Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Unofficial Picture: Nissan Compact Saloon
Nissan’s all-new Micra-based ‘New Global Sedan’ (codenamed L02B) has been revealed. Nissan will officially unveil the saloon at the Guangzhou Show this month, but we already have some accurate illustrations and information to give you a heads up.
Known as the Sunny internationally, but probably not in India, you can see no trace of the Micra in the design of this car. The sedan gets a new nose, a new rear and even the roof looks totally different. The lines are long and flowing and there is plenty of Nissan DNA in the styling as well; the Teana-like kink in the ‘C’ pillar, the vertical orientation of the headlights, the strong shoulder line and especially the rake of the tail-lights.
Nissan will use a lot of the Micra’s interior bits for this car though. The round central console pod will be carried over, the vents are similar, and the steering is the same too. Nissan will also use the Micra’s very comfortable front seats for the saloon. The rear bench, however, will be all new. The wheelbase has been extended slightly to 2500mm from the Micra’s 2450mm to give passengers more room in the rear.
Nissan’s V-platform focuses on reductions in both weight and in the number of components, and we expect there will be a considerable advantage reaped here. The light weight will allow for greater performance, better efficiency and lower stress on the suspension. And as with the Micra, efficiency could be better than or match the best in class.
Powering the car will be a 1498cc four-cylinder petrol engine churning out a healthy 100bhp. The motor doesn’t make too much torque though, at 13.8kgm, but the light weight of the car should help it compete with cars like the VW Vento on an equal footing. An 83bhp diesel engine will also be available and here torque is a very healthy 20.3kgm. Famous for its incredible frugality and robustness, this motor will be Nissan’s ace, fine-tuned to give even more economy and power.
The ‘New Global Sedan’ is expected to make its Indian debut in September 2011, and will be rolled out from Nissan’s plant at Oragadam, Chennai. You can expect on- road prices to start at Rs 7.5lakh for the base petrol, going up to Rs 10lakh for the top-of-the-line diesel. And there’s even the likelihood of a CVT automatic-equipped version being sold as a range topper.
Thanks to: Autocar India
New Car: 2011 Honda Jazz
Honda has released the first details and prices on its facelifted Jazz supermini - and confirmed that the hybrid version of the car will reach UK dealers next February.
The revisions include a mild restyling, particularly at the front end, that’s designed to reduce the Jazz’s drag co-efficienct. The car’s Cd figure falls from 0.336 to 0.330. The cabin gets chrome trim on the dashboard, plus the option of leather seats on higher-spec models.
The basic engine line-up, of 1.2 and 1.4-litre petrols, remains unchanged, although small tweaks to both powerplants bring minor reductions in CO2 emissions and fuel consumption. The 1.4 manual now emits 126g/km and returns 51.4mpg (combined), while the 1.2 delivers 123g/km and 53.3mpg.
The hybrid model shares much of its powertrain with the Insight. It offers combined fuel economy of 62.8mpg and CO2 emissions of 104g/km.
In addition, Honda is bringing back a CVT option that was available on the first-generation Jazz. The transmission is standard on the hybrid, and an option on the regular 1.4 petrol model.
Other mechanical revisions include new suspension settings - claimed by Honda to “increase ride comfort and improve handling” - and changes to the steering set-up to improve feel.
The base 1.2 S Jazz will cost £11,295 (including 20 per cent VAT) when the range goes on sale on 1 February, although you’ll need to add £700 to that to get air conditioning. The CVT models start at £14,495, and the base Hybrid HE costs £15,995.
Thanks to: Autocar
Hot News: Porsche Cajun Gets Green Light
The Cajun is go! Porsche has confirmed that its next model line will be a new SUV, which will slot into the range below the Cayenne. In a statement from yesterday’s board meeting, Porsche confirmed a new model “under the working name "Cajun"… will further expand the world’s most successful Porsche segment in the SUV sector.”
The new car will form what Porsche describes as “an attractive entry model in the Porsche world.
The "Cajun" will attract new and even younger customers to the premium brand along with the Boxster, the market leader in the segment of two-seater, mid-size sports cars.”
The Porsche Cajun will be based on the Audi Q5 and will go into production in 2013. The move makes plenty of sense, as the recently introduced new Cayenne is selling extremely well. In the first full quarter of sales of the new car, the Cayenne shifted more than double the number of cars in the same period last year.
Porsche also confirmed that Wolfgang Hatz will be promoted to its board as the new head of research and development. Hatz moves from his position as the boss of Engines and Transmissions Development for the Volkswagen Group and replaces Wolfgang Dürheimer who has moved to take charge of Bentley, Bugatti and VW Motorsport. For more details click here.
