Two banger! Ford Fiesta ST turbo 3-cylinder can drop to 2 for efficiency

Ford‘s next-generation Fiesta ST is losing at least one cylinder — and sometimes two — but it’s gaining an injection of technology under the hood.

The new Fiesta ST, going on sale in Europe early next year, debuts Ford’s second three-cylinder engine, a 1.5-liter turbo that generates 197 hp and features a cylinder deactivation system that reduces the engine to a two-cylinder under light loads and when cruising at highway speeds.

Ford offers a 1.0-liter three-cylinder engine in the Fiesta and Focus. That engine also will be available early next year with cylinder deactivation, which can improve fuel economy by 6 percent, Ford claims.

The Fiesta ST’s new 1.5-liter engine, featuring an aluminum head and block, replaces the 1.6-liter four-cylinder turbo in the current Fiesta ST, which is also rated at 197 hp. Ford says the 1.5-liter engine will develop high torque at low rpm and offer higher fuel economy than the outgoing engine. Ford unveiled the new Fiesta ST last week at the Geneva auto show.

Ford engineers in Europe and in Dearborn, using technology from German supplier Schaeffler Group, designed the engine to shut down cylinder No. 1 by using oil pressure to activate a special rocker on the camshaft that prevents the lobes from opening the valves. Ford has not said if the 2018 Fiesta ST will be sold outside Europe.

“Ford’s new 3-banger can run on 2 cylinders” originally appeared on Automotive News on 3/13/17.

Massive galleries from the Amelia Island Concours

The year’s first major concours event could not get here soon enough, and the weather cooperated to make that happen: The Amelia Island Concours was held a day early in anticipation of heavy rain on the originally-scheduled Sunday event. But a last-minute change of plans did not appear to affect crowd size: It was standing room-only on the 10th and 18th fairways of the Golf Club of Amelia Island. The cars were as spectacular as the weather during the season-opening concours that, just like Pebble Beach, is closely orbited by a number of satellite events on the island including the Gooding and RM Sotheby’s auctions, some as close as the adjacent fairways.

The 2017 edition of the right coast’s most exclusive concours celebrated the Jaguar D-Type’s third consecutive victory at Le Mans with a special display of surviving D-Types on the tee of the 18th fairway, while an XKSS a few miles away recorded a post-block transaction north of its earlier $11.9 million no-sale figure.

Massive gallery from Pebble Beach Concours

The Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance wraps up the busy Monterey Car Week, or perhaps Weeks, as this gearhead gathering now stretches far beyond the traditional roster of events with drives, shows, …

“The Jaguar D-Type was created to win Le Mans. Yet the D-Type raced and won practically everywhere, especially America,”  said Bill Warner, founder and Chairman of the Amelia Island Concours. “The D-Type raced at Sebring, Daytona — beach course and the Speedway — at Bonneville, even on drag strips and airport circuits. Indy 500 winner Bobby Unser raced a D-Type at Sebring: impressive such a specialized design.”

Al Unser Sr., brother of Bobby Unser, was in attendance as well, overseeing a special class of “Race Cars of Al Unser.”

The 2017 edition of the concours also celebrated the Chevrolet Camaro’s 50th anniversary, with a number of rare examples on display including the legendary Yenko-modified cars.

All the Geneva motor show reveals in photos

‘Performance pages’ keep track of Dodge Demon’s hellish output, gear changes

The 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon will get a unique blend of the company’s performance pages on its 8.4-inch Uconnect touchscreen. Those pages normally control power output, suspension, steering and drive modes, and display horsepower and torque. In the Demon, however, they’ll also track gear changes and performance gains from new parts. It’ll also track supercharger intercooler coolant temps.

The Demon will be the first-ever, according to Dodge, factory production car to get an after-run chiller, which apparently keeps the fan running and coolant circulating after the engine has powered down to bring the equipment back to a safe temperature, though we’re still confirming the system’s full capabilities

Like the Hellcat, the Demon features driver-selectable line lock with rpm-adjustable launch, plus it’ll record reaction times, 0-60 mph, 0-100 mph, eighth- and quarter-mile numbers.

The Demon will have its own set of drive modes for street, drag and custom, with multiple levels of performance and suspension give.

We’ll get a real look at the Demon in April at the New York auto show.

The Audi RS3 Sportback is a 400-hp uberhatch

Audi brought the pavement-scorching goodness of the RS3 sedan to its hatch sibling, showing off the RS3 Sportback at the Geneva motor show this week.

The Sportback version now packs a turbocharged 2.5-liter TFSI inline-five engine good for 400 hp and 354 lb-ft of torque — the most powerful production five-cylinder, according to Audi (though there can’t be too many left) — with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission sending all those horses to all four wheels. The upgraded powertrain represents a gain of 38 hp and 11 lb-ft of torque over the outgoing version, which debuted just three years ago, so the Sportback will now be able to make sprints from 0-62 mph in just 4.1 seconds, on up to an electronically limited 155 mph.

Along with the RS3 sedan, the Sportback is meant to be an RS-range gateway drug serving up a revised suspension, a wider track and 19-inch wheels in addition to all those horses. The RS3 Sportback offers several driving modes, with options that include carbon-ceramic brakes, sport seats and adjustable dampers.

