es , an an in
tegrated multi-disc locking differential. Powe
s provided by a 6.3-litre V8 engine, which is
virtua y i entica to t e one in t e stan ar
SLS AMG. It allows the car to accelerate from0-96 m in 3.7secs an it a top spee in
excess of 300km/h. While owners won’t take
e ivery unti Fe ruary 2011, Merce es wi
enter an SLS AMG GT3 in t e VLN race on
the Nürburgring Nordschleife this month. Ac
cor ing to t e ea o Merce es-Benz Mo
torsports, Norbert Haug, "The Mercedes SLS
AMG GT3 mar s t e eginning o a new era
n Merce es-Benz customer motorsport. T is
s an exciting and spectacular sports car for
e icate private teams an taente private
drivers." He added, "I am very pleased tha
t e eman or t is new an unique competi
tion car is so great - t ere are many moreenquiries for orders than can initially be dealt
wit .
hoNda civic type r hatchback europe
sales discoNtiNued
Against the backdrop of what looks to be
an old, German BMW M3 ad proclaiming
T e Tiger is oose, BMW is preparing to re-
ease a special edition of the high performance
-Series or t e C inese mar et. T e BMW
3 Tiger celebrates the 25th anniversary of
he car, in this, the Chinese Year of the Tiger.
T e car is painte in Fire Orange Meta ic, a
olour only seen on the M3 GTS. It rides on
9in ac e out 359M w ee s, w ic matc
imi ar accents aroun t e car. T e air in-
ake, chrome tailpipes, kidney grilles, rear
poi er an roo are a so in ac . Insi e, t e
river will nd Novilla black leather stitched
it orange t rea . T e orange coour is a so
se on t e tiger ogo seen on t e oor si s
nfortunately no ofcial photos have been
e ease yet, so stay tune .
bmw m3 tiger
editioN for chiNa
One of the weirdest motoring stories circu-
lating in 2010 has nally been resolved,
at least partly. Back in May, we thought it was
the end of Porsche specialist tuner Gemballawhen Uwe Gemballa, its founder went missing
in February and his wife led bankruptcy on
the company. But the latest is that the tuner
brand will live minus Uwe Gemballa now that
two entrepreneurs-cum-investors Andreas
Swartz and Steffen Korbach have bought the
rights to the Gemballa brand. Swartz, the CEO
of the new Gemballa has ambitious plans to
push Gemballa towards more of a true after-
market manufacturer for Porsche and some
Ferrari models. Interestingly, Gemballa North
America is also selling the rst production
McLaren F1. Schwarz has ofcially unveiled
details about the relaunched Gemballa. While
the company wears a familiar name, it is actu-
ally a new entity called Gemballa GmbH.
“With a totally new company and an invest-ment of millions, we are now looking towards
a secure future,” said Schwarz. “As well as
the rights to the name, we’ve also purchased
some assets and are starting off with 22 em-
ployees. We plan to continue the Gemballa
design line following the old models. We’re
already working on various concepts for the
Porsche Panamera and the new Porsche Cay-
enne among others,” added Schwarz. It may
be recalled that at the 2009 Dubai Motor
Show, Uwe Gemballa was close to signing up
with Galadari Group as its UAE partner. Sadly,
Uwe Gemballa is still reported as missing.
ue Gemballa
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16
top headliNes that grabbed our atteNtioN last moNth
Lad Rer Eqe r-dr takes
t nürbrgrg
AutomAn’ s tAke: According to Land Rover, the
Evoque is the smallest, lightest and most ef-
cient vehicle the company has ever produced.
The original concept shown was coupe-like
three door, and it was just a matter of time
when the extra doors were to be added. While
the formal reveal of the production model is
set to take place at the Paris Motor Show in
October, we expect to get more information
about powertrains and trims. We are expect-
ing several engines ranging from 2.4-litre in-
line four to possibly a 3.2-litre V6 with or with-out turbocharging.
GM trs rehab cs t Erpeaperats
AutomAn’ s tAke: While General Motors’ North
American operations are making prots and
domestic sales are increasing, the same isn’t
quite true in Europe. GM of Europe is continu-
ing to bleed and struggling with high operat-
ing costs and reducing market shares. Opel’s
image has suffered during GM’s downturn and
the Detroit automaker also tried to sell off its
European division before reversing its plansand deciding to keep it. Perhaps, GM doesn’t
want to lose its European engineering base.
GM of Europe is primarily focused on its Ger-
man Opel unit and its Chevrolet brand – which
mostly sells rebadged GM Daewoo products
imported from Korea.
Hda deelpg e mdel rRssa
AutomAn’ s tAke: It’s not just high end brands
catering to specic markets or segments.
While Hyundai is currently riding on a high, it
has announced that it will begin production of
a new budget model, specically for the Rus-
sian market. And going by the speed Hyundai
is working, the Elantra-based new model will
compete with Volkswagen’s Polo saloon and
should be ready by January. As the model is
being designed specically for the Russian
market, the car will be equipped with a 1.4- or
1.6-litre engine, rugged suspension and a ride
height tailored for Russian driving conditions.
GM, Cha’s SAiC t c-deelp e-
ge, dal-cltch trasmss
AutomAn’ s tAke: It seems that this will be a
marriage of convenience. General Motors and
its Chinese partner, Shanghai Automotive In-
dustry Corporation (SAIC), have agreed to be-
gin working on a series of small displacement
gasoline engines and advanced transmissions
aimed at global markets. The Chinese will
benet from technology transfer, while GM will
take advantage of low production costs.
Prsche reeals ‘Paamera Pers-
alsat Prgramme’
AutomAn’ s tAke: Not unexpected, if one goes
by the current trend of bespoke options of-
fered by luxury carmakers. Porsche thinks that
some stock Panamera Turbo customers would
want to perk up their car with aftermarket tun-
ers, so why not do the same in-house? Hence,
the Panamera Personalization Programme.
This means Porsche will now offer a series of
add-ons to the already impressive and expen-
sive Panamera model line-up.
The most noteworthy add-on will be the pow-
erkit, which helps to boost horsepower from a
pedestrian 500 to a more prolic 540, besidesboosting torque. And with the Sport Chrono
Package, that gure jumps to a staggering
590 lb-ft of torque. Two new turbochargers,
with titanium aluminium turbines along with
unique engine management tuning are em-
ployed to do the trick. Besides performance
upgrades, Porsche will also offer wheels, body
and trim kits.
Lad Rer t sht sme prdctt ida ad Cha
AutomAn’ s tAke: Jaguar Land Rover has re-
cently seen a big increase in global sales of
both its Jaguar and Range Rover models. Now
it’s time to take the next logical business step.
In a recent media outing, the luxury car com-
pany said it was likely to begin building Land
Rovers in China and India, but ‘did not rule
out’ building Jaguars there too. Both China
and India are emerging as strong markets for
the brands. The decision has been made by
the company’s Indian owners Tata Motors,
which has put two leading German motor in-
dustry executives in charge of running one of the UK’s traditional automotive ‘crown jewels’.
The Land Rover assembly in India will com-
mence next year, according to Tata Motors’
CEO Carl-Peter Forster.
Earlier, Tata Motors launched Land Rover and
Jaguar models in India in June last year, using
the import route against assembly operations.
The company’s decision to assemble the Free-
lander 2 signals its bullishness on the potential
of the brands in India.
100,000th Scrcc rlls t
AutomAn’ s tAke: Since its market launch in
1974, this compact sports coupé has been the
most successful Volkswagen in its segment:
795,650 vehicles were sold up to 1992.
Volkswagen’s 100,000th unit of the third
generation Scirocco rolled off the assembly
line at the Autoeuropa plant in Portugal last
month. The model, a Scirocco R 2.0 TSI, was
equipped with Rising Blue Metallic paint, a Ti-
tan Black interior, GPS navigation, Park Pilot
(reverse parking sensors), and a sunroof. It is
powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter engine,
with 261bhp and 350 Nm of torque, that al-
lows the front-wheel drive model to acceleratefrom 0-100 km/h in 6.5sec (6.4sec with the
DSG transmission).
Inniti launches IPL edition of Gcpe
AutomAn’ s tAke: Following the registration of
the Inniti Performance Line (IPL) trademark,
Inniti is on the fasttrack with its new sub-
brand that promises to offer sportier, factory-
tuned vehicles.
Now, IPL means serious business and the new
set-up has wasted no time in getting its rst
car ready. As expected, it will be the G coupe,
but Inniti promises that eventually IPL will
spread to a number of cars in the lineup. Like-
ly IPL candidates are the M and G saloons,
and maybe even the FX. We can now expect
some of the fruits of the Daimler AG and Re-
nault-Nissan April deal signed in April alliance
that ofcially announced collaborative efforts
on future products and product exchanges in-
cluding engines.
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The new face of Jeep,grander Than
ever before
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in n n n , J
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Wen you oo at t e mess t at t e
Chrysler Corporation has been
t roug over t e years, you amost
egin to wonder how it has survived for so
ong. It almost seems a lifetime ago that Lee
acocca ma e is name or posterity y ta ing
oney from the US government and rescu-
ng t e company rom t e rin . Fast orwar
couple of decades and the same scenario
was repeated, this time largely because the
conomy s i te so a y ownwar s t at t e
way in w ic t e US car in ustry i usiness
o longer made sense.
It is just t at time t roug t e government
ai came wit con itions inc u ing getting a
uyer. So, in short order the pentastar com-
any went rom eing owne y Daim er, to
eing run as an ‘investment’ by nanciers to
getting into its atest marriage to t e FIAT
group.
owever, one thing that needs to be re-
em ere is t at t e company as t ree
unique ran s in its C rys er, Jeep an Do ge
adges. Distinct to the buyer, that is, though
in many respects t e company is a most gui ty
of badge engineering. Look at cars like the
300 and the Charger, the difference is almost
overcome y t e sameness, t oug ept apart
y a thin veneer of trim and specication vari
ance.
n the lead up to the new Grand Cherokee,
the Jeep brand has in its wisdom been guilty
o a ew ot er aux pas. Can we orgive t e
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ran or cars i e t e Compass? It may ave
ade sense in any other brand, including the
a i er over at Do ge, ut as a Jeep it i not
o anyt ing to project t e ran .
On the other end of the scale was the move
to a ressing t e seven seat segment in top
nd SUVs with the Commander. Admirable as
t e intention may ave een, t e car itse i
ot o its jo against competition an over
the years has been seen to be just that little
it outsi e t e ran s appea .
T e ar core o Jeep mo e s are sti ove
y the brand’s lovers and buyers. From the
Wrang er, to t e Li erty C ero ee uo to t e
Gran C ero ee, t e Jeep ran ma es no
excuses and no compromises and provides
strong pro uct- riven appea .
So is the Jeep brand to be limited to the
sum tota o t e t ree mo e s? In t ese ays
of slimmer, leaner product portfolios it makes
sense. However if that has to make business
sense too, eac o mo e s as to e a e to
a e on competition rom a ost o new com-
etitors. In that connection, the invite from
e ran to join a group o internationa
otoring media for a drive in San Fransisco
ame as no surprise, though one aspect made
s won er - ow i FIAT manage to ena e
he roll-out of a complete model change in so
ort a time?
Jeep prides itself as the maker of the di-
ect descendant of the ubiquitous WWII Jeep
n as t e ran t at ma e t e category o
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the SUV with the creation of the Grand Chero-
kee almost 20 years ago. As such, the Grand
C ero ee as een a centra ync pin or t ebrand and is seen as critical to its future de-
ve opment.
The new Jeep Grand Cherokee, thankfully,
does not try deviate from its hardcore nature.
W i e increasing y t e appea o monocoque
construction has drawn other SUVs away
rom o y on rame construction, t e Gran
Cherokee retains its architecture. So what has
changed?
Design makes a differenceesigners too t e tra itiona esign cues
from the Jeep brand’s nearly 70-year heritage
– the seven-slot grille, short front and rear
over angs, trapezoi a w ee arc es – an
moved them on to create an all-new exterior
esign. On t e insi e, esigners use upgra -
ed materials and increased cargo and comfort
space.
Jeep is synonymous wit t e SUV, sai
Mark Allen, Head of Jeep Design. “Our goal
was to ta e t at signi cant Jeep esign is-
tory and move it forward, while listening to
our customers’ input on what they love about
t e Jeep Gran C ero ee. T e en resu t is
roof that Jeep has retained and solidied its
ightful spot as the leader, with a vehicle that
oes not sacri ce o -roa capa i ity or preium amenities.”
