Auto News linked by TVR&FF "Closed"

[Pebb]

Ariel announces new Atom 3

Source: AutoCar

Ariel’s scorching Atom is getting a new engine and a light makeover aimed at increasing cabin space for a new generation of bigger owners.

Called the Atom 3, Simon Saunders’ unique £30,000 track day creation now features the latest version of Honda’s screaming 2.0-litre Type-R engine, with a new ECU and intakes, a fly-by-wire throttle, a new fuel system and a new twin outlet exhaust. It serves up the same 245bhp max power output as the old engine in normally aspirated form, but slightly more torque lower in the rev range. A 300bhp supercharged model will also be offered, just as it is now.

Saunders says the most noticeable improvement is the added refinement gained from bigger rubber engine mounts, which help “get rid of the fizzing vibrations that some owners weren’t keen on”.

Clever attention to detail has squeezed 100mm of extra elbow room out of the Atom’s cockpit by changing the angle of the chassis’ aluminium cross-bracing tubes. “We’ve got quite a few over six-foot owners and we wanted to make a bit more interior space for them,” says Saunders.

With the same aim, an Atom 3 buyer will be able to choose between two seat sizes, the bigger one about 25mm wider. Both allow Atom 3 driver and passenger to sit slightly lower in the car than they would in the last one, while new optional clear plastic air deflectors add to the effectiveness of the car’s twin aero bubbles to better shield your head from the onslaught of the wind.

Other technical improvements include a more precise gearchange and standard needle-roller bearings for the Bilstein damper bellcranks. Ten-way adjustable dampers are now optional, in place of five-way adjustment, for an extra £1250.

The changes are targetted mainly at achieving greater success for the Atom in the USA, where it is made under licence by Brammo Motorsports. It will also be built in China as of next year, by Quingdao Ariel Automotive Ltd.

 

[Keef]

What? They're refining this thing? WHAT? SMOOTHING THE VIBRATION?!?!?! And an electronic throttle? Whoa. Um...I'd buy one and put an old B18 in it. That'll be good.

Because of this I've lost all respect. Now I'm going to go congratulate my Del Sol for being more raw than the Atom...

 

[exigeracer]

That will never happen. Your car will never be more refined than an Atom. There is no comparison. Ever. Never ever.

Ever.

 

[Keef]

By refined I meant comfortable, which is blasphemous to us performance Honda guys.

“get rid of the fizzing vibrations that some owners weren’t keen on”.

I'd be putting more solid mounts on the thing, not softer ones. I'm not happy until my engine makes my door handles rattle at 3000rpm, which happens to be where I do most of my cruising.

 

[Pebb]

A1 shapes up to tackle MINI

Source: Auto Express

The new baby of the Audi range has hatched! Auto Express’s spies have taken the first pictures of the German firm’s newcomer on test, and it’s set to give the MINI a real fright.

Our main image shows how the latest model will look when it arrives in European showrooms – but engineers are getting cleverer with their prototypes. While the silver car in our spy shots resembles a modified VW Polo GTI, underneath the distorted body lies the chassis for the A1. Tell-tale signs include the extended wheelarches, to accommodate the model’s wider track, and the Audi alloys.

Auto Express first revealed plans to build a small A1-badged hatchback in Issue 946 and, since then, the project has been progressing quickly. As well as providing a smaller alternative to the A3, the entry-level car will draw customers away from flagship MINI models.

As you can see, the new A1 will be compact and distinctive. Audi’s most recent small hatchback was the supermini MPV-shaped A2. However, while the aluminium-bodied city car was a great technical accomplishment, its high price and quirky layout hampered sales. The A1 will take a more conventional route to success, using a traditional three-door layout and styling that builds on the themes introduced in the new A4 and A5.

The most distinctive feature will be at the front. The four-sided, chrome- rimmed grille is familiar as Audi’s, but the bonnet will have a strong crease, emphasising the shape of the nose. At the rear, the squat stance merges elements of the A3 and TT.