The RS3 sedan, at least, will make it stateside this summer.

The exterior updates applied to the A3 range have found their way to the RS3 as well, which now features revised headlights and taillights in addition to updated front and rear fascias.

“Since 2011, the sporty compact model has proved itself extremely successful on the market,” said Stephan Winkelmann, CEO of Audi Sport. “And with the new five-cylinder engine, the Audi RS3 Sportback is at the head of its class and continuing that strong track record.”

That market does not include the U.S., where Audi will instead offer the RS3 sedan, reportedly on sale this summer. The rationale is similar to Mercedes-Benz’s decision to keep the A45 AMG hatch back home: American buyers are expected to go for the jacked-up GLA-Class crossover and its Audi Q3 rival. But we still have the Golf R, so that’s something.

Bentley tests the EV waters with the EXP 12 Speed 6e concept

Two years ago, Bentley pulled the covers off the EXP 10 Speed 6 concept — then a potential preview for what could translate over to a new Continental GT or a new model line altogether. At this year’s Geneva motor show, Bentley brought a cabriolet version packing an electric powertrain.

It’s electric in name only, though. No details on the powertrain have been released, but Bentley did claim a future EV would “be able to drive between London and Paris or Milan and Monaco on a single charge.” The former is about 280 miles, while the latter is about 200 miles.

With the EV powertrain, there is a minor stylistic change to the rear end, which replaces the lower fascia for one without tailpipes. Up front, the Bentley mesh grille features a “6e” logo that illuminates when the car is running. Twin bonnet scoops act as heat sinks, supplying additional cooling to the battery and powertrain. Also, the wing mirrors don’t have glass, which is instead replaced with cameras.

Inside, the interior is a nice update over the one found in the EXP 10 Speed 6 concept. There is a small update to the center console, which has been cleaned up. The biggest change is the cut-away steering wheel. At the top of the cut-away are two buttons; one provides an instant performance boost, the other limits speeding.

Next year, a plug-in hybrid variant of the Bentayga SUV is coming, so full electrification of a Bentley model is an obvious future move. The EXP 12 Speed 6e concept isn’t a preview of what’s to come. It was designed to gauge public interest and receive customer feedback. If it’s good news, it shouldn’t be long before a Bentley EV makes production.

Audi Q8 Sport concept previews coupe-shaped SUV in Geneva

Audi took the wraps off a follow-up version to its Q8 concept at the Geneva motor show this week, previewing an upcoming SUV that will throw a few coupe styling elements into the mix. The first Q8 concept debuted at the Detroit auto show just a few weeks ago, featuring a lower roof profile and some sleeker surfaces than the current range-topping Q7 SUV.

Audi’s Geneva concept is called Q8 Sport and pairs a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 with a hybrid system that now pumps out a total of 469 hp, up from the 442 hp delivered by the first concept. The torque figure has stayed the same at 516 lb-ft, but the bump in horsepower, courtesy of a new electric compressor, was apparently enough to bring the 5.4-second sprint time of the first Q8 concept down to 4.7 seconds.

One of the concept’s neatest tricks is a 0.9 kWh lithium-ion battery that allow the Q8 Sport to crawl through stop-and-go traffic without swithing on the gasoline engine, in addition to moving around a parking lot on electric power alone. The overall aim of this mild hybrid system is to provide the power of an eight-cylinder engine with the fuel efficiency of a four-cylinder, which assures a 745-mile range coupled with a fully gassed-up 3.0-liter TFSI engine.

The Q8 is expected in production sometime in 2019.

“The drive system of the Audi Q8 sport concept is a major step towards optimising efficiency and sustainability in large-volume series production,” said Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management at Audi. “The combination of mild hybrid technology and a TFSI engine sets a new benchmark for the synthesis of electromobility and combustion engines. In the future, this combination will be used in many Audi models.”

When it comes to design the still-concept front fascia with a honeycomb mesh looks fresh and modern, gently evolving Audi’s design language with plenty of sharp edges bookended by sleek headlights. The front intakes will likely be toned down for the production model, as will the vents at the rear wheelarches, but overall the concept SUV looks better in photos than what you may picture when you hear “coupe-like SUV,” having seen how some other German automakers have executed that look.

The Q8, which has already been spotted testing, will combine the looks of an SUV and a coupe.

On the inside, the Q8 Sport offers the eyes plenty of rhomboid shapes in an attempt to look futuristic. And it actually works, even if the interior appears somewhat cold. Overall, it’s not look far off from what we may see Ingolstadt produce in just a couple of years.

Speaking of timing: There is still a while to wait for a production version of the Q8. The SUV is expected to land in 2019 as a 2020 model year vehicle, by which time it’ll probably gain a few more horses and miles of pure-electric range thanks to advancements in tech between now and then.

$1 million for Fittipaldi EF7 Vision Gran Turismo?

When Emerson Fittipaldi left Brazil for Europe as a young man, he had two life dreams.

The first was achieved in October 1972, when Fittipaldi was crowned the youngest Formula 1 World Driving Champion to date racing for the Lotus F1 Team. The second has taken a bit longer, but Fittipaldi, now 70, took a giant step closer at this year’s Geneva motor show.