T e a -new Jeep Gran C ero ee is ig-
ger by only 2 inches in length and 3 inches
n width. Despite this, customers will get
11-percent more room in t e cargo area an
ncreased rear-seat knee clearance and leg
oom o 981.1mm. Knee c earance in t e new
odel is now 109.7mm.
rom the side, Jeep Grand Cherokee fea-
tures an at etic, muscu ar pro e. B ac ap
liqués on B-pillars give the bright day-light
opening DLO an aero ynamic, mo ern
appearance and a sleek prole. Available
c rome oor an es a to t e pro e an
compement t e u -c rome DLO surroun
on all models.
imite an Over an mo e s eature stan-
dard 18- and 20-inch wheels, respectively.
Tai amps wrap rom t e rear quarter pane
to t e ac o t e ve ic e an create a so i
form, which achieves more of an upscale ap-
earance. T e treatment comp ements t e
front-end design and resonates with the rest
o t e exterior.
T e resty e car is a ea turner. It isn t
ust the front fascia, the rear has an almost
uropean c aracter a out it. An once you get
nto t e interior you note t at t ere ave eena host of other changes in there as well.
it an nis eve s ave gone t roug a
quantum jump ahead as has the quality and
ee o t e materia use in t e interior. T e
company s CEO Mi e Mannering a resse
s on the topic of the new standards in use
at t e company s manu acturing ines. He a -
itted that even such basic quality assurance
too s i e re erence gauges a not een use
egularly before the new FIAT processes were
ntroduced. It is heartening to see that senior
anagement is not ony so can i a out t e
roblems that existed, they are also equipped
wit t e so utions.
T e Gran C ero ee a so sees t e intro-
duction of new technologies in various de-
artments. No onger oes t e provision o a
igh-tech sound system make up for the gap
n consumer esire in t e segment. Un er t e
ody, the car sees the introduction of ride-
eight control with its Quadra-Lift air suspen-
ion t at partners wit a w o e new approac
to the suspension itself with fully independent
ront an rear suspensions. T is c ange as
rought about a level of smoothness on on-
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oa appications w i e t e provision o t euadra-Lift air suspension compensates rath-
r we wit o -roa a i ity an sti ness. A -
itionally the lift provides a high ground clear-
nce of almost 270mm.
T e secon new app ication o tec noogy
n the new Grand Cherokee is in the Selec-
Terrain mo u e t at a s Terrain seection to
the Jeep range for the rst time. We had seen
this in various forms in Land Rover, German
n ate y ot er Japanese SUVs, ut t is is t e
rst we have seen it independently applied in
SUV rom t e US.
Selec-TerrainIn a ition to t e Qua ra-Li t air suspen-
ion, the all-new Selec-Terrain traction control
ystem ets customers c oose t e o -roa
etting for the optimum experience on all ter-
ains. This feature electronically coordinates
p to 12 i erent powertrain, ra ing an
uspension systems, including throttle control,
transmission s i t, trans er case, Traction Con-
tro an E ectronic Sta i ity Contro ESC .
The Selec-Terrain’s control dial allows the
river to c oose rom ve riving con itions
in or er to ac ieve t e est riving experienceon all terrains:
an Mu : Traction Contro an Qua ra-Li t
operate with sensitive response to wheel spin,
and torque is tuned for optimal performance
port: Provi es en ance on-roa un-to-
drive” capability
Auto: Automatica y a apts to any on- or
off-road situation
now: Vehicle traction adjusts for ultimate
er ormance over snow-covere roa s
ock: Quadra-Lift suspension raises to a
aximum eig t o 269.5mm 10.6 in. , an
the transfer case, differentials and throttle co-
ordinate to provide low-speed control
e ec-Terrain, coup e wit t e a -new
Quadra-Lift air suspension, offers drivers
an a justa e suspension span t at e ivers
world-class capability. Selec-Terrain is standard
with Quadra-Trac II and Quadra-Drive II.
Anot er new app ication o tec noogy is
the provision of the new 3.6-litre PentaStar V6
engine. It as a unc o speci cations t at
ade us suspect that it was part of a family of
engines t at ave een wi e y intro uce in
t e Genera Motors ine-up an C rys er o
ia s present at t e aunc rive went to quiteome lengths to speak with their engineering
epartment an c ari y t at it was not t e case
According to them the PentaStar engines were
comp ete y in- ouse eve opment.
T e uniqueness a out t e PentaStar among
the current line-up of Jeep engines is that it
rings DOHC an VVT on a ig -pressure
ast block with a 60-degree V layout. This en
ine as a power output o 286 p an pro
vides a torque of 347Nm and is mated with
the W5A580 5-speed automatic transmission
w ic inc u es a aptive eectronic contro o
lectronic Range Select (ERS) driver-interac
tive manua contro an an e ectronica y mo
ate torque converter c utc . In t e case
f the larger engined car, the engine is the
trie an teste 5.7- itre V8 MDS unit mate
with another 5-speed auto unit in the 545RFE
u ti-spee automatic transmission. T e ve
pee transmission inc u es t ree p anetary
ear sets, one over-running clutch with ERS
river interactive contro an an e ectronica y
ontrolled torque converter clutch. The V8
enerates 352 p o power an a uge torque
f 520Nm.
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The Grand Cherokee is available with one
of two four-wheel drive systems in the region
ot o w ic we ave seen e ore in t e Jeep
rand. The Quadra-Trac II and the Quadra
rive II. Qua ra-Trac II s two-spee trans e
case uses input from a variety of sensors inorder to determine tyre slip at the earliest
ossi e moment an ta e corrective action
The system uses Throttle Anticipate to sense
quic movement in t e t rott e rom a stop
and maximizes traction before slippage oc
curs. W en tyre s ippage is etecte , as muc
as 100 percent o avai a e torque is instant y
outed to the axle with the most traction.
ua ra-Drive II, wit a rear Eectronic
imited-slip Differential (ELSD), delivers in
ustry- ea ing tractive capa i ity. T e system
nstant y etects tyre s ip an smoot y is
tributes engine torque to tyres with tractionIn some cases, t e ve ic e wi anticipate ow
traction and adjust in order to proactively limit
or e iminate s ip.
T e entire pac age serves to move t e
Grand Cherokee way ahead on the SUV mar-
et wit out in anyway c anging its appea to
the SUV-buyer. Local offcials say that it wil
o er t e w o e pac age at a price point t a
egs it square y against t e current Pra o an
as such it denitely can make a difference to
t e num ers so ere. A com ination o Eu
opean styling, good engineering and a whole
ew generation o qua ity an t an nis
a e t e car etter t an some competitors.e got the opportunity to drive the ca
a ong a ong scenic route a ong t e Paci c
coast and a short and rather interesting jaunt
over a roug wi erness trai wit a scary rop
own t e i si e t at seeme to e se ecte
for its ability to highlight the down-hill assist
We a to eave t e car in ow secon gea
and just take our feet off the controls to come
own t e i u y un er contro . Not ing new
o course, just t at its t e rst time weve
seen it on the Jeep. We rather think that wil
e ig ig t or t e oca sa esmen to s ow o
down the Bowsher hills.
oes t e car ave t e w erewit a to com
ete? – one rather imagines it does. With fea
tures like a great sound system, dual pane
g ass roo an t e a i ity to stow a u -size
spare in the rear compartment (under the
oor , p us a arge an uxurious ca in an
the quality to keep it distinct from others, the
Grand Cherokee is the right product at the right
time. For C rys er Corporation, t e rejuvena
tion of the company and brand seems like i
wi e pro uct- riven just i e un er Iacocca
An t is time one opes t at it asts.
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a a5 n x
n n n. i nnn x nn 2- n-n v6 n n
. an - n .
an n n .
P la y i n g c o o l
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Oe of its greatest strengths is that Aud
akes cars that are relatively modest
n t eir sty ing, ut exu e qua ity an
erformance. And it is this trait that has en-
a e t is ran to increase its sa es y eaps
and bounds. A key element of the markedpturn in demand has been the extraordi
ari y rapi evo ution o t e Au i mo e range
over the past few years. Audi sold a total of
1,003,469 cars in 2008 an t us ac ieve its
13th consecutive record year.
T e mi -size A5 open top was create as
an exercise to wi en t e ine-up. Au i e ieves
that open-top cars are bought with the heart
an t ey are suppose to express t e person
ality of their drivers: their independence, their
n ivi ua ity, t eir joie e vivre. Since esign
s a particu ar important actor in t is emo
tional decision, Audi has ensured that it hasgot it rig t in one go.
irst, the car is pleasantly proportioned
an it s pro e ec oes t at it isn t just a cu
an paste jo . Measuring 4,630mm ong an
1,850mm wide, but only 1,380mm tall, the
2+2 is a e to guarantee sportiest proportions
n its class. The bonnet is a kind of one-size-
ts-a oo s stretc e ecause un erneat
Au i o ers a wi e range o petro an iese
engines ranging from in-line four cylinders
to V6s, ut oo s goo on t e ong 2,750mm
wheelbase. Sheetmetal is characterized by
s arp crease ines an muscu ar sweep o
t e s ou er t at rings in its istinctive si-ouette. Then there’s a broad track of nearly
1,600mm an t e arge 17in w ees t at con
tribute in its stance.
eanw i e, t e ront en as gaine great
er expressiveness an reso ve. T e sing e
frame family radiator grille serves as its key
e ning e ement. T e arge pseu o air in ets
int at the potential of the bigger engines
an t e s arp y cut us t ea ig ts em
asise a mature appearance o t e car. T e
ear is characteristic of the A5 family and is
signe o wit strip LED ig ts, ua ex aus
tailpipes, a diffuser and the integrated rear
og ig t ec os Au i s connection wit wor
of motor sport, Le Mans in particular.
The best thing in this car is that Audi has
gone its own in epen ent way in t e ongoing
attle in the German open top luxury-sports
ea m wit t e A5 ca rio et. So w at as Au
done that makes a world of difference? We
think it’s the folding soft top. How many new
converti es can actua y oast o using w a
s becoming quite rare these days?
i e most cars in t is c ass ave gra u
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ated from soft to hard metal-based tops,
but Audi being Audi, has resisted that notion
rom t e very eginning an create t e ot-
test new A5 family addition for 2010. Once
again, Au i must e commen e or saving an
en angere species, y w ic we mean t e
quintessential ragtop.
espite an e ement o conservativeness,
one would still question the virtues of using
c ot over meta . Is it t e rig t t ing to o
w ere t e tren is suggesting somet ing e se,
one might reasonably ask or is the 1997 Mer-
ce es-Benz SLK230 responsi e or t is e -
uge of folding hard top convertibles that are
coupe- i e quiet wit t e top up, sun-in- ace
with the top stowed, and offer a protective
covering that will likely endure well beyond
the life of traditional fabric? Well, let’s face it;
these are hard facts that can’t be ignored.
As a ways, t ere s a ipsi e too. Ta e or in
stance the engineering complexities in design-
ng mec anisms t at go wit o ing ar tops
add considerable weight at a time where ab
eduction is a priority. But, this is where the
A5s so t top roo scores a u s-eye. It is muc
ighter than the conventional hard tops and it
stows in 16secs an rises in 19secs. T e so t
top comprises three layers, a top covering,
cushioning pad and headliner. In the optional
acoustic top, it re uces win noise a most to
the level of a saloon and is offered in several
co ours.
espite the advantage of being able to con-
trol excess mass, the car with the in-line four
ngine still weighs a healthy 1,615kg and this
oes up epen ing on t e engine an type
rive 2WD or Quattro . T is car resi es in
the good company of competing hardtop con-
verti es suc as t e BMW 3, In niti G37, an
Volvo C70.
Anot er great a vantage is t at t e so t top
ives t e A5 more oot space t an anyt ing
lse in its class, top up or top down, plus helps
e ease more space or rear occupancy, w ic
s actually habitable by adults.
T e ca in o t e A5 ca rio et is a very p eas-
nt p ace to e in. T e esign e ements o ow
Audi’s recent offerings, so it modest, well-built
wit qua ity materias an trims, ut we were
isappointed with some of the functional attri-
utes, w ic is quite un i e Au i. Our test car
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Driving
was kitted with deep red leather contrasting
icely with the black exterior and the overall
om orta e an cossete ee ing is at par wit
MW or Lexus.