Inside, designers will be keen to give the dashboard a more creative style without compromising quality. Expect a slimmed-down version of the MMI cabin control system on top-of-the-range models, too.

Although the A1 will initially be offered only as a three-door, Audi might expand the line-up to include other bodystyles. A five-door and even a cabriolet could be added to give the brand the full range of models to rival all of BMW’s entry-level cars.

As with its stablemates, the newcomer will benefit from the latest petrol and diesel engine technology. Dual turbo and supercharged units, direct-injection petrol powerplants and ultra-efficient small capacity oil-burners will all be offered.

The A1 will be built at Audi’s plant in Brussels, Belgium, after debuting as a concept next year. It is then due to hit showrooms here in 2010.

 

[Mark T]

That Audi looks fat (as in obese).

Don't like it at all.

 

[Duphman]

That Audi looks fat (as in obese).

Don't like it at all.

Its a mule, its not meant to look pretty. Reserve judgment for the finished poduct

 

[Philly]

Its a mule, its not meant to look pretty. Reserve judgment for the finished poduct

The green car is a concept. I would say it is quite close to the real thing.


I think it looks pretty good. Now we just get to see if Audi can keep the weight down to make it even more fun than a cooper.

 

[Pebb]

Lexus hatches a 1-series rival

Source: AutoCar

Lexus’ next all new model could be the smallest, cheapest and biggest-selling yet. Toyota’s premium brand is working on a project to develop a new small, upmarket hatchback to rival BMW’s 1-series and Audi’s A3, Autocar has learned, that is likely to hit the market within the next five years.

Lexus has plans to increase sales in Europe to 150,000 by 2015, and says it will need a wider range to achieve this. A smaller, sub-£20k alternative to the VW Golfs and Volvo C30s of this world, if successful, increase sales volumes dramatically, particularly in the hatchback-loving European market. And with Toyota’s smaller mechanicals to call upon as well as its own, Lexus is already in a position to easily produce one.

As Autocar understands it, the new Lexus hatchback will be based on an existing front-wheel drive Toyota platform. According to senior Lexus sources, a four-wheel drive option, with a variation of the Lexus hybrid drive used in the RX, is also on the cards. The car would be nominally front-wheel drive with an electric motor at the back driving the rear wheels.

 

[Philly]

likely to hit the market within the next fifteen years.

Fixed.

How does Lexus plan on making a car that will rival the A3 in Europe (So it will be some kind of giant luxo-barge, true to Lexus' standards) yet be a competitor to the Golf over here (a pretty cheap, sporty car, very un-lexus)?

You can't make a $30,000 dollar car cost $15,000. Likewise, a $30,000 car isn't going to do very well against cars costing half as much.

And of course, it will be boring to drive (if the computer will let you) and nothing compared to what is already in that segment. I'll stick with firm shocks and sports seats in my GTI, thank you. No need for a leather recliner and shocks that would make you think you are in some kind of hovercraft.

 

[Jim Prower]

Either the Corolla's gonna be really nice, or Lexus is gonna have another "ES" in their portfolio. because you know that those things are gonna share archetecture...

 

[JCE]

Let me requote the thread title...

Lexus hatches a 1-series rival that will be completely boring and rubbish like the rest of the current lineup

I doubt Lexus will ever seriously enter the hot hatch arena, they will get murdered even by the worst of the bunch.

 

[Philly]

I doubt Lexus will ever seriously enter the hot hatch arena, they will get murdered even by the worst of the bunch.

But it's even more comfortable than an S-class! How could a Cooper S even think about touching it?

 

[Duphman]

! How could a Cooper S even think about touching it?

Dude.........what?

 

[Pebb]

Source: AutoCar

New Megane to reinvigorate Renault

Next year’s all-new Renault Megane will put original design back to the top of the company’s agenda according to CEO Carlos Ghosn, whose admitted that criticism of the more conservative new Twingo and Laguna models has stung the company.