“This is the happiest day of my life,” Fittipaldi said as he unveiled his EF7 Vision Gran Turismo at the Pininfarina stand in Geneva. “Growing up in Brazil, even before I wanted to race, I dreamed of building a GT car. Thanks to a lot of creative partners, it’s now here for everyone to see.”

Every EF7 owner will be afforded the opportunity for personal track instruction from Fittipaldi.

Fittipaldi Motors LLC plans to build 39 EF7s as track cars, one for each of his race wins and championships in F1 and in IndyCar. The prototype will begin testing in August, Fittipaldi says, and the first builds could be finished by early 2018.

Designed by Pininfarina, the EF7 features a carbon-fiber monocoque and body panels, with a targeted wet weight under 2,300 pounds. It will be powered by a 4.8-liter dry-sump V8 generating 600 hp and 320 lb-ft of torque, redline 9,000 rpm. Its six-speed sequential gearbox is a stressed element of the chassis.

The pedals and steering column will be adjustable, but the EF7’s thin-shell carbon seats will be fixed and individually fitted to owners with pads. The antiroll bars, traction electronics and ABS will be adjustable to accommodate a range of driving skill, from track beginner to pro. The powertrain, control systems and suspension are being developed by HWA AG, who is also expected to build the car.

A price for Fittipaldi’s creation has yet to be established, but it won’t be cheap. Photo by J.P. Vettraino

That’s HWA as in Hans Werner Aufrecht, one of the founding partners of AMG. Since AMG was absorbed by Mercedes-Benz, Aufrecht has run HWA to build race cars for the DTM (180 wins, 10 driver and 14 team championships) and provide contract development and production services to the auto industry. Fittipaldi’s financial partners include Dakia Global Enterprises.

Every EF7 owner can get personal track instruction from Fittipaldi, who has developed a stepped training program for the car. A price for Fittipaldi’s creation has yet to be named, but we can safely assume it will exceed $1 million.

The rest of us will have to satisfy ourselves with a virtual version of the EF7. The car will play prominently in the forthcoming “Gran Turismo Sport” video game for Sony’s PlayStation 4, including the FIA’s virtual “Gran Turismo” Championships.

The Audi RS5 aims straight for the BMW M4 and AMG C63

If an automaker is going to raid the corporate parts bin, they should take a page from Audi and its new RS5 coupe, which debuted at this year’s Geneva motor show. Previously powered by a 4.2-liter V8, the new coupe has Porsche power under the hood — a 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6 making 450 hp and 443 lb-ft of torque — 125 more lb-ft than the company squeezed from the V8.

Power is sent to all four wheels through Audi’s quattro all-wheel-drive system that splits torque 40:60 F/R and an eight-speed automatic transmission. Zero-60 takes 3.9 seconds. Top speed is 155 mph, though it can be bumped up to 174 with a tick of the options sheet. The removal of the V8 along with a carbon-fiber roof cuts weight by 132 pounds, tipping the scales at 3,649 pounds. 

The five-link front and rear suspension gives the RS5 a lower stance — 0.8 inch — than the A5. The RS5 suspension comes with Dynamic Ride Control, ceramic brakes and dynamics steering with RS-specific tuning. The entire driving experience can be personalized through Audi’s drive-select system.

Most noticeably, the design has been updated with a more aggressive and angular appearance. The RS5 rides on 19- or 20-inch forged alloy wheels while appearance packages add gloss-black, carbon or matte-aluminum accents. There is an RS-specific diffuser, unique oval tailpipes and a spoiler lip. The grille is wider and flatter than the base model and is flanked by LED headlights. The new RS5 is 2.9 inches longer than the previous model.

The new Audi RS5 coupe will go on sale in Germany and other European countries in June for 80,900 euros ($85,489 at current exchange rates). There is no date when the new RS5 will come stateside, but it can’t come soon enough.

Infiniti Q60 Black S is the Red Sport’s yoked big brother

Infiniti brought what might be the coolest car it has ever produced to the 2017 Geneva auto show. Project Black S, a collaboration between Infinti and Renault Sport F1, “explores the potential for a new high-performance model line.”

The Black S visually separates itself from the rest of the Infiniti lineup with more pronounced edges, sharper lines and a bigger wing. The air intakes are larger, too, though Infiniti says this project would be ripe for a hybrid powertrain with an energy-recovery system. The company says that a hybrid system could be good for a 25 percent increase in output from its already strong 400-hp 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6.

Last year, Infiniti jumped from sponsor in Formula 1 to technical partner. It helped Renault with its hybrid technologies, leaning on what it learned from designing road cars.

For the Black S, Infiniti is exploring the use of a motor generator unit and battery, like the Renault F1 car, to harvest energy, store it and dispense it to both the crankshaft and turbocharger blades.

The company is also looking at lightweight wheels and other weight reductions to offset the heft of the hybrid tech. The front splitter, rear diffuser, fenders and side skirts are all made from carbon fiber.

“Project Black S is a daring and elevated representation of Infinti’s performance DNA,” said Alfonso Albaisa, executive design director of Infiniti. “This project has given us the opportunity to experiment with advanced materials to create a performance-inspired aesthetic that draws on Infiniti’s motorsport ties through the Alliance.”

The Q60 Black S, Infiniti says, is to gauge potential interest in high-performance cars with motorsports technologies. We’ll go on record now with a, “Yes, we’re interested, but we journalists probably won’t be able to afford it.” Take that for what you will.