Our test car was tte wit a orce e
.0-litre four-cylinder engine. It may be smalln displacement at 1,984cc, but is actually
uite a ig -tec engine as com ines FSI i-
ect fuel injection with turbocharging with a
va ve i t system w ic manages t e varia e
pening of the exhaust valves, reducing ush
ng osses in t e com ustion c am er an en-
uring an optima ow o ex aust gas to t e
turbocharger. The engine delivers 180hp and
20 Nm, wit most o t e torque avaia e e-
tween 1,500 and 3,900 rpm range.
T e car is a ront-w ee rive an uses
u titronic transmission system, w ic is es-
entially Audi’s version of continuous variable
ransmission or CVT. It o ers a sport mo e
n a manua mo e wit seven simu ate gear
atios. This model also has Audi’s drive select
o tware w ic in uences t e engines t rott e
esponse, shift points of the transmission ase as t e oost o t e servotronic steering.
ne great a vantage wit CVT transmissions
s that they combine smooth operation, high
ciency an ue -saving gear ratios. Here
he claimed average fuel efciency is 7.4 l/100
m. However, t e ip si e is t at or a purist,
he actual feeling of gears changing even in
anual mode is articial. It’s a compromise
ne as to ive wit , un ortunate y.
etting the over all engine is also the sus-
ension esign. T e ront w ee s are mounte
n a ve-link axle while the rear uses self-
tracking trapezoidal links. Interestingly, the
ear suspension is i entica in t e ront-w ee
rive an quattro versions. T e car ri es on
17in alloy wheels shod with 225/50 tyres
Quattro Gm H a so o ers 18-, 19- an even
20-in wheels for the A5. As expecte , t e open top gets its s are o
structural reinforcement through out its sheet
etal. In the front section, diagonal struts run
rom t e si e si s to t e auxiiary rame o
the suspension mounts. In the rear section
simi ar components are integrate eneat
the oor of the trunk. The hydroformed tubes
that reinforce the A-pillars from the inside and
various t ic nesses o meta ave een use
oll-over protection is also provided between
t e ca in an t e oot.
Since the car uses an array of powertrains, a
key element in the design has been to move
the engine farther toward the rewall to im-
prove front-to-rear weight distribution. This
works well and we were pleasantly surprised
to nd that the 2WD doesn’t feel too differ-
ent than the Quattro version which have axle
weight bias of 52.9 per cent front and 47.1 per
cent rear. Actually, it is better than a rear-drive
Mustang GT coupe!
The hydraulic rack-and-pinion steering withits 16:1 ratio is sporty and direct, providing
a precise and nely differentiated connection
with the road. With the top closed, the four-
seater has a drag coefcient of 0.31, so the
car is quiet on the move with minimum wind
turbulence disturbance top down.
If anything, the A5 is almost too willing to turn
in, as we discovered when the car was abruptly
reversed course during the lane-change test.
This is partly attributable to steering that’s
both quick, at 2.6-turns lock-to-lock, and
largely devoid of feel, particularly on-centre.
But on the great graph of handling attributes,
we usually prefer neutral balance over under-
steer, and this convertible’s responses raise its
fun-to-drive level near the top of the heap in
its competitive set. Our only disappointment
was with the braking. There’s never a hint of fade, and pedal feel is good, but 177 feet from
110km/h is long by current standards.
What impresses is its dual nature of usability
that its rivals can’t compete with. In most situ-
ations the car is comfortable to be in, however,
the ride is a bit rm over poor surfaces. The
steering is light for the weight of the car and
is extra sensitive. I noted that while changing
direction, it responds sharply, while the rm
suspension resists roll and clings on well to
asphalt. At times I felt that the steering was
slightly hesitant when I wanted to quickly cor-
rect straight-line stabil ity.
We think that this car would be a bit more fun
to drive if it had a bit more power. Although
the engine—Volkswagen’s 2.0-litre pot may
lag behind in terms of sheer acceleration, but
that doesn’t dampen the enthusiasm as there’senough thrust to slingshot the car to 100km/h
in sub seven secs, but no one would call that
blazing these days. Transmission is smooth in
general and a bit leisurely, one can’t do much
about it but activate the software options for a
bit of liveliness, especially in manual mode.
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a5 q n , n n
nn n n n . b
’ n , ’
n gn n- >>
{Road Test}
30
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n. an n n
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n xn n a
n >>
{Road Test}
31
verdict
Aside from the minor power-to-weight reser-
vation issue and the pseudo feel of the CVT,
the A5 cabrio is an attractive piece of work. It
is a traditional convertible that holds its own
in a world of folding hardtops. But there’s one
big question: price. At $ 52,270 which is the
base price for the front wheel drive model, is
the A5 comparable well against folding-hard-
top competitors such as the BMW or Volvo?
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3232
Catching the cat by the tail
t n s-
r n. t Xfr n on n rj w
, n .
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33333
{ }
I’ve spent too many years in the business
o car journa ism to get excite a out t e
rospect of driving a new car. After all, it
snt every ay t at you get a car t at ma es a
ark on your mind and remains embedded inyour psyche for ages afterwards. Usually, the
rive consists o trying to n t at wee itt e
nnovation or irritation that makes the car dif-
erent in any way rom t e um rum majority
f models. However, I can still admit to being
ntereste in some cars an some ran s an
Jaguar is one o t em. T e Britis ran is
ne that really brings meaning to the word
marque. It as to its cre it some o t e most
eautiful and most iconic cars in the history of
t e automo i e. An can you ame t e ran
for trying to nd a commercial Raison d’être
y making the X-type?So w en t e o s at t e oca Jaguar is-
tributor invited us to take the XFR out for as
ong as we nee e it, t e o eart i eat
itt e aster an t ere was e nitey an a
d spring to one’s step as we made our way
own to Azai a.
T e XFR is a we come a ition to t e ine-
p at the Jaguar showroom. The range does
eem ep ete a itt e as we see on y t e XF
nd the XK/XKR combination. It was just aew wee s ago t at t e new XJ too an e up.
ntil the new model range eshes itself out,
he XFR lls a vital slot at the 30,000-plus Rial
mani s ot. More important y it rings serious
uscle and specication to the category of
er ormance uxury se ans, rom w ic it as
een taking a holiday for sometime. The in-
eresting bit is that it is this very segment that
ets a t e excitement in t e region. Domi-
ated by the M5 and the E63 the segment
a es t e t eme o tuxe o-c a musc e very
eriously indeed. At the heart of the equation
s the existence of a rear-wheel drive luxurye an t at as a arge enoug engine- ay to
ccommodate a V8 engine at the very least.
T e XFR ts t e i to a T. In terms o
isual styling, the attempt to imbue a bit of
nderstatement in its differentiation from the
ain XF is a mira e. A touc o c rome on
ood intakes, the twin exhausts on both sides
and impressive 20” wheels add on to the little
touc es aroun t e ower air am an t e R
adge. It really helps that the XF is such agoo - oo ing car to start o wit an t e R
touches sort of bring out the real nature of the
east underneath.
To a to t at is t e w oe song an ance
that surrounds the owner’s connect with the
car. T e river s am iance is spot on, t ere is
ot a thing that I found out of place and not a
single thing that I would want extra. Key in the
oc et entry, accompanie y a arge engine
stop-start button (with a pulsating back light
te ing you ow esperate it is to e presse !
to the gear knob rising out of the centre con-
sole, all the way to the way in which the air-con itioning vents open out as t e car comes
to life. Even the instrument binnacle joins in
wit its own movements as you ee t e e ine
ature of the car as it wakes, stretches and
s owy comes to i e.
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343434
{First drive}
t is w en t e car awa ens t at you rea ise
the difference between the other V8 powered
variants o t e XF an t e XFR. T e super-
charged direct-injection AJ-V8 Gen III engine
is claimed to be the most advanced the com-
pany as use . In its norma y aspirate mo e
the engine generates a respectable 385PS of
power an 515Nm o torque. To most o us
that would have been manna already. In the
XFR, the engine has a twin-vortex supercharg-
er t at oosts its output a t e way t roug to510PS and 625Nm of torque.
T e 5.0- itre V8 petro engines are ui t
around a stiff, aluminium block with cast-in
iron liners and cross-bolted main bearing caps
to re uce noise, vi ration an ars ness. For
the rst time at Jaguar the blocks are high-
pressure ie-cast, provi ing a superior nis
and greater dimensional accuracy. The en-
gines use aluminium heads, with four valves
per cy in er an strong, sp eroi a -grap ite
cast-iron crankshafts and forged steel con-
necting ro s. T e cy in er ea s or t e rst
time are specied with a secondary (recycled)
aluminium alloy, reducing the environmental
impact o manu acturing t e new engine.
verall engine length has been reduced by
24mm y reocation o t e oi pump wit in t e
engine architecture. This length reduction im-
proves engine ay pac aging in support o en-
ance sa ety ce per ormance w i e ensuring
overall engine weight is virtually unchanged. A
new type o varia e cams a t timing system
(VCT) introduces another technology. The four
VCT units are activate y t e positive an
egative torques generate y opening an
closing the intake and exhaust valves, instead
o y oi pressure resu ting in a sma er engine
oil pump. The supercharger itself is a twin-
vortex Roots type w ic uses a more intense
e ix pattern an twin intercoo ers to improve
erformance by 16%.
A ong wit an improve air-inta e t e pac -
aging of the engine is done in such a way as
to accommo ate t e superc arger wit in t e
V of the engine. All this translates into a level of grunt that
e ts t e R tag. T e engine note is ne y
tuned to reect the muscle available and the
six-spee auto transmission wor s eauti u y
to prope t e rear w ee s. An t at s w ere
this cat’s power meets the turf with such dra-
a. T ats w ere two new tec no ogies come
nto play - Adaptive Dynamics and Active Dif-
erentia Contro , w ic are ot incorporate
as stan ar .
Jaguar tells us, “Active Differential Control
ADC wit traction-on y unctiona ity an
andling functionality is an electronically con-
tro e a ternative to t e tra itiona , w o y
echanical differential, offering more subtle
control strategies. ADC can vary its locking
torque an t ere ore t e proportion o torque
to each driven rear wheel) depending on sur-
ace con itions an power app ie . Its contro
strategies optimise traction at each wheel,
mproving acceleration on low-grip surfaces
w i e a so en ancing cornering a i ity. ADC
as no adverse effect on either renement
or sta i ity – w ere t e tra itiona , mec ani-
al differential can compromise stability under
ar app ications o power, eman ing more
orrective input rom t e river. W ereas a
echanical differential is a permanently active
art o t e rivetrain, t e XFRs ADC system is
witched off when not required, so does not
reate un esira e un ersteer an creates no
ssues wit NVH at ower spee s.
And as for Adaptive Dynamics, it is a highly
op isticate active amping system t at auto-
atically adjusts suspension damper settingsto suit ot roa con itions an t e way in
w ic t e car is eing riven. It rep aces Jag-
ar’s previous gen CATS system and the result
A aptive Dynamics in conjunction wit t e
10PS engine and ADC has to be experienced
to e e ieve . T e car, in one wor , is wic -
. You ont ave to isa e anyt ing at t e
ashboard. Find a clear corner, turn the wheel
nto it a it an oor t e acce erator. T e tai
f this cat twitches like it is on re and then
ett es in ever so nice y. T e ramp up to spee
s equa y impressive. T e 100 mar comes in
little over 4.7 secs, so every sprint feels like
ta e-o run. An t e ee in o power is so
ramatic that the car begins to shrink in size. I
wou say t at in every respect t e XFR trea s
n XKR territory in terms o its per ormance
nvelope.The XFR adds the high performance
ge to t e XF t at ma es t e car ive true to
ts ‘Jaguar’ badge. In my opinion, it is the car I
wou uy i I a t e money. As t ings stan ,
am appy I got to p ay wit t is particu ar
feline. And as it disappears from my sight the
rin t at remains is sti a mine.
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{First drive}
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36
an jn n a, sn bmw’
n n 25 m3
Where performancemeets precision
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{special feature}
37
W
ith four generations of cars and a
quarter century worth of continuous
progress in performance machines,
BMW’s ‘M’ division has more than one reasonto be proud of. By any measure, 25 years is a
long time to sustain the desirability of a dedi-
cated performance nameplate, but the M3
badge has inculcated a very strong loyalty as
it rewarded owners with cars with it dual road
and track credentials. The ‘M’ division also
pioneered several new technologies on the
way, one of the key fundamentals pillars of its
strength in a ercely competitive specialized
section of the market. Although the idea was
based on the series production 3 Series mod-
els, the M3 dened an entirely new market
for BMW and helped it to ourish in a thrivingrace-ready production vehicle market. Since
its debut, M3 badged cars are heralded in en-
thusiast circles, in large part due to its unique
geometry and award winning engines.