Thanks to: Auto Express
New Car: 2012 Honda Brio
Is there room for a Honda hatchback smaller than the Fit? Perhaps not here in North America, but abroad, particularly in countries like India and Thailand, demand for an A-segment vehicle exists. To help fill the gaps and expand Honda's worldwide reach, the company is working to ready the new Brio hatchback for Asian markets.
Look familiar? It should, if you happened to lay eyes on the New Small Car concept, which debuted at the New Delhi Auto Expo held this January. The production intent Brio -- still dubbed a prototype by Honda officials at this stage -- looks quite a bit like the show car, save for the lack of tricked-out headlamps, flush door handles, wild wheels, and the typical conceptual flourishes.
The Brio may bear some resemblance to the global Fit/Jazz model line, but is much smaller. At 142.1 inches in length, the Brio is more than a foot shorter than the already compact Fit, while its width and height measure in at 66.1 and 58.1 inches, respectively. Honda claims passenger volume is maximized, (there's reportedly room for five adults within), thanks to strategic placement of mechanical components. We've yet to hear just what powertrain Honda packs in this mighty mite, but we wouldn't be surprised if it uses an engine smaller than the 1.5-liter I-4 found in U.S.-spec Fit models.
Thus far, Honda has committed to offering the Brio in both India and Thailand -- but seeing as both markets have two differing sets of customer needs and expectations, Honda will alter content, trim, and powertrain choices to suit. In India, the Brio will be positioned as an eco-friendly vehicle, while Honda plans on selling it as a basic, affordable vehicle in India.
Thai-spec Brio models are expected to roll into showrooms by March 2011, carrying a price tag of roughly $13,000 USD. Pricing for Indian Brio models has yet to be announced, but Honda plans on introducing that variant later in 2011. Should pricing remain affordable, the Brio may quickly become a credible competitor to the likes of the Nissan Micra, Ford Figo, and Suzuki Maruti, and help Honda further expand its global presence.
Thanks to: Motor Trend
New Car: 2012 Audi A6
About a decade ago, when Mercedes-Benz was plagued with quality problems and BMW was about to launch its curiously styled E60 5-series, the Audi A6’s rise to European executive-sedan favorite began. Behind its trademark grille lurked powerful engines (with 580 hp eventually available in the RS6); all-wheel drive was standard in many versions, and the fit and finish and attention to detail—especially in the interior—was enough to make the competition weep.
While we’re not so sure the wild, pseudo-sporty styling of the latest Mercedes E-class was a step forward, BMW has washed away a lot of sins with the current F10 5-series. Audi, therefore, needed to raise the aesthetic bar again with the next-generation A6—hopes were high, considering the beautiful A5 and A7 models by which the car would be bracketed. Audi has proven time after time its styling leadership among premium brands. Was the boxy and conservative design of the new A8 a singular aberration?
We are afraid not. Laying eyes on the A6 in a hidden studio near Audi's headquarters in Ingolstadt, Germany, we couldn't help but feel disappointed. But let's describe it in more detail first: The front end is dominated by Audi's new corporate grille, and it serves up a new headlamp treatment, one similar to that seen on the Sportback concept but not on the production A7 Sportback. The hood bulges slightly, as on the A4, and the longer wheelbase provided by a front axle that’s been pushed forward gives the new model a more muscular stance than its predecessor's. Order the radar-based cruise-control/distance-keeping system, and you get two black orbs where you expect the fog lights.
The side view is dominated by Audi's typical arcing greenhouse, a sharply folded upper character line, and a sloping trunk. The unobtrusively styled door handles of the predecessor have given way to bulkier units. The rear quarter is characterized by lighting units similar in shape to the A8’s, and a trunklid with the suggestion of a rear spoiler. It's an altogether pleasant shape, but a very conservative one as well, and it seems to us like someone chipped away at the A8’s boxy lines to reveal a bloated A4 underneath.
"The A6 never was a radical car," we are told by Audi, but that's not true; just look at the extremely aerodynamic Audi 5000 C3 (a direct A6 predecessor), or the Claus Potthoff–styled C5-generation Audi A6, with its almost TT-like trunk. We doubt that the S-line package, which Audi will offer later, makes much of a difference. On the A7, for example, it actually detracts from the visual experience. Perhaps it's a better bet to wait for the Avant if you want visual satisfaction.
As on the A8, the lighting technology is perhaps the most fascinating aspect of the vehicle's exterior. Halogen front headlights are standard; xenon (with an LED light strip) and full-LED headlights are optional. With full LEDs, the A6 displays a particularly cold and technoid style, but in the quest for originality, the contour of the LED daytime-running-light strip changes direction perhaps one too many times. The rear lighting units are characterized by a wide, U-shaped lower strip—a new, but not an easily comprehensible, element. Audi will offer a number of aluminum wheels, from 16-inch to 20-inch diameters.
Thanks to: Car and Driver
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