Has Pininfarina built a Tesla fighter?

The Geneva motor show is one of the year’s best opportunities to see concept cars from the few European design houses that are still around, but rarely are they luxury sedans with suicide doors. Hybrid luxury sedans with suicide doors, to be precise.

That’s just what Pininfarina brought to Geneva: The H600 was developed in partnership with the Hybrid Kinetic Group and claims a maximum range of 621 miles, which gets over the all-important 1,000-kilometer barrier thanks to a mysterious battery and a turbine-run range extender, whose detailed specs were not disclosed.

But the performance figures of the concept sedan are nothing short of another shot fired in the EV launch-time wars: Pininfarina says the H600 can silently whoosh to 62 mph in just 2.9 seconds, and it has a output of “over 600 kilowatts,” which translates to just over 800 hp. As you might have guessed by now, this 4,122-pound sedan won’t be able to hit that max range of 612 miles if it lights up the tires at every traffic light, though the claimed maximum range is currently in the top tier of concept, if not production, EVs.

The future of hybrid turbine sedans looks… very bright.

“The H600 targets the businessman who appreciates refined details, precious materials and exclusive treatments,” Pininfarina says. “The international and cosmopolitan approach expresses values approved of in Hong Kong as they are in Shanghai, New York or Milan.”

Since the first two of the four cities that Pininfarina mentions are in China, you can guess at which market this concept sedan is aimed.

The exterior design has a whiff of Maserati to it at first glance, though it’s could be the soft, rounded surfaces and the design of the front fascia that create the impression. The design of the front and rear fascias is unique and refreshing enough, while the profile and the generous rear overhang create a sporty stance. Pininfarina went heavy on chrome inside and out, adding plenty of wood elements to the interior, but the design house hasn’t forgotten about infotainment tech.

Pininfarina focused just as much on the luxurious design as on the powertrain of this concept.

“The design maximizes the simplicity of the controls,” Pininfarina says. “The Human Machine Interface elements inside the car work at different levels, with a big screen that cuts across the fascia and calls to mind a suspended cabinet. Thus, the various zones are well-identified: the driver side with controls and gauges and, on the passenger side, a comfortable zone for the passenger with the infotainment system. In the center, a large touch pad makes it possible to control all vehicle functions. Two screens on the back of the front seats ensure entertainment for the rear seat passengers.”

When will the H600 burn rubber at a traffic light near you? For now, this is just a concept, though the Mahindra-owned design consultancy would love to see these on the streets of Hong Kong and Shanghai.
 

It’s not ludicrous mode, but the Lexus LS 500h hybrid hits 60 in 5.4 seconds

Lexus hybridized its 2018 LS 500 sedan at the Geneva auto show, adding an “h” to the name. The company says the car’s lightweight, lithium-ion battery is 20 percent smaller than the outgoing LS 600h but with a higher power density.

The LS 500h features the new Lexus Multi Stage Hybrid System featuring a 3.5-liter V6 and two electric motors, for a total system output of 354 hp. The sprint to 60 mph takes just 5.4 seconds with everything working together, including the “four-stage shifting device” (not sure why it’s not called a transmission). This contraption is added to the hybrid drive system, giving the “D” range “… a simulated shift control pattern that delivers the feel of driving with a 10-speed gearbox.

“In a conventional full hybrid vehicle, engine output is boosted by the electric motor via a reduction gear, but with the new Multi Stage Hybrid System, the power from the V6 engine and the hybrid battery can be amplified by the four-stage shifting device, allowing much greater drive power to be generated when accelerating from stationary.”

Yep, that’s a transmission all right. 

Drivers can also use steering-wheel mounted paddles to shift, with a quick response, without changing drive modes. The computer reads acceleration, deceleration and lateral gs to anticipate what the driver wants to do.

The LS 500 and 500h are built on the company’s GA-L platform, which is also shared with the LC coupe. At 123 inches, it’s longer than the current LS 600h L.

Inside, the LS features natural woodwork with a few separate color/trim options, in the style of omotenashi, “the Japanese concept of hospitality.” The door trims were inspired by origami, while hardened glass accents add to the luxury look.

We don’t have pricing yet, but the 2017 LS started at $73,000; the 2016 LS 600h started at $120K. Lexus didn’t say anything about fuel mileage numbers, either. The 2016 LS hybrid returned 19 city and 23 highway, but it had a 5.0-liter V8 making power, so this should be quite a bit more efficient.

Yellowbird redux: New Ruf CTR ready to blow minds at 223 mph

The Geneva auto show isn’t like Detroit or LA. It invites all of the standard marques, but it also includes cottage manufacturers like Rimac, Glickenhaus and Porsche-improver Ruf, the latter of which made news today with reveal of its first in-house engineered and designed supercar, the 2017 Ruf CTR. That name pays homage to the original CTR Yellowbird, one of the baddest Porsche-based vehicles ever to put rubber to pavement. You might have driven the original Yellowbird, virtually, in “Gran Turismo” or “Project Cars.”