And in July this year, it BMW celebrated the
25th anniversary of the M3 cars. The specialist
division assembled an array of pristine exam-
ples of all four generation cars at the famous
Ascari resort racing circuit in Spain. And as a
bonus, announced a special, limited-edition2011 M3 GTS to mark the occasion. But for
me, besides the one-off opportunity to taste
the M3 GTS, the more compelling motivation
was the chance to taste all four generations
in one go that eventually proved to be more
than just a good reason for this pilgrimage to
Ascari.
Ascari racing resort is not just a fancy es-
tablishment featuring a track. Actually, it is a
private facility, owned by car enthusiast Klaas
Zwart and unlike other commercial circuits
Ascari doesn’t have grandstands or public car
parks. But it does offer 5.4km of exquisitelyexecuted race track, featuring 26 corners in-
uenced by some of the best circuits in the
world. And what a place it turned out to be us
to experience the M3 clan, from the earliest
E30 through to the E90/92/93s plus experi-
encing the burnt orange coloured soon-to-ar-
rive M3 GTS [eds note: read rst drive report
next month].
The M3 chapter started with a simple ques-
tion in mid-80s: “We need a sporty engine fothe 3 Series good enough to compete with the
Group A racing Porsches.” Although M division
had successfully ran high performance six-cyl
inder engines in the 5 Series, they specically
chose to work on the four-cylinder engine o
the series production model but reworked on it
extensively so it could meet the high demands
of the racers. With modications to the car,
the rst M3 weighed in at just 1,200kg and
offered weight-to-power ratio of only 6.15kg
for every single horsepower. This was an
extremely impressive gure even by today’s
standards. Over the years, the M division hasnely honed its success with the application of
cutting-edge motorsport derived technology
– especially in the key departments of pow
ertrain, chassis, suspension and lightweight
construction.
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{special feature}
38
<< a 1985 fn m s, e30-
m3 n >>
e rst M3 was created to pave the way
or BMWs entry into Group A touring car
racing at the time. At least 5,000 units had
to e ui t or roa use, an t e resut is a
c un y, muscu ar oo ing two- oor wit a
bold rear wing, lower sills and extended wheel
arc es.
This car has a special space in my heart
ecause I appene to own a non-M series
version and I am pretty sure that few people
probably remember that the rst generation
M3 actua y starte i e as an en ance -per-
formance spin-off of the E30 in 1986. I take
note o t e C-pi ar o t is car w ic appeare
slightly wider than that of the series model
an a a atter taper in or er not to interrupt
the airow over the edge of the roof and at
t e same time irect it more e ective y onto
the rear spoiler.
The E30’s powertrain packaging success-
u y ro e severa myt s. At t e time most
analysts and pundits believed that anyone
w o wante to e in t e A Team nee e
a turbocharged engine under the bonnet” in
the numbers crunching game. At the time it
was virtua y unt in a e o non- orce e car
to achieve over 200hp, have a top speed in
excess o 230 m an e capa e o sprint-
ng from a zero to 100 km/h inside 6.7secs!
As t ey say, BMW success u y ro e t e ar-
chaic mindset by technology application which
nc u e increasing isp acement o t e t en
four-cylinder engine from 2.0- to 2.3-litres
an t e intro uction o our va ves per cy in-
er. T e ormu a wor e on roa an on trac
and eventually the E30 became the most suc-
cess u touring car to wear t e M3 a ge in
otorsport history.
At Ascari, t e se ection or us inc u e a
rig t re 1986 E30 M3, comp ete wit rac
ng seats and suede-trimmed steering wheel.
T roug Ascaris curves an corners, t e rst
E30
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39
3 track model felt much friskier than its
25-year-old vintage suggests. It has the edge
an attac o a race car, wit razor-s arp
steering and incisive throttle response. And it
sti gat ers spee wit an a acrity t ats as-
tounding.owever, the street version of the car felt
a it un erpowere at times even wit its
2.3-litre power four-cylinder engine and ve-
speed manual gearbox combo. Although, the
16-va ve engine set new per ormance stan
ar s or a pro uction unit at t e time, spin
ing all the way to 6,750rpm, and pumping
out a muscu ar 240 p o maximum power
together with thumping 240Nm of torque. De-spite t e apparent s uggis ness initia y, t e
car was pretty goo or t e c aime time an
ace.
Beginning with the rst E36 M3s delivered,
BMW racers began pressuring BMW for a
race-ready version with which to compete
against Porsche 911s in sports-car racing. The
company promptly responded and obliged itsclientele with a 2.3-litre engine capable of de-
livering up to 300 hp at 8,200 rpm in the rac-
ing version. This put it on a par with the BMW
M635CSi. BMW didn’t line up on the starting
grid with its own team but supported a number
of famous racing outts like Schnitzer, Linder,
Zackspeed and Bigazzi. Drivers like Markus
Oestreich, Christian Danner, Roberto Ravagliaand Wilfried Vogt took the wheel, and Anette
Meeuvissen and Mercedes Stermitz formed a
ladies’ team.
<< t n 80 n x
n n n. in 6.0 n,
n- m3 q 6.2 n n
0 100 /. t é 250 />>
E36
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40
Scond on the test agenda were a pair of 36 M3s in s oc ing co ours! However, un-
der perfect blue skies, the interplay between
light and shade on the bodyline gave us a
c earer un erstan ing o ow sty ing egan to
mature in the form of new curves, creaseline
an ow it e ective y ispense wit t e oxy
elements of its predecessor. The car’s engine
cylinders were bumped up by two and so was
t e isp acement rom 2.3- to 3.0- itre an
the four valves per cylinder conguration was
carrie orwar once again. A so a apte to
the engine was a new variable valve timing
system on the intake camshaft, called VANOS.
T e engine was nown as t e S50.The original E36 M3 went into production
in 1993 as a coupe mo e an its straig t-6
engine produced 286hp. In 1996, the power
was upgraded to 321hp from the S50 engine
mate to a six-spee gear ox. Stopping pow-
er was increased with the grafting of the M5’sarger ra es. T e new SMG sequentia rac-
ng-like gearbox was also offered as an option.
T ese mo e s are nown as t e Euro mo e s
to i erentiate t em rom t e mo e s so in
the US which were quite different.
At Ascari, we a two cars --- resp en ent
n yellow and purple respectively, at our dis-
osa . T e an ing c aracteristic o t e car
was a it surprising as it ac e t e ar core,
ace-inspired personality of the E30. But, what
ac e in persona ity was ma e-up avis y y
the sophisticated and advanced technology
ac age t at we t in over a contri ute
quite a ot in improving its roa an trac cre-dentials.
W at was imme iate y noticea e t at t e
car was certainly much easier to pilot at speed
t an t e o er car. T e suspension was more
comp iant an t e steering more orgiving,
the ride smoother and denitely more rened.espite its age, it e t i e a t oroug re
and one with a fair turn of speed, thanks to
a ecent urst o power rom t e norma y
aspirate straig t-six engine t at was consi -
ered one of the world’s best at the time. It
o ere 286 p o max power an 320Nm o
torque effortlessly. In 1995 BMW offered, a ZF
HP18 5-spee automatic transmission on t e
3 as optiona equipment an two years ater
MW released their Sequential Manual Gear-
ox option as c anging gears i e a motor i e
eemed appealing to many. We spent most of
t e time wit t e manua gear ox version an
the mark II M3 felt substantially quicker andwas able to complete the 0-100km/h dash in
ix secon s at, w i e top spee was e ectron
cally limited to 250km/h.
Roberto Ravaglia in a BMW M3: rst and
last wrld Trg Car Champ
The rst race for the 1987 World Touring
Car Championship started in Monza on 22
March 1987 – and ended with a sensation.
All the M3 cars were excluded from the plac-
ings. The vehicles were checked under chaotic
conditions and disqualied because of sheet-
metal thicknesses that were allegedly con-
trary to the regulations. BMW appealed but
the sports tribunal decided that the appeal
had been lodged too late. There was no lon-
ger any talk of infringements of the rules. All
the brouhaha naturally didn’t have any effect
on the result of the championship. At the end
of the season, Roberto Ravaglia was standing
on the podium as the rst World Touring Car
Champion. But that was only the pinnacle of
the success list.
Wilfried Vogt took the title of European
Champion. Altfried Heger came in second –
both driving a BMW M3. Eric van de Poele won
the prestigious German Touring Car Champi-
onship. Moreover, the most sporty 3 Series car
was also winning competitions off the race
track. An M3 crossed the nishing line in rst
place in the Corsica Rally and secured a vic-
tory for BMW after a gap of 14 years in a race
for the World Rally Championship.
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{special feature}
41
<< in 1997, m gh n n
m3 qn n x>>
e E46 arrived just in time for the new
i ennium. T ere are many reasons w ythis model remains one of the nest to bear
t e M3 a ge as it turne out to e anot er
watershed model year for the M division as
the cars started becoming more technology
ocuse . In act, it was t e intro uction o sev-
ral advanced technologies that hallmarked
t e per ormance quotient o t e E46 M3s. I
articularly enjoyed the gunmetal grey 2001
3 coupé with SMG paddle-shift gearbox on
trac an aroun t e country roa s.
The powerplant offered this time was
3.2- itre in ine-six, ut it was essentia y
ll-new as it produced 330hp at a scream-
ng 8,000 rpm redline. With this package,
-96km/h times dropped to a scant 4.8sec,
espite yet anot er trip e- gure weig t in-rease and the top-speed was an electroni-
a y imite 250 m , t e astest yet. Despite
ts unpopularity with a section of drivers, the
MG gearbox was retained and a convertible
version once again returne to t e ine-up, a -
hough no E46 M3 was ever offered with more
an two oors.
At Ascari, at each corner and open stretch,
was constant y remin e ow invo ving t is
ar was. My greatest regret was ow t e a -
ocated laps were over in a ash and I can’t
orget t e way t e us y grow o t e 3.2- itre
traight-six engine rose to a high pitched wail
en you eep t e t rott e ammere to t e
oor. An t en, you a so a t e s ort t row
six-spee gear ox to pay wit an t eres on yone word that can describe the way the raw
ower s ings ots you rom corner to corner: a
it of a hooligan but awesome over all!
urprising y, even a eca e ater a ter its
ntro uction, t e E46 M3 never e t out ate
as we thumped the car on the track lap after
ap. It sti is as res , exciting an ig y re
warding just as it was when it made its rst
appearance. However, t ere are some simi ari
ties wit t e E30 w ic were expecte in t is
genre and the key highlights, it being more
t an a touc o racing car in t e precision e
artment, the tautness and the sheer power
e ivery o t is car.
Although the M3 Coupé was elegant and
eautiful, some customers still had enhanced
spirations. Meanw i e, t e motor sport su -
idiary company of BMW had been renamed
Gm H an it a anticipate t is eman
y laying plans for a convertible. In 1994, the
ew open-top M3 ase on t e our-seater 3
Series Convertible was launched.
E46
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42
It s no secret t at t e crimson co oure cur-
ent-generation M3 coupé with a prominent
powerdome on the bonnet took the over all
onours. W en it was rst con rme ac in
2007, initially there was some skepticism about
t e i ea o s oe orning a V8 into its engine
bay instead of continuing with a lightweight
six cylinder. Just as the previous M3 genera-
tions wit out ai intro uce a compete y
new engine, the fourth generation M3 did the
same: t e S65 engine was intro uce . T is
naturally aspirated, high revving V8 was based
on the S85B50 5-litre V10 displaced 4.4-litre
a so powere t e E60 E61 M5 an t e E63
E64 M6 to date. Delivering 414bhp at 8,300
rpm, wit pea torque o 400Nm coming at
3,900 rpm, the package represented a power
increase of 22 per cent over the E46 M3. Be-
si es t at, mass re uction was ac ieve y
knocking off 15kg from the engine making it
ess t an t e outgoing six cy in er or a tota
weight of 202kg. Six-speed manual transmis-
sion was offered as standard and in April 2008,
MW o ere ou e-c utc gear ox, ca e M-
KG (Doppel-Kupplungs-Getriebe) or M-DCT
Dou e C utc Transmission as an option.