"Renault is still capable of doing very original cars," Ghosn told Autocar. "Next year’s Megane will be very modern".

The boss of Renault Nissan also admitted that the new Laguna was a "refined and classical" design but claimed that it was what the market is demanding. "We know that very innovative designs only give short term success. Classical designs last longer," he said.

The first of many

The next Megane will be a cornerstone in Renault’s ambitious plan to launch 24 new models between now and the end of 2009. Ghosn admitted that half of them will replace existing cars, such as the Megane hatchback and the current Scenic MPV. The rest will enter niches Renault doesn’t current fill.

Early next year we’ll see the new Koleos SUV, built by Samsung in Korea and sharing a platform with the recently launched Nissan X-trail. Ghosn also admitted that a large saloon, replacing the ill-fated Vel Satis, is also planned. "We need to sell big cars to people, there’s still a solid market for them, especially in China, India and Russia," he said.

 

[Philly]

Classical design, yes. 24 new models in 2 years, that sounds a little scary.

I would hope that the Megane can be a good car this time. It seems to be the backbone of the company along with the Clio. I don't think I can see Renault competing among the BMWs and Audis. 24 models is a lot, and I would assume that they will be searching out pretty much every slot, and entering tow cars into one class claiming they are different.

But it's even more comfortable than an S-class! How could a Cooper S even think about touching it?

Dude.........what?

Lexus' take on the hot hatch market. Total sarcasm.

 

[Pebb]

TVR: new models on sale by 2008

Source: Auto Car

TVR, the stalled Lancashire sports car manufacturer, is about to unveil plans to start building cars after 18 months in the wilderness — provided it can raise the cash. A revised but familiar-sounding recovery plan to assemble a mostly UK-based team of chassis and body suppliers, to utilise a stock of ready-built engines, and bring everything together in a final assembly operation at Bertone in Italy was revealed last week to a 60-strong UK meeting of dealers and potential investors from Europe, Asia and America.

Guests attended a seminar at the Midlands HQ of Ricardo, the engineering consultancy TVR has tasked with converting its 4.0-litre slant-six engine to 400 bhp, Euro 5 specification. They heard presentations from TVR’s managing director, David Oxley, from Ricardo, from trim suppliers IM Kelly and from Bertone, who view the TVR business as a way of starting to fill an assembly plant which once built up to 30,000 cars a year.

The following day they visited Vauxhall’s Millbrook test track to sample three ’07 spec TVRs which the company wants to make in Italy until revised models come on stream in 2009. Delegates were told the company aimed to be selling cars again early next year, with production targets of 2000 units in 2008 and 5000 before the end of the decade.

It’s no surprise that many elements of the recovery plan are familiar: TVR Engineering is still owned by Russian Nikolai Smolenski who acquired it for a reputed £14 million in 2004 but struck financial trouble last year when it was forced from its long-time Blackpool HQ. Smolenski briefly lost the company but soon re-purchased it from administrators.

Around the turn of the year, he apparently failed to complete a move to sell the whole operation to a pair of Florida-based car-trade millionaires, Adam Burdette and Jean Michel Santacreu, though the pair were present at last week’s meetings and are believed still to be interested in selling the TVRs in the US, where they estimate annual demand at 2000 units-plus.

Though much of the plan echoes Smolenski’s pre-upheaval aims, while TVR has been out of the news it has done a deal with Lancashire-based Multipart, a components supply giant which is already supplying dealers with much-needed parts. Multipart is understood to be storing some important TVR properties — jigs, moulds, plans and as many as 80 ready-built engines — which were previously at the old Blackpool headquarters in Bristol Avenue. TVR’s plan is, as before, to establish a head office and design centre in Lancaster.

Smolenski, believed to be living in Vienna, did not attend last weeks’ gatherings and attendees were given few details of how the new company would be financed. But it is believed a decision on whether to proceed with the plan will be made by the middle of October, and TVR’s managers want contracts with major suppliers to be signed by the end of the month, so production can be re-started quickly. The big question-mark is over financing, and for now, no-one is supplying an answer.