This new 2017 CTR uses a rear-mounted, twin-turbocharged 3.6-liter flat-six to make 700 hp and a whopping 649 lb-ft of torque, all of which is channeled through a six-speed manual gearbox to the rear wheels. A dry-sump oiling system keeps that mill lubricated under hard cornering. The sprint to 62 mph is dispatched in 3.5 seconds, 124 mph goes by in less than 9 seconds and top speed is pegged at 223 mph.

“The concept for the 2017 CTR is one that I have had in my head for a very long time,” said Alois Ruf, president and owner of RUF Automobile GmbH. “We have been waiting for the right point in our history to build our own car, and the 30th anniversary of the CTR ‘Yellowbird’ is that moment.”

The CTR’s monocoque is made completely of carbon fiber, leading to a dry weight of just 2,640 pounds. It gets double wishbones in both front and rear, along with carbon-ceramic brakes measuring 15 inches in front with six-piston calipers and 13.7 inches in back with four-piston units.

The new CTR sports the same canary color as the legend. Inside, it has suede upholstery, carbon-fiber seats, aluminum pedals and a three-spoke steering wheel.

Like most of these amazeballs supercars, the new CTR will get a limited run of 30 cars, not including the prototype built for Geneva.

Official: 2018 Volvo XC60 has the brand’s future on its shoulders

Volvo is counting on a bigger, safer and more technologically advanced redesigned XC60 to match or exceed the success of its predecessor, which is the brand’s global best-seller.

“The hope is to do that [outsell the first-generation model],” Karl-Johan Ekman, vice president of Volvo’s midsize vehicle line, told Automotive News Europe ahead of the XC60’s debut at the Geneva auto show on Tuesday. “We are in a very ambitious mode right now and we want to move the company to the next level.”

The XC60 is crucial to Volvo CEO Hakan Samuelsson’s plans to set a fourth consecutive all-time high for global sales in 2017.

“We have high expectations for this car,” Samuelsson told reporters on the eve of the Geneva show. “This car is a very important element of our future growth plan and for our profitability.”

The Swedish automaker aims to boost worldwide volume to 800,000 vehicles by 2020 and increase operating profit margin to 8 percent from 6.1 percent last year. The XC60, Volvo’s top-selling model in Europe and the U.S., accounted for 30 percent of the automaker’s 534,332 worldwide sales in 2016.

“The new generation is expected to continue the current generation’s success, or replicate the good results of the XC90 in the premium large SUV segment,” JATO analyst Felipe Munoz said prior to the unveiling. “Our forecast indicates that it will lead the European premium midsize SUV segment next year.”

New dimensions

To maintain demand for XC60, Volvo made the second-generation model 44 mm longer (4688 mm), 108 mm wider (1999 mm) while reducing the SUV’s height by 55 mm (1658 mm). Despite the changes, which Volvo says make the XC60 the biggest model in its class, the SUV’s weight is either 20 kg lighter or 20 kg heavier than its predecessor, depending on the powertrain. This was achieved through extensive use of lightweight materials such as aluminum and hot-formed boron steel. The SUV’s ground clearance has been reduced to 216 mm from 230 mm, however, Volvo says the new figure is still best in class.

Volvo also packed the second-generation XC60 with new safety technology that provides the driver with automatic steering assistance or support to help avoid potential collisions. Two of the new advanced driver assistance features are standard in every XC60.

The first is an upgrade of the SUV’s City Safety system to include steering help at speed of 50 to 100 kph when automatic braking alone would not stop a collision with another vehicle, pedestrian or large animal. The second is a new system called Oncoming Lane Mitigation, which helps drivers avoid collisions with vehicles in the oncoming lane at speeds of 60 to 140 kph. The system works by alerting a driver who has drifted out of the lane and by automatically steering the driver out of the path of any oncoming vehicle.

A third safety technology, which is optional, is called Blind Spot Information System. Along with alerting a driver to the presence of a vehicle that is in the blind spot, the system has been upgraded to steer the car back into its own lane and away from danger.

“All three of these new features represent clear steps in our work toward fully autonomous cars,” Malin Ekholm, senior director of Volvo’s safety center, said in a release. “We have all of the benefits of the safety technology we introduced in our larger 90-series cars in the new XC60.”

Those features include a system that prevents the driver from running off the road and protects the driver if such an accident is unavoidable as well as Volvo’s optional semi-autonomous driver support and convenience system, Pilot Assist, which can steer and brake the car through a traffic jam as well as help control the car when driving in the highway.

Plug-in hybrid at launch

The XC60 will be the first Volvo with a plug-in hybrid powertrain available at launch along with gasoline and diesel engine variants. The plug-in hybrid is the most powerful and most fuel-efficient model in the XC60’s lineup, providing a combined 407 hp (320 hp from its gasoline engine plus an additional 87 hp from the electric drivetrain) while consuming 2.1 liters of fuel per 100 km. Volvo also will offer two diesels with power ranging from 190 hp to 235 hp and a pair of gasoline engines that offer 254 hp to 320 hp. The upgraded engines, which are paired with all-wheel drive, are part of Volvo’s push to make its vehicles more fun to drive without ever feeling out of control. A key part of that is SUV’s double wishbone front suspension, which keeps the car more parallel when corning to improve road holding, something that boosts driver confidence, Magnus Olsson, vice president of vehicle development for Volvo’s 60-series cars, told Automotive News Europe.