T e new M3 was aso avai a e as a 4- oor
saloon which was based on the E90 3-Series.
ut un i e t e regu ar mo e s, t is car s are
the coupe’s front end, including headlights.
owever, it i n t get t e two- oor s car on-
re top. T e E93 ar top converti e version
joined the line-up shortly after the E92’s launch.
ut as the E92 3-Series Coupé opened the M3
chapter as its starting point, critics were soon
nanimous in agreeing t at t e pac age ma e
t e car t e most a vance o t e M3 c an to
date. The car had almost everything a spir-
te river cou wis or. It was tte wit t e
optional “competition pack” which includes a
ower, sti er suspension, wi er rear tyres an
s ig t y rewor e contro e ectronics.
While clutch and gears are precise, it’s as
easy to rive out rom t e car par as in a reg-
lar 320. A bit surprising though was the fact
t at s i t pattern aroun 4,000rpm oesnt re-
y give you ig emotions on t e engine soun
ote. There’s no doubt in my mind that the
ngine is a ast, t e ig revving pitc is just
o fascinating to drive, you get lots of torque
own the rev range and a truly explosion over
t e top. T is engine is tic s in a manner t at
the entire car seems to be lled with energy,
wit out giving you a isconnecte ee over
t e power at critica ig revs, i e a race car.
owever, I had some reservations with the
utc , especia y w en operating near t e mi
ev range. I noted that when the clutch was
us e at say 9,000rpm, t e engine seeme
to drop power feedback, which meant I felt
omentarily disconnected from the 400hp
rom t e car an espite t at energy eing
ept in every part of the chassis, the clutch
eems to e more concerne a out t e
mooth and relax feel of the driver’s foot! The
hassis responds quite well and predictably to
t e tap even a ter t e DSC is turne o . W at
s nice is the fact the car doesn’t pretend to be
monster wit e ectronics switc e o .
verdctThe progression from a four-cylinder to
eight-cylinder in the M3s by itself is a cred-
ible effort and so is the upping of the power
quotient from 200hp in the E30 to whopping
414bhp in the E90s, besides other efcien-
cies. The M3 chapters have successfully writ-ten many illustrious chapters for the badge
E90/92/93
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t g n inn’ nn m e
nnn n g37. an .
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<< t n inn n
n >>
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ench automaker Renault is in a revital
zing mode and while it consciously in
creases its non-tra itiona mar et oot
rint, it also has taken help from its various
o a pro uction sources an su ran s as a
ey tool in widening the product portfolio.The C-segment for the brand in the region
i now as een represente y t e Tur ey
uilt Megane II which also serves as a key
o e or t e ran s t ree est-se ing mar
ets: Turkey, Russia and Romania. The direc
epacement o t is car cou ave een a
ew generation o t e Megane i e in Europ
here different variants are sold], but Re
au t eci e as part o t eir usiness strat
gy to create an all-new model ground-up on
ime teste engineering speci ca y or t ese
merging mar ets inc u ing Mi e East.
enault designed the Fluence with the spei c aim o stan ing out as t e most attractive
ar of its class, although the outgoing Megane
i everyt ing reasona y we , ut wasn
onsi ere outrig t ta ente as t e est car
n this class. With the Fluence, Renault want
o ri ge t at gap an ence a c ean s ee
esign and comprehensive consumer-focused
peci cation ist.
T e F uence is igger t an t e oote
version of the Megane and dimensionally i
,620mm ong, 1,809mm wi e, 1,479mm ig
n a wheelbase of 2,702mm and uses Nissan’
rie an teste B-p at orm w ic is use y
o e s suc as B ue ir an Sy p y in Asiat boasts of more passenger space than any
ajor riva , incu ing 1,480mm o e ow room
t the front and 1,475mm at the rear beside
avernous oot space. T e incoming car a so
ac s severa opu ent upgra e touc es suc
s the lower window and boot trims, foglamp
urroun s an oor an es are nis e in
hrome, while the B-pillar uprights are glos
ac a ong wit o y co our si e protective
ou ings.
Two petrol engines will be available, the
ma er one eing a 1.6-itre 110 p wit man
al and automatic transmission and the bigge
.0- itre wit 140 p paire to eit er manua
ransmission or CVT. On the safety front the
ar will benet from an array of active and
assive it. Inc u e even in t e entry-eve
odels features such ABS with electroni
ra e orce istri ution, emergency ra ing
ssist, with automatic activation of the hazard
arning lights, ESC (electronic stability con
ro wit CSV un ersteer contro , river an
assenger airbags, two lateral thorax airbag
n two curtain air ags wi e stan ar .
<< t fn n n en-
n >>
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I
t’s that time of the motoring calendar
year when carmakers are eager to show
off their latest creations. The rst avail-
able ofcial platform the last quarter is Paris,which is still weeks away and the bofns at
Mercedes-Benz couldn’t resist the temptation
of releasing some images and details of its
worst kept secret – the upcoming second gen-
eration 2012 CLS-Class.
Question is why was M-B in such a hurry?
After all, M-B is credited as the creator of a new
vehicle category in 2003, where it successfully
combined the elegance and expressiveness of
a coupé with the comfort and functionality of
a saloon using a series production model as its
mechanical base. The E-Class based CLS was
a super success with over 170,000 units soldworldwide. For a couple of years before the
competition caught up with this unique style
icon, the rst generation CLS was the only
four-door coupé in its class.
Now that competition is getting ercer in
the segment, Mercedes-Benz wants to main-
tain a status quo with the all-new replacement
and strongly believes that it is a whole genera-
tion ahead of the competition. Perhaps this is
an understatement? Maybe, Audi could pro-
vide an answer. Though the proportions are
the same and prole similar to the outgoing
car, the incoming car sports has a completely
new look. It’s more aggressive line and surface
treatment indicate the future design language
of Mercedes-Benz and what immediately
strikes the eye is the innovative front design,which is reminiscent of the Mercedes-Benz
SLS AMG. Among
world rsts
a r e
the
f u l l
L E D
headlamps and
the side prole is rounded
off with extra generous wide
wrap-around tail lights also with
LEDs.
The interior design follows the
philosophy of timeless tradition
and combines elegance with innova-
tive details and the focus is handcrafts-
manship, surface treatments and attention
to detail. Around four animal hides are used
in each CLS. CLS customers will be able to
choose from several trim and nishes as bespoke options when the car goes on sale.
Base engineering and powertrains details
haven’t been released, but we can ex
pect the usual suspects, an entry
level 3.5-litre V6 with 301hp
and a 4.7-litre twin-turbo V8
with 429hp on tap. We can
also see Mercedes-Benz’s
4Matic all-wheel drive
system on the top end
model.
Cou it e t e rapi progress an rise o
Audi making Mercedes-Benz a bit nervous? In
unic ast mont , Rupert Sta er, c airman
f the Board of Management ofcially unveiled
the new A7 Sportback. The ve-door, fastback
oupe is Au i s response into t e sport coupe
egment with four doors, a segment pioneered
y Merce es wit t e CLS in 2003. Au i a so
escribes its car as a combination of elegant
oupe, sport saloon and practical wagon. The
A7 wi eature a ig tweig t o y ma e wit
luminum components and high-tech steels,
w ic wi a ow o r it to e powere so e y y
set of V6 engines - at least at rst. Audi will
urely V8 power to the mix later.
i t e unvei o t is car ma e riva Mer-
edes-Benz nervous so much so that it hast
y re ease some etai s o its secon gen-
ration CLS Class weeks before it ofcial Paris
nveil?
audi’s aNswer to m-b cls: 2011 a7 sportback, Now iN the opeN
Rpert Stadler, charman of the Board of Management AuDi AG at the world Premere of the
ne Ad A7 Sportback n Mnch
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a n n, us- m
c’ - n n n n n
n Jn n. cn
n n? an .
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Sometimes it is better to come late, es-
ecia y in t e car usiness w ere erce
competition in some segments can ruin
your c ances, i you are unprepare or any
ventuality. The task becomes even more dif-cult if a country specic model has to com
ete wit an array o ig y success u g o a
odels. And this is where the Malibu nds
tse .
ut the foundation of the Malibu is rock
o i . A t oug t e car is ui t in Nort Amer-
ca, it uses GMs ig y popu ar Epsi on ront
heel drive architecture which was originally
eve ope y Ope or GM as a universa mi -
ize front-wheel drive platform. As it happens,
e Epsi on is GM s ig est vo ume wor wi e
at orm an t e ene ts o t is p at orm, we
iscover as we move on.ompare to t e previous e ition o t e
alibu, the current generation of the Malibu
nitia y e ute wit a ront ace esign ea-
uring a wi e gri e sp it orizonta y y a prom
nent chrome bar that ran the entire width of
e car, w ic it seems was inten e to ma e
t resemble Chevrolet’s trucks. However, in
006, as part o a major esign review, t e
ront en was up ate wit more convention-
l styling which meant that the chrome bar
as remove , an t e gri e ecame sma er,
earing a striking resemblance to the grille
n t e previous generation Ma i u. T e rear
n o t e car sports a s ort oot an initia ye thought the twin round taillamps were a
it oversize an out o p aces, ut on c oser
nspection, they seem to pay homage to the
orvette.
T e overa esign o t e Ma i u can e
escribed as being stylish with a Saville Row
ersona ity ue to its strong stance. T e car s
roportions are elegant, and exterior stylists
ave given it c ean an pure ines. A irect
ene t o using t e Europe esigne p at
orm is that the wheels have been pushed to
e corners, t ere y ensuring a onger w ee
ases than the segment’s two major rival –
Toyota Camry an Hon a Accor . T e Ma i u
s a so ower t an t ese two an gets a onger
reenhouse and a shorter boot. Over all, the
a i u is onger t an t e Toyota, ut s ort-
r than the Honda. In the length, width and
eig t epartments, t e Ma i u is war e y
new Korean competitor – t e Kia Ca enza.
owever, in overall length the Cadenza and
a i u are a most i entica .
nsi e t e Ma i u, is a ca in w ic as ta -
n every advantage the platform could offer
n its t e space management in t e car t at
e ig ts. T e tester was top spec LTZ, w ic
ad two-tone leather in shades of brown andac wit t e t eme continuing a aroun
he car. Seats come with contrast pipe stitch-
ng an t ey are cus y an com orta e. T e
n y nigge , w ic seeme a it o in t e
ackage was the oversized steering wheel.
T e ea iner materia oo e as i i t mig t
ave been swiped from an ultra luxury car
uc as t e May ac . W i e, t e interiors at-
ention to etai per ect y comp ements cars
xterior and there’s a nice balance of ergo-
omic esign an usage o premium qua ity
eel materials including the leather effect on
e instrument pane. We i e t e integrate ,
owing instrument pane eatures a C evro
et-signature dual-cockpit design, somewhat
emin ing us o t e 60s Corvette sty ing wit
rominent gauges backlit in blue, and metal-
ic or woo grain accents. W i e t e ca in is
ice y esigne , it is attractive an ui t wit
ight tolerances. However, there are some
ar p astics t at etract rom an ot erwise
rst-rate interior.
W i e t ere s p enty o ront-seat room, at
rst g ance, space at t e rear appears a it
estricted if you take into account the seg-
ents enc mar stan ar s. Less noticea e
re some thoughtful features such as ambientig ting, a eature usua y associate wit ex-
ensive uxury cars.
And the element of practicality hasn’t been
orgotten at a . T e car as great storage
ith thoughtful features that maximize utility,
ncu ing a eep centre conso e wit a s i -
ng cover t at opens to accommo ate arger
tems. Also standard is an auxiliary in-dash
torage compartment on t e instrument pane
or sunglasses, CDs and other items. An avail-
e rear power centre provi es a ouse o -
tyle AC power outlet and rear seats fold
0:40 to allow for more cargo space.
ne o t e eatures, we t in is ig y ap-
ropriate for our markets and that is remote
tarting. T is eatures ets t e river start t e
ar by pressing a button on the key fob, allow-
ng the car to warm up and the same feature
an e use wit air-con itioning on swe ter-
ng summer afternoons to cool the cabin be-
ore a rive.
T e Ma i u LTZ, w ic is top spec in t e
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<< cnn n, n m
n n n n – t c n
hn a n , n - n>>
Driving impressions
We spent considerable time with this car and
clocked over 600km during the test period. Al-
though, the car is a comfortable place to be in,
the raked A- and wide C-pillars do affect the
eld vision a bit, but the side mirrors take care
of any anxiety relating to blind spot manage-
ment. The car was a bit of a shocker becauseit was unlike driving a V6-powered GM product
with such terric engine isolation. The Chevy
surprised as with its excellent sound dead-
ening qualities and even when the car was
pushed near to full throttle, it was extremely
quiet. The buck doesn’t just stop there, either.