 

[Pebb]

Source: Auto Express

Triumph TR is back!

In the first of two shock scoops about one car giant this week, Auto Express can exclusively uncover exciting plans by BMW to bring back one of Britain’s best-loved marques – Triumph is on to a winner!

Last week, the firm announced its plans for the future. Part of this strategy was the introduction of the long-awaited SUV version of the MINI – but bosses also described why they are aiming to expand the company with new brands.

Despite speculation that Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo are in the frame as targets for acquisition, our sources have suggested that BMW will add to its portfolio by reviving a classic badge – and Triumph is top of the list. The historic British marque, which the maker took over when it bought MG Rover in 1994, would be a clear choice to market a rival for the new, Chinese-owned MG TF roadster.

Our pictures reveal what a modern Triumph car could look like, taking its styling inspiration from the classic TR4. Just as the new MINI’s design was heavily influenced by the Sixties classic, a reinvented Triumph would be a retro remake.

BMW is committed to launching more premium models as it bids to gain a bigger slice of the most lucrative areas of the new car market. And these pictures show how an upmarket two-seater could offer a premium alternative to the Mazda MX-5. With a raft of class-leading engines and platforms in the BMW stable, the roadster would be a force to be reckoned with. However, there are obstacles to overcome before any Triumph car could be built.

One problem may be Triumph the motorcycle manufacturer. The firm confirmed the car and motorbike brands are separately owned. A spokeswoman for the firm told us: "BMW owns the rights to Triumph Cars, which is entirely separate from Triumph Motorcycles. We are therefore not privy to any activities they may be planning and are unable to comment".

As well as using the household name to market a new roadster, BMW would benefit from having Triumph models to test its low-weight materials and new technologies before using them on mainstream cars. But bosses will be watching with interest Audi’s relationship with the Austrian motorbike maker KTM, which has already led to the production of the X-Bow track-day car.

In a recent statement, chairman of the board of management at the blue propellor, Norbert Reithofer, said: "The BMW Group explored all the options for future growth during the strategic review, including potential acquisitions or the creation of a fourth brand. However, this would require the new automotive brand to be a perfect fit for the company."

No official comment has been made about the Triumph project, but British car fans can expect to hear more on the ambitious plans by the end of the year.

 

[niky]

Holy crow, I'm impressed!

Just take away the Solstice-like double hump... (a flat rear deck and exposed roll hoops are much sexier, IMHO), and they could have a winner.

Not much development needed, either... just slap the BMW 1-series platform under it, and it's production ready.

I know it's retro (which is so passe...) but damn, I like it.

 

[Freddie]

If it were a real car, I too would like it. And I don't think it's any more retro than the new Camaro - it looks like a new, modern car with design clues from its heritage.

But what I don't get is that BMW would market the car as a premium alternative to the MX-5. My impression is that that's BMW's territory (i.e. a "Z1", like Niky said), not Triumph's. I'd rather see a new Triumph roadster go head to head with the MX-5, Opel GT and any other cars in that segment, in both price and equipment, making it an affordable roadster.

 

[TheCracker]

Make it cheap, base it on the Mini's chassis and running gear. Aiming it any higher up the price scale and they'll be cutting into either the base model Z3 or potential 1-series convertable's market share. Cut out the Cooper S version of the Mini convertable and price it just above the hard top Cooper S and they'll be onto a winner.

 

[Pebb]

Source: AutoCar

Marcos goes into administration

British sports car firm Marcos Engineering has entered administration.

The company has said that it intends to complete existing work in progress, but it will wind up the business and sell its assets.

Marcos was founded in 1959 by Jem Marsh and Frank Costin, initially building cars with a composite chassis and a lower body made from plywood. It went into administration in 2000, before being revived by entrepreneur Tony Stelliga in 2002.

Under Stelliga, Marcos developed the new TSO and GT models, powered by a Corvette LS6 engine.