Olsson said another goal Volvo had when creating the new XC60 was to make the SUV more user friendly. One way it did this was by increasing the font size on the XC60 touchscreen commands another was by adding an optional feature that makes it possible to lower the back of the SUV by 50mm to make loading and unloading luggage easier.

Output starts next month

Production of the SUV starts at Volvo’s factory in Torslanda, Sweden, in mid-April and arrives at dealers in late summer. Volvo will start taking orders for the XC60 in the U.S. in mid-June. Volvo’s factory in Chengdu, central China, will start output of the SUV in autumn and with sales set to begin early next year.

The SUV will be the first model from Volvo’s 60-series family to use the automaker’s scalable product architecture, which already underpins the award-winning XC90 SUV plus the S90 sedan and V90/V90 Cross Country station wagons.

Unlike the XC90, which is aimed at wealthy, well-established consumers in their 50s, the XC60 targets successful, on-the-rise professionals who are ages 40 to 45 in Europe and 30 to 35 in China, Ekman said. He added that for most customers, the XC60 will be their only car.

“Volvo’s redesigned XC60 bigger, smarter, safer” originally appeared on Automotive News on 3/7/17.

2018 Porsche 911 GT3 is a track monster with 500 hp and a stick shift

Porsche owners can breathe a sigh of relief: The manual transmission isn’t going away — in fact, it’s going into the new 2018 911 GT3, where it’ll be coupled with a naturally aspirated 4.0-liter flat-six producing an even 500 hp and 339 lb-ft of torque. Fans of the seven-speed dual-clutch PDK can order one of those if the six-speed manual is too old-school for them, but the overall package is aimed squarely at Porsche purists.

How quick is the new GT3? Try 60 mph in 3.2 seconds and a top speed of 197 mph with the dual-clutch, or 3.8 seconds to 60 and a top speed of 198 mph with the six-speed manual. Those acceleration figures looks like Tesla’s Ludicrous Mode, but internal combustion engines still have a trick or two up their sleeves: This particular engine was derived from Porsche’s 911 race cars, like the RSR and the GT3 R. The 2018 model will also offer rear-axle steering to help drivers who might be in a hurry to round that corner, with the rear wheels turning with or in the opposite direction of the front wheels, depending on speed.
 

The GT3 will be offered with a choice of six-speed manual or a dual-clutch PDK.

This is the 2018 Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo

Though the new Panamera is just now available for the 2017 model year, Porsche already is adding to the lineup with the 2018 Panamera Sport Turismo. Think of it as a sort of Euro wagon …

The GT3 tries to shave weight where possible using lightweight materials for the front fascia and the rear wing, which is carbon fiber. The GT3 is rear-wheel-drive only, so it will get a locking rear differential to get all the traction it needs while dynamic engine mounts work to sort out engine vibrations and weight transfer.

Inside, the GT3 will borrow the 14.1-inch GT Sport steering wheel from the 918 Spyder, while owners will also get a choice of three sport seats. The GT3 will offer the Track Precision App as standard equipment, which will record and send driving data to owners’ smartphones, with the Porsche Communication Management system also on board as standard kit.

The interior will still be race-centered, with the GT3 now offering the Porsche Track Precision App as standard equipment.

The difference in weight between the two gearbox options will be negligible, with the PDK-optioned GT3 weighing in at 3,153 pounds while the manual is just 3,116 pounds.

The new 911 GT3 will hit store shelves (and hopefully not anything else) this fall, starting at $144,650.

Aston Martin gets a new performance brand: AMR

Aston Martin will start branding its fastest, most extreme cars as AMR, for Aston Martin Racing, starting with the Rapide AMR and Vantage AMR Pro at the Geneva motor show.

Aston has done this before, though the cars weren’t labeled AMR — first in the mid-1930s with the car it used in the Ulster TT road race; in 1951 with a Vantage; and in 1959 with the DBR1.

“The AMR brand was a logical next step after the ’sold-out’ success of limited-edition sporting versions like the Vantage GT8 and Vantage GT12,” said Marek Reichman, Aston Martin executive vice president and chief creative officer. “Each time we have pushed the boundaries and done something extreme, the customers have loved the cars. AMR enables us to take Aston Martin into a new dimension.”

The four-door Rapide AMR gets upgrades in power, chassis and styling, as well as a new racy interior. It features a 591-hp version of Aston’s 6.0-liter V12 making it good for a top speed of 210 mph. It gets 21-inch alloy wheels at the corners, a new grille, front splitter, side sills, rear diffuser and spoiler. It’s painted in Aston’s Stirling green and yellow racing colors.

Inside, the Rapide AMR has lightweight carbon-fiber seats, carbon-fiber trim, lime-green accents and dark suede upholstery.

The Vantage AMR Pro is for the track only, sporting a 500-hp V8 from Aston’s GT4 race car. It comes with adjustable suspension, upgraded engine and transmission mounts and center lock wheels with Michelin Pilot Cup 2 tires.

It’s painted in the same green and yellow hues with the same hood and wing as the World Endurance Championship winner. A new front clip includes a new bumper, grille, front valance, splitter, front fenders, sills and the rear diffuser.

Both cars are going into production, according to Aston CEO Andy Palmer. The Vantage AMR Pro gets a small run of seven cars; 210 Rapide AMRs will be built. Palmer does say that, eventually, every car in Aston Martin’s fleet will get an AMR version.