Cross wind roar, tyre and road noise -- all have
been ltered to superbly low levels. This ele-
ment itself in part lends to the rise in quality
appeal.
The engine is pretty responsive to the tap of
the foot and surging power from can prove
a bit too much for some of the fast corners.
One has to remember this is not a sports sa-loon and hence occasionally requires a check
through the left pedal, which links to four disc
brakes and an on-board computer with anti-
lock action as well as GM’s high-tech Stabili-
Trak.
While, steering is rm and precise due to
speed-sensing variable assistance, it does re-
mind us of pricier touring saloons of Europeanorigin as its weight builds predictably, but
sadly it doesn’t offer much real road feel, and
for our preferences, we still think the steer-
ing wheel is a bit too large in diameter and a
smaller one would denitely add to a sportier
feel.
As expected, the driveline exhibits some
torque-steer at full throttle, but, overall, the
braking action and performance is on par
with anything else in this class of vehicles and
trustworthy in panic situations. The engine
purrs merrily and the six-speed automatic is
quick to shift, up and down, smoothly. The en-
gine, which GM says has nine different soundattenuators in the air intake system, sounds
powerful and smooth.
The ride-and-handling trade-off is suited to the
audience. Pushed to its limits, the suspension
proved difcult to disrupt, although there was
too much dive under hard braking. In general,
the car goes down the road like a large car
and is able to strike a nice balance betweenwell-controlled handling and an even ride.
Of course, like any other car, the Chevy isn’t
without fault. The brake pedal appeared to be
mushier and we observed that fuel economy
average of 16.3mpg was not exactly what we
were expecting. We think this is due to the
car’s portly 1,660kg curb weight. The rear
seat suffered from comfort and surprisingly
there’s no headrest for the middle passenger
who also has to bear with the least shoulder
room. The greater niggle we noted when shift-
ing into manual mode was that the transmis-
sion doesn’t automatically always drop down
to a lower gear.
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<< t m’ - n
c n n n c ,
, ltz n n n led-. >>
way power river s seat, six-way power pas-
enger’s seat, heated power mirrors, auto-
imming river s-si e exterior mirror, iPo
dapter, eight-speaker 210-watt stereo sys-tem, remote engine starting, fog lights, clear-
ens LED tai amps an P225 50R18 tyres on
lloy wheels.
T e suspension pac age in t e LTZ sug-
ests a balance between supple rides with the
i ity to ta e on a sporty c aracter w en in
ee . T ere s MacP erson struts in t e ront
uspension an a mu ti- in rear suspension
it ront an rear sta i izer ars. T e sway
ars in the LTZ are bigger because there’s a
eavier V6 in t e engine compartment.
As a family car, safety features are com-re ensive, wit ront, si e an si e-curtain
ir ags, tyre-pressure monitoring, ABS wit
rake assist, and StabiliTrak electronic stabil-
ty contro wit traction contro . In US govern-
ent crash tests, the 2010 Chevrolet Malibu
as score a per ect ve stars in a ronta an
i e cras categories. T e Insurance Institute
or Hig way Sa ety awar e t e Ma i u its
ighest rating of “Good” for its performance in
the frontal-offset and side crash tests.The LTZ
a so gets GMs new DOHC norma y-aspirate
3.6-litre V6 with variable valve timing. It of-ers 252 p at 6,300 rpm an torque is pitc e
to 251 ft-lbs at 3,200 rpm. Powere is routed
to the front wheels via six-speed automatic
transmission wit Tiptronic. T e manua s i t
ng is accomplished via paddle shifters on the
u ti unction steering w ee .
The Chevrolet Malibu is a superb mid-sized
saloon that condently competes with the
Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Nissan Altima
and Ford Fusion. Malibu blends a smooth ride
with responsive handling, a quiet interior, ef-
fective crash performance and noteworthy
build quality. For GM, it is a distinctly different
level of car. However, there are downsides to
the Malibu that keep it from being a true class
leader as a family car.
Verdict
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Driven by desire
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f 2011, n on
, k’ n ,
s, .
Unveiled at the 2008 Paris Motor Show,
Kia’s California-based studio designed
Sou crossover MPV, w ic was mar-
eted globally as model year 2010, has now
ecome an ac now e ge entry eve g o a
ifestyle model. While the global industry hasaken a signicant hit in volumes and market
ares, Kia Motors an Hyun ai are per aps
he only non-premium global players that not
n y ave remaine immune to t e mar et
ressures, but have condently increased
ar et s ares an intro uce an array o
ew mo e s across t e ine-up. Kia can oast
f having the freshest line-up in the business
o ay. In act, Kia poste 26.0 per cent g o a
ales growth in July across general markets,
orea, Nort America, Europe an C ina.
n some overseas mar ets, t e Sou aces
ompetition from models such as the Daihat-u Materia, Nissan Cu e or ScionB, un er-
eath its quirky styling is a heavily modied
io p at orm w ic many in t e usiness
oug t was rat er unusua or ui ing a
ew crossover. But the point they [the crit-
cs ave misse is t e act t at Kia s core
ompetency is not just engineering exibility,
ut a so esign un er t e tuteage o ex-Au
esigner Peter Sc reyer. T e mi y revisite
or 2011 Soul sports the now familiar tiger
ri e an retains its origina pro e wit some
osmetic and aesthetic changes. The changes
aven t a tere or inter ere wit t e groun
earance or s ort ront an rear over angsn the car.
T e Sou isn t as oxy as t e Materia or as
loated as the Nissan Cube [not sold in our
egion an it now oo s un ier wit t e 18in
oys s o wit sporty ow pro e 225 45
yres and glossy garnish below the grille
n some c rome em e is ments. T e car
oes retain its functional advantages when it
omes to au ing our or ve a u t passen-
er in its ta oy ca in an u tra ig eve s
f exibility in managing cargo space remain
na tere . T eres a equate space e in
he rear seats for normal errands, while any-
ing more wi require o ing t e 60:40 sp it
ear seats an t eres a so a usa e storage
ompartment under the rear oor where one
an eep necessities out o view.
While the interior mostly remains un-
ange , t e LED-it moo spea ers ave
een rep ace y conventiona ones. As a
lobal lifestyle car, the fabric-bound interior
as origina y esigne wit espo e acces-
ories in mind [which are not available in
man ue to ega po ice restrictions , ut
here’s still a lot of youthfulness in its design
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rope-rivaling build quality and tolerances.
ne o t e major issues many s ort rivers
felt was related to rear view and blind spot
management especia y uring reverse par -
ing has been addressed – there’s a cameranow with the display on the mirror. There’s
sti no provision or sate ite navigation even
as option. In terms of other lifestyle kit the
car comes wit B uetoot I Po connectiv-
ity, Lexus-type electroluminescent Optitron
instrument i umination an a sty is centra
conso e an muti unctiona t ree-spo e steer-
ing wheel.
tan ar sa ety equipment inc u es ront-
wheel discs stability control, front side airbags
an si e curtain air ags. ABS as een is-
continue . However, powertrain pac age con-
tinues with the normally aspirated 1.6-cylinderCVVT engine w ic o ers 123 p an 167Nm
of torque and four-speed automatic transmis-
sion wit Tiptronic unction.
Driving
For a car that weighs close to 1,200kg, the car
could have done with a bit more power and at
least an extra cog or two in the transmission.
The current powertrain package in the Soul isadequate for most day-to-day purposes, but
compared to say a similar displacement MINI,
it lacks that spirited or sporty punch. But what
the auto-transmission lacks in torque deliv-
ery is made up with the engagement of the
manual Tiptronic which allows access to extra
torque for the power boost when required,
which is quite handy and more than adequate
during overtaking. In general the car feels
European in nature and particularly in the
handling department, it has the capability of
rivaling the MINI, thanks to its stiff McPherson
suspension set-up and road holding from thefat low prole tyres combo. The wheels which
are literally pushed out to the far corners in
the car offer a rened go-kart feel. Surprising-
ly, the feedback from hydraulic power steering
seems to have become a bit sharper with the
application of larger wheels. The solid brakes
add to the around-town fun, not because you
use them hard in the city, but because they’resmooth, tight and responsive, with pedal pres-
sure that’s just right and the absence of ABS
is not really felt. In the smaller wheeled ver-
sions, we remember a lot of drivers felt that it
was a bit dull and had a numb on-centre feel
and a nonlinear effort. Around town, we found
the larger wheeled Soul much more rened in
that aspect, decently comfortable. Meanwhile,
the ride quality which used to be choppy on
the highway in the smaller wheeled cars, is
now much settled, predictable and comfort-
able. The Soul is aimed at a young-at-heart,
fashion-conscious demographic and revisedpackaging aims to help customers feel more
aspirational and comfortable in a similar vein
as the MINI
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Verdict
We think the 2011 Kia Soul is a compelling
entry as a li festyle-cum-soft utility, a segmen
where very few manufacturers have dared to
come in. It offers a pleasant driving characterlots of usable space, good build quality, load
of available features, a reasonable price and
bullet-proof warranty package. The model i
available in one trim only.
<< y s “
” nq n. on p
s’ n, n
n n -n n k
m >>
The black valance has now a glossy ef-
fect and large 18in wheels shod wth low
profle sports tyres not only make the
car look smarter and handle better.
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sn n n n j n n
f e n n suv n
n 2007. an -
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Driving impressions
During our sojourn behind the wheel,
one does appreciate the sprightly per-
formance provided by the Duratec V6
engine, and the smoothness of the six-
speed automatic transmission in
the rst few kilometres. The Edge
on road is much different in feel than
the Explorer as it benets from its
car-like independent suspension set-up and hence delivers more fun than
expected despite its size and weight.
The car’s basic architecture and taut
suspension set-up contributes to its han-
dling as wallowing tendencies as in typical
body-on-frame set-ups is controlled much
effectively. This means you can also swing
in the car in a fast corner without the fear
of the car going out of line. The higher
centre of gravity somewhat prevents
the Edge from being as nimble as a
sports saloon, but the overall pay off
is decent which includes a comfortable
ride without feeling oaty.
We also noted that the variable valve
timing enriched the engine which pro-
duced a reasonably good range of pow-
er at all speeds and the transmission
shifted smoothly. We would rate the
performance as middle of the pack and
the benet of this arrangement is that it
does deliver notably good fuel economy.
The car’s rack-and-pinion steering pro-
vided good feedback but doesn’t offer much
road feel, so the Edge feels solid and predict-
able in its handling.While the Edge is not de-
signed for off-road use, it has a decent ground
clearance of eight inches and favourable ap-
proach angle of 16.5 degrees, departure angle
of 26.6 degrees), and ramp break-over angle
of 17.2 degrees. These will enable the car to
perform light off-road duties in the hands of a skilled driver despite the absence of typi-
cal driver-assisted 4WD aids. The four-wheel
disc brakes worked well and the assurance of
Ford’s AdvanceTrac electronic stability control,
which is standard on all models, includes the
functions of ABS and traction control to help
the driver maintain control in slippery condi-
tions or in emergency avoidance situations
24/7. In urban commutes, blind spot manage-
ment had been made easy, thanks to a con-
ventional special blind spot rear view instead
of blinking LEDs.In the test car, Ford’s Sync
communications and entertainment system
was a delight to use as it can be controlled
via voice commands or dashboard buttons. It
can recognize Bluetooth-enabled cell phones,
access their phonebooks, and play calls and
read text messages through the speakers. It
also has a USB interface to connect with iPods
and other MP3 players and it will charge an
iPod also. While Sync is nicely integrated, it
doesn’t take too long to learn and master the
voice commands.
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{also driven}
63
The best thing about the Ford
Edge package is that as a midsized
crossover sport utility, it offers bet-
ter fuel economy and road man-
ners than a similarly sized truck-
based SUV. We think the Edge will
appeal to punters coming from
SUVs brands who want a rugged
look with and family conveniences.
We also think it will do well with
cross over buyers also, who are
typical saloon car owners who will
discover that they haven’t given up
much in the way of comfort, con-
venience and driving dynamics in
the Edge.
Verdict
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{Motorsports - F1}
64
A dominant one-two or the
Scuderia
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65
{Motorsports - F1}
Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro rebooted its
c a enge or t e tit e wit a comman -
ing one-two nish in the 67 lap German
ran Prix. A t oug it is sti t ir in t e Con-
tructors’ Championship, it has closed the gapto second placed Red Bull Racing from 84 to
4 points. Fernan o A onso stoo on t e top
tep of the podium for the rst time since the
pening roun in Ba rain, an Fe ipe Massa
nished second, also reprising his position at
the Sakhir circuit. Joining them on the podium
was t e Re Bu o poe man Se astian Vet-
tel. When the red lights went out, Fernando
ge a ongsi e Vette an as t e German
tried to defend his position, Felipe, having
tarte e in im in t ir p ace, manage to
et t e est ine into t e rst corner to go into
the lead, followed by his team-mate and Vet-te . T ey were o owe y Hami ton, We er,
utton, Kubica, Schumacher, Rosberg, with
o ayas i tent .