Despite much critical acclaim for the new car on initial drives, Marcos reckoned the "continuing cost of capital" means that the potential for profit has faded, and therefore decided that administration was the best way of returning value to the company’s shareholders.

"Regrettably, despite the extraordinary efforts of our employees, suppliers and dealers, we simply could not attain a profit point, reduce our cost base or raise the necessary capital to sustain the business," said Stelliga. "My sincerest gratitude goes out to everyone that worked relentlessly to revive the great British sports car company one more time."

 

[Danny]

 

[ExigeEvan]

That sucks, that really sucks.

 

[Dave A]

The title should change to "Marcos goes into administration. Again."

 

[Tommi]

The title should change to "Marcos goes into administration. Again."

So true

 

[Sting]

Noooooooo that really really really sucks. Marcos make some really cool looking sportscars.

 

[Pebb]

Source: 4car

LA preview: designers look 50 years ahead

Cars without bodies. Cars fuelled by pollution. Cars that split into four... When designers are asked to look 50 years into the future, everything's up for grabs and nothing can be taken for granted - except the fact that they've all been watching the Transformers movie.

The annual Los Angeles Auto Show Design Challenge this year involves concepts for the RoboCar of 2057. The Californian design studios of eight major carmakers have come up with their ideas, and a winner will be picked next month at the show.

The Nissan OneOne and Volkswagen Slipstream both change shape so that they're more aerodynamic at speed and more upright for in-town visibility. But whereas the VW is a teardrop-shaped two-wheeler with both wheels at the front, the Nissan is modelled on a skater, and is happy to rely on real-time GPS rather than a driver when it's popping down the shops or taking the kids to school for you. Meanwhile, GM's OnStar Ant has three omnidirectional wheels.

Toyota's Biomobile Mecha gets its energy from pollutants it extracts from the air, and can expand or contract depending on how much space is available. It has the coolest wheels, too: nano-laser is the name to be dropping down at Halfords in 2057.

The Mazda Motonari RX comes with the slogan 'sheet metal is dead'. It's a driving suit that's completely integrated with the driver. Honda's One to the Power of Four, meanwhile, takes the idea of car pooling to a new extreme. You and three neighbours are clustered together as one on the fast lane into the city, then when you get near your workplaces the vehicle splits into four. The Audi Virtuea Quattro has an infinitely variable holographic body.

And the Mercedes of 2057? It looks a lot like the Mercs of 1957, except the Silverflow is a collection of micro-metallic particles held together by magnetism, and it can be packed away or its shape changed be rejigging the particles.

Audi Virtuea Quattro

GM OnStar Ant

Honda 124 Solar Hybrid

Mazda Motonari RX

Mercedes-Benz Silverflow

Nissan OneOne

Toyota Biomobile MECHA

Volkswagen SlipStream

 

[hemisport15]

someone kill me, i don't want to be around when those...... things, are on the road, if that still exists.

 

[High-Test]

someone kill me, i don't want to be around when those...... things, are on the road, if that still exists.

It's okay, child. Just buy a 1993 Mercedes 300E and wait. It will all be okay. They won't be able to hurt you.


On the serious side:

And the Mercedes of 2057? It looks a lot like the Mercs of 1957, except the Silverflow is a collection of micro-metallic particles held together by magnetism, and it can be packed away or its shape changed be rejigging the particles.

Wouldn't it just be easier to build a car out of nitinol? Besides, a Magnetic car would probably interfere with electronic transmissions. 💡 Can I turn it into a 190 Evo II? pleeease?

May I ask how we're supposed to see out of the ant?

Surely the design school kids can give VW something better than an electric toothbrush on wheels.

And to Battletech fans, I'll be piloting a Dire Wolf before Toyota gets those wheels to work.

I may be pessimistic about this, but some of these are incredibly far out. the automobile has changed drastically since the Patentmotorwagen of 1886, but many of the basic fundamentals are still the same. I don't think the Industry will ditch them anytime soon.