Elsewhere at Aston’s Geneva stand, the company finally named its Le Mans-racer-looking hypercar. The AM-RB 001 will now follow the rest of the company’s V cars and be known simply as Valkyrie.

Michelin provides the tires, again Pilot Sport Cup 2s, measuring 265/35 ZR20 in front and 325/30 ZR21 in back. That rubber rides on lightweight magnesium alloy wheels, 9.5 inches wide in front, 11.5 inches wide in back. Michelin joins engine builder Cosworth, transmission company Ricardo, carbon-fiber specialist Mulitmatic, hybrid company Rimac, Bosch and few others in producing the Valkyrie.

We don’t know too much more about the car. Aston told us it will use a midmounted V12, deliver 1 hp per kilo, and both road and track versions will be built with production limited to somewhere in between 99 and 150 examples. The price will be in the multimillion dollar range. Valkyrie goes on sale next year.

Honda (finally) shows us the real, US-bound Civic Type R

After teasing us with the Civic Type R at last September’s Paris auto show, Honda unveiled the production car in Geneva. It’s the first U.S.-market Civic Type R in Honda’s history, and the company says it’s the most powerful, most agile Civic ever. The car goes on sale here in late spring wearing a mid-$30K sticker price.

Understated it ain’t. The basic body is your standard Civic five-door. The Type R adds a host of intakes, wings, splitters, Brembo brakes and three tailpipes. Yes, three.

We’d heard rumors the Type R would boast 300 hp, and Honda pulled it off. The direct-injected 2.0-liter turbo-four develops 306 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque, and the only gearbox is a short-throw six-speed manual with rev-matching capability. Honda says the new single-mass flywheel reduces clutch inertia 25 percent compared to the outgoing European Type R, while the lower final gear ratio should improve acceleration.

The Type R’s Nurburgring-tuned chassis builds further on the 10th-gen Civic’s upgrades with Type R-exclusive spring, damper and bushing settings. Honda says the new front suspension with aluminum lower arms and steering knuckles will improve at-the-limit cornering and reduce torque steer. There’s also a new four-wheel adaptive-suspension system with three-chamber dampers, variable-ratio electric power steering and a limited-slip front diff.

Wheels are 20-inch aluminum alloy with 245/30R Continental ContiSportContact 6 tires.

Honda says the Type R’s chassis has a 38 percent increase in torsional rigidity and 45 percent gain in bending rigidity. The body is 14 percent ultra-high-strength steel while the hood is aluminum. Overall weight is down 35 pounds.

Three driving modes — comfort, sport (default) and +R adjust steering and throttle response, transmission rev-matching, vehicle stability assist and the adaptive dampers.

Inside are heavily bolstered front buckets, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift boot and aluminum shift knob and pedals. The 7-inch touchscreen display houses navigation, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. This probably won’t happen, but if you get sick of hearing the Type R growl, the 540-watt, 12-speaker stereo is standard.

Honda’s U.K. plant in Swindon, England, is building the car, with the turbo-four coming from Honda’s Anna, Ohio, engine plant. The Type R makes its U.S. debut April 12 at the New York auto show.

Wes Raynal – Wes Raynal joined Crain Communications’ circulation department while still in college. When he graduated in 1986, he became a reporter for Autoweek sister publication Automotive News. He has worked as Autoweek’s associate editor, news editor, motorsports editor and executive editor before being named editor in 2009.
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The Mercedes-AMG GT Concept: Affalterbach’s four-door fastback packs 805 hybrid horsepower

Maybe you like the Mercedes-AMG GT, but you’ve come to realize that sticking the kids in the trunk is a bad, and probably illegal, idea. Maybe you didn’t want the classically proportioned coupes and roadsters to feel like the odd ones out any longer — the Affalterbach-developed cars are the only models in the current AMG range that don’t share designs with the rest of the Mercedes-Benz lineup (though there is an AMG hypercar coming later this year).

Or maybe you really, really wanted an AMG hybrid.

The AMG GT Concept, freshly revealed at the 2017 Geneva motor show, has you covered on all those fronts. Look past the uninspired name and overcome the urge to pigeonhole it as a Porsche Panamera fighter: This is a good indicator of where AMG wants to go as a sub-brand. Perhaps it’s even further proof that performance hybrids are on the cusp of becoming something more than sops to environmental regulators and high net worth greenies.

It’s not bad-looking, either.
 

The AMG GT Concept isn’t just a coupe with two extra doors — the hood is shorter here, and the windshield rake is less dramatic.

First, the powertrain. The concept is equipped with the familiar 4.0-liter turbocharged AMG V8 plus one electric motor. AMG says you’ll be able to drive the car in electric-only, gasoline-only and hybrid drive modes. It is not a plug-in hybrid, at least in concept form; regenerative braking charges up the battery, with the engine acting as a generator to top it off if charge drops below a certain threshold.

It wears an “EQ Power+” badging, barely visible on the side-mounted cameras that pass for rearview mirrors. This is a clear effort to tie the car, and its hybrid powertrain, closer to Mercedes-AMG’s successful Formula 1 efforts, and It’s the designation for all future AMG hybrids.