T e majority o t e e a starte on t e
ofter tyre, so the one planned pit stop came
ar y on, wit Button staying out ongest to
ead for a while. Fernando changed to the
ar tyre on ap 13 an Fe ipe pitte one ap
ater. However, t e run o pit stops i itt e
to change the order, and the two Ferrari men
a a great g t, near y touc ing w en t e
paniar trie to pass t e Brazi ian on ap 21,
ne lap before Button nally pitted to hand
he lead back to Felipe. The two Ferrari men
ra e astest aps, wit t e gap uctuating
round the one second mark, with Vettel al-ays in c ose atten ance.
As has often been the case this season, Fe-
ipe had been very quick on the soft tyres but
as strugging a it on t e ar ones an ,
learly faster, Fernando passed his team-mate
n ap 45. From t en on, t e two Ferrari men
ontrolled the pace, even if Vettel was closing
n Felipe rapidly, setting the fastest race lap
n t e very ast ap.
ebastian comes away from his home race
it a po ium, ut aving een eaten y t e
erraris off the line, he was forced to follow
hem to the chequered ag – despite ghtingar over t e 67 aps.Mar egan ourt ut
as overtaken by Hamilton on lap one and his
cLaren team-mate Button manage to stea
march on him on lap 21 after Webber’s RB6
uffered from a problem with oil and nished
ixt .Se astian sai : We nis e t ir an we
an be proud of that. I’m very pleased to be
n t e po ium – it s very specia or me at my
ome grand prix. It’s great to see the people
ere and to be on that podium. To see every-
ne c eering is very nice an emotiona .
Its very competitive at t e ront an t ats
ow it should be, “said Mark. “I wasn’t in the
g t to ay, so we re oo ing orwar to t e
ext race. But t e rea controversy came in
front of Sebastian after Massa, who had takent e ea at t e rst corner was over-ta en y
ernando Alonso on lap 49, allowing the Span-
ar to ta e t e win. T e su sequent iscus
sion – an muc o t e post-race FIA press
conference - revolved around whether or not
e ipe a given way to Fernan o.
hristian Horner was not impressed by the
Ita ian team s tactics. He sai : It was surpris
ng w at appene wit t e Ferraris, i t oo e
to be a team order with the cars switching
osition. I so, it s a s ame or Formua One
and the fans that they were deprived of a race
etween t e two Ferrari rivers to ay.
e ping maintain t eir ea in ot c am
ionships, Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button
came ome in ourt an t p aces. T e res
of the points places down to tenth went to
We er, Ku ica, Ros erg, Sc umac er an
etrov. Now t e circus moves to Hungary o
the next race in just seven days time, where
t e muc improve eve o per ormance o
the F10 means that Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro
wi once again e oping to c a enge or t e
top p aces.
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{Motorsports - F1}
66
Being pushed back to third at the start
ay ave a ecte anyone ut Mar
Webber who rose to the challenge and
with the help of good strategy on a safety car
ep oyment went on to snatc t e rst p ace
at the Hungarian GP.
ernan o Aonso pro uce a sensationa
drive to nish second, while Felipe Massa de-
livered a faultless performance on his return
to t e Hungaroring, nis ing w ere e starte
in fourth place. In fact, the thirty points theScu eria ta es into t e summer rea is pro -
ably slightly more than expected, given the
week long dominance of the Red Bulls, who
nis e rst an t ir courtesy o Mar We -
ber and Sebastian Vettel.
T e race was more interesting t an mig t
have been expected at this twisty track, where
overta ing is so i cu t. As everyone in t e
Ferrari garage a ope , starting rom t ir
on the clean side of the track, Fernando got
t e jump on We er at t e start to go sec-
ond behind Vettel, while Felipe stayed fourth.
W en t e Sa ety Car came out on ap 15 or
e ris to e c eare , a most t e entire e pit-
ted at the same time, which caused chaos, as
o ert Ku ica in t e Renau t an A rian Suti
n the Force India collided, while Nico Rosberg
ost a w ee t at ounce t roug t e pits.
We er i not stop an was t us in t e
ead, while the run of pit stops saw Lewis
ami ton in t e McLaren get a ea o Fe ipe,
after Ferrari staged a double pit stop which
went o smoot y. However, t e Eng is man
would later park his car at the side of the track,
so that Felipe moved back to fourth where hestaye to t e ag. We er a opte to stay
out on track at this time and thus led from Vet-
te , A onso, Hami ton an Fe ipe. However, on
the Safety Car’s last lap, while Webber stuck
close on its tail, Vettel left almost half a pit
straig t istance etween im an is team-
ate, evidently trying to help him build up a
ig enoug ea e ore is pit stop. However,
t is was against t e regu ations an t e Ger-
an was given a drive-through penalty, which
romote Fernan o to secon p ace, wit Fe-
ipe around 2.5 seconds behind the Red Bull.
T e pace o t e Re Bu s was suc t at Vette
a soon c ose rig t up on Fernan o so t at,
n a slower car, the Spaniard then had to play
a cat an mouse game wit t e German to
eep him behind him for around half the 70
ap race: it was a ravura per ormance, ea -
ng with the relentless pressure of a faster car
on his gearbox. Webber however was well out
n ront, aving ui t up a ig enoug ea to
ang onto rst place comfortably, after chang
ng tyres. Fi t p ace went to Vita y Petrov in
the Renault. Nico Hulkenberg was sixth for Wil-
iams, the last driver to nish on the same lapas t e ea ers. T e rest o t e points went to
edro De La Rosa, Jenson Button, Kamui Ko-
ayas i an Ru ens Barric e o in tent p ace.
oing into the compulsory summer break,
with a four week gap to the thirteenth round
o t e Wor C ampions ip, t e Be gian Gran
rix, Fernando’s great drive means he is now
ust twenty points o t e ea er in t e Drivers
championship and indeed, no less than ve
rivers are a wit in t ese 20 points, so t e
est o t e year promises to e a ascinating
ght. Felipe has also moved up to sit behind
is team-mate in sixt p ace, w i e Ferrari is
till third in the Constructors’ classication.
Hungary provides a Red Bull
and Ferrari sandwich
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67
{Motorsports - F1}
errari will appear before the FIA World
otor Sport Counci WMSC next mont o
owing their controversial one-two result at
Ju y s German Gran Prix.
The Italian team were ned US$100,000 by
the Hockenheim race stewards for breaching
sporting regu ations a ter Fe ipe Massa, w o
ad been leading the event, moved aside to
a ow team mate Fernan o A onso past. T e
stewards also forwarded their report to the
WMSC for further consideration.
T e iscip inary earing wi ta e p ace inaris on Wednesday, September 8.
The Bahrain International Circuit, home o
he Bahrain Grand Prix, plans to return to its
rigina Formu a One trac con guration o
011. It follows the use of an extended layout
or t is year s season-opening race.
That extended layout, dubbed the ‘endur-
nce track’ by organisers, was used as part
Ba rains estivities to mar 60 years o t e
ormula One world championship. It length-
ne t e ap rom 5.412 m to 6.299 m wit
n additional complex of nine corners, starting
t Turn Four.
As t e inaugura roun o t e Formua One
orld championship’s 60th anniversary sea-
on, it was important or us to ce e rate t is
omentous occasion by doing something very
nique and different,” said Shaikh Salman Bin
sa A K a i a, t e circuits acting CEO.
irelli took the rst step in their return tot e FIA Formu a One Wor C ampions ip on
Wednesday when Nick Heidfeld completed a
two-day test at the wheel of a Toyota TF109.
ei e , Pire is new y-appointe Formu a
ne test driver, sampled prototype versions of
t e Ita ian company s PZero Formu a One tyre,
which will be used by all teams from 2011 on-
wards under a three-year agreement with the
IA, wor motorsport s governing o y.
The objective of the test, which was held in
arge y ry an sunny con itions at t e Muge -
o circuit in Italy, was to begin the process of
etermining the front and rear tyre prole andonstruction t at wi e use as t e asis o
the new Formula One tyre.
irelli’s Motorsport Director, Paul Hembery,exp aine : T is was t e rst step o our re-
turn to Formula One and we are very satised
with how the tyres performed and the informa-
tion we were a e to co ect. We concentrate
on nalising the prole and the construction
o t e ront an rear tyres, w ic is a process
that we will continue over the next few tests
that we carry out.
Muge o as quite an a rasive sur ace wit
long and medium-high-speed corners as well
as airpins an quic c anges o irection so
it is quite a good proving ground. We are on
target and we come away from this test withots o ata to ana yse, w ic is exact y t e
situation we hoped to be in.”
Ferrari to ace disci-
plinary hearing over
team orders
Bahrain set to revert to original track lay-
out
Pirelli complete successul
frst Formula One tyre test
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{Motorsports - wrc}
68
B-Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team’s
S ei K a i A Qassimi secure a
season-best eighth place nish and four
FIA World Rally Championship (WRC)
points at Ra ye Deutsc an , comp et-
ing a remarkable turnaround for the
Emirati star.
The impressive result added to the
fourth place nish for team-mate Jari-
Matti Latva a w o put in a spirite is-
play to maintain a strong points scoringposition.
Al Qassimi began the weekend’s ac-
tion in the worst possible way with an
opening stage spin out, w ic e t im
lingering in 21st place. Yet the 34-year-
o oug t ac va iant y in t e testing
German countryside to clinch his seventh ca-
reer top 10 nis - a resu t w ic sees im
c im to 14t in t e overa Drivers C ampion-
ship.
An wit our ra ies sti in an t is year,
the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA)-
ac e river is rm y on-course to top is
12t p ace stan ing in t e 2009 WRC sea-son, further cementing his status as the Arab
wor s most success u WRC points scorer.
“After we spun on our rst day I never
t oug t we wou en up in eig t position.
We a a ot o time to ma e up, ut we a no
problems for the rest of the event and pushed
w enever we cou . I ope to secure a top
ten position in Rally Japan, then who knows,
t is cou e our est season so ar, sai A
Qassimi, w o is a ectionate y ca e t e King
of Jumps’ after he smashed the ‘Colin’s Crest’
awar or t e iggest eap at Ra y Swe en
2008.After monopolizing the rst two places
in t e opening stage, t e Citroën Tota Wor
Ra y Team C4 WRCs gave t e Frenc team
another double when the ag fell to signal
the end of Rally Germany. Sébastien Loeb and
Daniel Elena racked up their eighth consecu-
tive victory in t e event setting a new recor .
Dani Sor o an Diego Va ejo a a au t- ree
race on their rst outing together and rounded
o t e team s triump . T is event a so saw
the 32nd win by the C4 WRC, equalling the
Xsara WRCs score putting it among t e most
uccessful cars in the history of rallying.
A ter a coup e o very testing ays, t e ast
eg of Rally Germany was much shorter with
5 timed kilometres. The crews were back
mong t e Mose e vine yar s an covere
the Dhrontal and Moselwein stages twice. The
ally nished with the Circus Maximus Super
tage in the streets of Trèves.
Sébastien Loeb and Dani Sordo, comfort-
y insta e in t e rst two p aces in t eir
4 WRCs, left the Trèves service park onirelli P-Zero soft tyres. The Citroën Total
Wor Ra y Team rivers opte or stea i-
ess rather than sheer speed as their only
im was to see t e nis . Its not a ways
bvious, but we wanted to consolidate our
ositions insofar as it was possible,” said
oe in t e mi - eg service a t. On so t
ubber we had more grip on the few damp
ections an we were rea y to cope wit pos-
ible showers.”
With a German top 10 nish in his sights, Al
assimi starte Sun ay s win ing roa tests
with conviction, jumping two places ahead of
ain riva s, Mar Van E i an Ken B oc , a -
ter just 22.58km of competition.Not content
with a slim 3.3 second lead, the Abu Dhabi
tar went on to again recor aster times t an
Van Eldik in all four of the day’s remaining
tages, as tec nica pro ems orce B oc
nto retirement.
ec anica issues a so saw BP-For A u
a i team-mate, Mi o Hirvonen, pu out
f the competition, pushing Al Qassimi into
ig t p ace, w ic e e unti t e c e-
quere ag at t e na Circus Maximus Super
Special Stage in the heart of Trier.
“When we came in for the morning service
I was p ease wit t e way I a riven,
ut knew I couldn’t be complacent. With
ig t p ace in is sig ts, Van E i was
us ing just as ar . It was essentia t at
e kept focused to develop an even bigger
ime gap an eep our roa position, sai
l Qassimi, whose best ever result came at
e 2009 Acropo is Ra y o Greece w en
e secure sixt p ace.
t was a double celebration for ADTA-
ac e teams in Germany t is wee en
s, taking inspiration from their Emirati
entor, t e A u D a i Junior Driver De-
elopment team secured a third consecu-
tive podium nish in the Fiesta SportTrophy
nternationa FSTi .
As some of the more experienced FSTi driv-
ers, inc u ing current ea er Harry Hunt, e
victim to the course and technical difculties,
all three members of ADTA’s
- e
Bader Al Jabri, Majed Al Shamsi and Khalil
A S ai - pro uce t e est tarmac per or-
ances of their careers to y home in second,
t ir an ourt in r ont o a pac e crow
assembled at Trier’s historic town centre.Lead-
ng the Team Abu Dhabi driving trio was Al
S amsi, w o tac e t e airpin en s an
gravel strewn asphalt that typies the German
a y, wit mature consistency t roug out t e
entire event to grab a well earned second
lace nish.“My rst asphalt event of the year
cou n t ave gone any etter. T e resu t gives
e a positive condence boost and has helped
e to eve op my tarmac riving s i s w ic
hope to utilise for the next event in France,”
said Al Shamsi, who won at Rally Portugal ear-
ier t is year.
AL QASSIMI COMPLETES IMPRESSIVETOP 10 GERMAN FIGHT-BACK
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69
{Motorsports - wrc}
CITROëN SCORES A dOuBLEPOdIuM – MISSES THE TOP SPOT
Jri-Matti Latva a won Neste Oi Ra y Fin-
and, round eight of the 2010 FIA World
a y C ampions ip. Co- riven y Mii a
Anttila, Latvala took the lead on stage seven
nd drove without error to land his second win
t e season.
The Finn, who breaks Markku Alen’s record
s t e youngest winner o t e ig -spee
grave event, wit stoo ate pressure rom
factory Citroen pilot Sebastien Ogier to secure
an emotiona ome victory.
The Citroën Total World Rally Team crews
improve t eir positions on t e secon ay
of Rally Finland. Sébastien Ogier and Julien
Ingrassia in their rst race for the works team,
nis e in a magni cent secon p ace a ew
seconds in front of Sébastien Loeb and Dan-
el Elena. This double podium has helped the
Citroën Tota Wor Ra y Team to increase its
ead in the FIA Manufacturers’ World Cham-
ions ip.
It s a ream an I can t even imagine it
yet,” said the works Ford Focus pilot. “It’s
somet ing I ve een reaming o since I was
small boy. The fans in Finland are fantastic
nd I’ve won in front of my home spectators.
en we i t e secon ast stage it starte
o go in the right direction and we were a
itt e on t e sa e si e. Its amazing, a ig re ie
nd a fantastic rally. Our team has done really
ar wor an t is victory is or t e team.
A ter a s ort nig t, t e crews e t t e Jyväs-
ylä service park in pouring rain. Around 100
ms rom t ere, t e stages o t e rst o t e
hree loops were also soaking wet. Sébastien
gier was on t e pace straig t away in t e
a y setting t e astest time in Ko on u ma
(SS12). In Väärinmaja, the longest stage of
he event, it was Sébastien Loeb’s turn to stun
he onlookers. By setting the second-best
ime, Ogier too secon p ace rom Petter
o erg an got to wit in 15s o t e ea er,
ari-Matti Latvala! The latter fought back in
e o owing stage, ut t e C4 WRC rivers
ere more than pleased at the end of the rst
ree stages.
etter So erg ost out on a po ium nis
y 4.7s and said he could not have gone any
aster in is privateer Citroen. I trie very
ard but factory teams are factory teams,”
said Solberg. “We have been fast but we’re a
sma ra y team oing t e est we can.
Spaniard Dani Sordo secured fth overall
on is rst run wit t e Citroen Junior Team.
e said: “Fifth is not bad but I am not happy
with my performance. The car was good, not
a ways per ect, ut a ter a very goo test an
the rst stages there was no more from me.
We nee to e etter t e next time.
atvala became the ninth different Finn-
sh driver to win the event and the youngest
ever a ter rea ing Mar u A ens recor set
n 1976.
A en was 25 years an ve mont s o
w en e triump e on ome soi in a Fiat,
while Latvala was 25 years and three months
w en e eat Se astien Ogier into rst p ace
n Jyvaskyla at the weekend.
our-time wor c ampion Ju a Kan unen,
who nished eighth on his one-off return to
the WRC, said: “For sure he can win the world
tit e. T is year is i cu t ut or sure e wi
win it one day.”
Alen, who has won in Finland on six occa-
sions, visite t e ra y an was u o praise
for Latvala. He said: “The important thing is a
Finnis river wins t e 1000 La es Ra y as I
still call it. It will be a very special feeling for
Jari-Matti because when I won in Finland they
were amongst my avourite wins as i you re a
Finn you want to win Rally Finland. He drove
very we an I was rea y impresse .
annu Mikkola, world rally champion in
1983, also attended the event and paid trib
ute to Latva a.
“It was a good ght and I’m very pleased
to see im an For at t e top, sai Mi o a.
“He has clearly grown up because he had a lot
o pressure on im an an e it very we .
W en I was younger I a two reams: one
was to win the rally, the other was to win the
Finnis c ampions ip. T is is a rea sign o
how good Jari-Matti can be.”
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{Motorsports - wrc}
70
Rival teams welcome MINI to the WRC fol
Volkswagen ‘more than intereste’ in WRC entry
Bsses of the Ford and Citroen teams haveelcomed MINI’s decision to tackle a se-
ecte programme o wor c ampions ip ra -
lies in 2011 ahead of a full attack from 2012.
itroen team ea O ivier Quesne sai t e
announcement by MINI last month was a rm
indication that the WRC was set for a bright
uture, w i e Ma co m Wi son, is counterpart
at Ford, said the move sent out a “great mes-
sage or t e WRC.
“It’s really good news for WRC rst of all
and now I’m really sure the worst is behind
us ecause we can t in t at ot er manu ac-
turers will come in the future,” said Quesnel.For Citroen to ave MINI, especia y ecause
e wi ave t e DS3, is t e est
ews we can have. We are very
ease .
Wilson added: “It’s great it’s
een con rme ecause its
een on t e car s or so ong. It
ends out a great message for
e WRC t at weve got anot er
portant manufacturer coming
to t e c ampions ip, w ic is
omet ing weve a een oping
would happen. It can only be a benet to theampions ip an I ope MINI coming in as
the desired effect.”
oth Quesnel and Wilson re-
ca e ear y memories o MINI
competing in its heyday in the
1960s wit t e Cooper S mo e .
My memory was as an eig t-
year-old watching it on the RAC
a y in W in atter, sai Wison.
“It was such a small car with
spar s coming o t e sump
guar ut no ot er cars were o-
ng that.” uesne sai : W en I was
young I used to live in Cannes
an I went to see t e Monte
Car o Ra y wit my scooter w en I was 16.
went to see during the night and I see the
INI. It was a goo c oice.
Speaking to World Rally Radio, David Rich-
r s, w ose Pro rive organisation is eve op-
ng t e MINI Countryman WRCs, a e : T e
hampionship has so much to offer. It’s had a
i cu t perio ut now wit a c ear ca en ar
nd future, plus an injection of new manufac
turers, it s on its way ac up. I m pretty sure
INI coming will wake up a lot of people.”
e ea o Vo swagens motorsport ivi-
ion says the manufacturer could be com-
peting in the World Rally Championship as
ear y as 2013 i p ans are given t e green ig t
in the coming months.
VWs motorsport irector Kris Nissen spo e
of the company’s interest in building a World
Rally Car during Rallye Deutschland, where
t e rm aunc e its atest Da ar c a enger,
the Race Touareg 3.Volkswagen also had a
strong presence on t e stages ast wee , wit
former double World Rally Champion Carlos
Sainz opening the roads at the wheel of a bio-
ue e VW Scirocco Zero Car.
ommenting on speculation that Volkswa-
gen was c ose to o owing MINI in announcing
new WRC programme, Nissen sai : We ve
een looking into this for more than a year.
We think it’s very interesting and I have never
a e a secret out o it. T e act is we are
very, very happy to see MINI and now there
wi e t ree manu acturers. We are very ap-
y with the cooperation of Jean Todt and the
IA. In two or three years we will see even
ore interesting ra y or t e spectators an
for the people at the races. That’s something
we i e to ear an we are more t an inter-
sted,” he added.
That interest could lead to the development
a ran new Vo swagen Wor Ra y Car
version of the Polo, Golf or Scirocco.
W en we press t e utton we nee a out
two years an t at means i in t e s ort uture
- I’m talking about the next months - we could
a e a ecision we cou e t ere in 2013
ut i not we can e t ere in 2014, exp aine
issen.
We are rea y very p ease to see t e way
the rally is going and we also need to think
a out t e istory o motorsport. We ave a -
ways a cars on t e trac , especia y F1 cars,
we have Le Mans cars - which is also a historic
ace - an we ave t e ra y. T e ra y as
always been there, in different formats, but
t as a ways een t ere. I rea y t in t at
t e Wor Ra y C ampions ip is one o t e
ost interesting sports in motorsport you can
ave.
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Raj Warrior is editor of Automan and has been inthe thick of the Automotive journalism field fromt e past 15 years.
Want to comment or have your say? Email at raj@alroya.net.Identify yourself or your message will be trashed an your i oc e
Can you hark back to the time you rst drove a car? Depending on your age
and circumstances, it may be quite a while back, however you are sure to
remember the rst lessons you got on where all the controls lay. In mostcases the actual location of the controls like the headlight switches, turn indicator
stalk and the wiper controls would vary depending on the particular make of car. To
the driver of many years ago, the accepted layout of the dashboard and the controlswas the one they inherited in their rst car. If you switched cars for any reason,
including the most anticipated one of being able to afford a new car, the chances
were that you spent a few days hitting the wrong switches due to the ‘hard wiring’
that your reexes had gone through in the old car.
Nowadays the chance of that happening is a lot less. Governments have stepped
in to make it easier for drivers and less of a danger to the road user by stipulatingstandards that t. Most cars sold in Oman have the light stalk on the left and the
wiper stalk on the right. Of course, every car has the steering wheel on the left!
But there are still some cars that stick out with headlight knobs on the dashboard,combined turn indicator and wiper controls and even cruise control stalks located
where you would expect the turn indicator to be. The other oddity is usually around
the gearshift lever. Manual gearshifts get variants of an H pattern – but the reverse
gear actuation can vary from a push to corner to a sliding boss actuator. In the caseof automatics and tiptronics the story is the same. You have a straight path, J-gate,
mirrored J and to complicate matters the +/- activation can be front-back, back-
front or side to side. Let’s not even get started on the variation of cruise controlswith their xed stalk, revolving stalk, steering wheel mount and the lot.
To the normal driver it hardly matters. Refer to the opening statement. You get
hard-wired to the way your car is presented. To a car journalist, it makes the varietywe drive quite spicy. You discover small things like not having familiarised yourself
with the location of the hazard switch before driving off. Or to the international
traveller who goes from a left-hand drive market to a right-hand drive one andspends a couple of days getting the hard-wired bit undone. That does involve a
few random wiper activations in perfectly dry weather. And by the time you have
unlearnt and re-programmed, it is time to start the reverse process.
Now what is most ironical is that all these variations are present despite the
trend to standardise. Vendors love standardisation, while designers and car lovers
take the opposite stance. Customisation and tuning in all its forms comes from thatdesire to be distinct, even if that means aunting 24-inch alloy wheels, a rebrand
decal and a body colour that would make puce go green with envy. So you be the
judge of whether you are better off with a standardised cabin or one that stands outbecause of the deviant layout.
I am all for variations – from speedometer consoles that would look at home on
a motorcycle to electric parking brakes that can’t make up their minds whetherthey release when pulled up or pushed down or a sound system that stays on till you
switch off and open the door. It’s what make cars unique, packaging interesting and
my job that much more meaningful.
t n, rj w n n n n n
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