The concept is all-wheel drive, with the electric motor acting as a “booster” for the rear wheels; it’s equipped with a torque vectoring system to improve handling. The decision to go 4Matic makes sense given the lofty performance targets: 0-60 mph in less than three seconds and a total system output of 805 hp. Note that the stated figure is enough to whomp 680-hp Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid, which also packs a 4.0-liter turbo V8. That can’t be accidental.
 

This rendering shows how the all-wheel drive system integrates the gasoline component of the powertrain (in orange) with the battery-electric part (shown in yellow).

Beyond the hybrid powertrain, this concept clearly previews something other than a stretched-out AMG GT Coupe; we wouldn’t count on this thing sharing much with the two-doors when you strip away the skin. For one, a basic X-ray drawing illustrating the gasoline/electric drivetrain seemed to show a V8 sitting farther forward than the front-midengine AMG GT’s. We don’t have dimensions yet, but the concept’s hood is less vast than the one on the Coupe and Roadster, with the base of the windshield pushed farther toward the front of the car (that extra cabin space has to come from somewhere). That windshield also isn’t raked quite as dramatically as the ones on the two-doors — and that’s a fairly significant “hard point” to modify from an automotive engineering perspective.

The AMG family resemblance is definitely there, however. Front and rear overhangs appear comparable, as do the front and rear fascias — the concept car has a familiar tail end, including an AMG GT R-like tailpipe, and a face that comes complete with the AMG GT’s toothy new “Panamericana” grille. A blacked-out B-pillar gives it a hardtop look.

The AMG GT Concept is said to preview an upcoming range of performance hybrids from the Mercedes sub-brand.

Flush door handles and side-mounted rearview cameras aside, Mercedes tends to build concepts that accurately preview production models. So if you like what you see here, chances are good that you’re gonna like the real thing when it hits production. And if the ever-widening range of AMG GT coupes and roadsters is any indication, you’ll be able to find one to fit your needs.

We know what you’re thinking: Dare we hope for an AMG GT wagon? Eh, don’t push your luck. But when German automaker pride is on the line and model variants are flowing forth like Märzenbier, all bets are off. In the meantime, we’ll bring you production version specifications, pricing and a release date when that information becomes available.

The concept wears a familiar face, right down to the ‘Panamericana’ grille being rolled out across the AMG GT Coupe and Roadster range.

Graham Kozak – Graham Kozak drove a 1951 Packard 200 sedan in high school because he wanted something that would be easy to find in a parking lot. He thinks all the things they’re doing with fuel injection and seatbelts these days are pretty nifty too.
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OFFICIAL: Volkswagen Arteon takes over for the CC

Volkswagen took the wraps off the all-new Arteon fastback sedan at the Geneva motor show this week, which will replace the CC as the top offering in the company’s range of passenger cars.

The five-seat Arteon, positioned above the Passat in the the VW lineup, keeps the four-door coupe profile of the CC and will offer a range of six-turbocharged engines. Ranging in power from 148 to 276 hp, the top units will be paired with dual-clutch automatic transmissions and 4Motion all-wheel drive. Half of these are diesel engines, which we won’t see here — the U.S. will likely receive the 2.0-liter TSI gasoline four-cylinder engine in two states of tune: 188 hp and 276 hp. Both will be paired with seven-speed dual-clutch transmissions, with the beefier engine meant to be coupled with 4Motion.

The Arteon will replace the CC and to some extent the Phaeton in VW’s lineup.

Based on the MQB platform shared with the new Atlas SUV, the Arteon features a long 111.9-inch wheelbase; that’s not quite Phaeton territory, but this sedan is longer than the Passat, which is already a roomy midsize sedan. The Arteon also goes heavy on design, wearing a front fascia that is not overtly Volkswagen. The new sedan was previewed in concept form two years ago as the Sport Coupe GTE, and it has stuck unusually close to the concept when it comes to exterior looks.

“The athletic lines of the Arteon embody a highly functional overall concept,” said Tobias Suhlmann, the exterior designer. “Form and function find common ground here in a progressive way. Thanks to its long wheelbase, stretched roofline, coupe-style fastback design and large rear hatch, this Gran Turismo provides more space and flexibility than conventional sedans.”

The Arteon will be offered with a choice of six engines in its home country, but the U.S. will likely only get the 2.0-liter TSI in two states of tune. Engine choices for the U.S. have not been confirmed by VW yet.

When it comes to interior tech, the Arteon will offer the Volkswagen Digital Cockpit (VW’s version of the Audi system) in addition to digital controls and displays. Every trim level will feature LED headlights and taillights as standard equipment, plus items like Keyless Go access and aluminium wheels. The Arteon Elegance trim level will add a bit more chrome to the exterior as well as 18-inch wheels and faux-suede leather seating surfaces with contrast stitching on seat covers and floor mats. The sporty Arteon R-Line will offer a sport steering wheel along with to a unique wheel design, as well as revised bumpers and chrome-plated exhaust tips front and back. This version will also throw in stainless-steel and aluminum details for the interior, in addition to the Alcantara suede seating surfaces.

The Arteon will go on sale in Germany early this summer and is expected in the U.S. sometime in 2018. VW will announce U.S. specs and pricing closer to the sedan’s commercial launch here in the States.