Jaguar this week was out testing its limited-edition XE
SV Project 8 at the Nürburgring.
Since the car has already been revealed—it was formally
presented during June’s 2017 Goodwood Festival of Speed—there are suggestions
Jaguar might have been attempting to challenge the outright Nürburgring record
for 4-door cars.
The current record is the 6:57.5 set by the highly
modified Subaru
WRX STI Type RA NBR earlier this year, though the Subaru is a one-off
that isn't street-legal. When it comes to production 4-door cars, the record is
the 7:32 set by the Alfa
Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio in 2016.
Jaguar plans to build 300 examples of the XE SV Project 8
and the price tag in the United States is expected to be around $192,000. Sure
that's steep, but this isn’t just an XE with a body kit. The car is built by
hand by Jaguar Land Rover’s SVO division and many of its internals are unique.
The modifications to the standard XE are so extensive that the headlights
needed to be moved and the nose of the car brought forward.
Under the hood sits Jaguar's familiar 5.0-liter supercharged
V-8, tuned here to deliver 592 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. This is
the engine's highest tune yet and makes the XE SV Project 8 the most powerful
Jaguar road car to date. Jaguar says the 0-60 mph sprint happens in just 3.3
seconds and a top speed of 200 mph is possible.
Hopefully we have more details on the car’s performance at
the ‘Ring soon.
The 2019 Audi A7 finally broke cover Thursday in Germany,
the second generation for the sleek luxury sedan that set the world on fire
with its daring silhouette.
The 4-door fastback likely goes on sale in the U.S. sometime
late next year, although details about the sedan's availability were few and
far between.
The second-generation A7 has a long road ahead of it before
it goes on sale in the U.S., but its initial powertrain offering will be a
3.0-liter turbocharged V-6 that makes 340 horsepower and will use a 48-volt,
mild-hybrid system, according to Audi. The duo should result in a 34 mpg
combined average, on the European cycle (EPA-rated figures tend to be lower). A
plug-in hybrid A7 will appear later, according to Audi, although those
specifics weren't announced.
A higher performance turbo-6 may make an appearance in a
higher-spec S7 model that will surely follow. An RS 7 is almost certain at some
point soon, which may sport a high-output V-8 or a performance-focused hybrid
powertrain.
The newest A7 was penned by Audi's design boss Marc Lichte,
but based heavily on Stefan Sielaff's design from 2010. The new look features
the same proportions as the outgoing version—long hood, tapering roof line, and
kammback tail—although the newest model diverges with a lower nose with a
hexagonal grille, and chiseled surfaces.
The new A7's wheelbase is roughly half an inch longer, even
though the overall length is half an inch shorter than the outgoing model.
Large, 21-inch wheels are available to fill out the wheel arches, but the
overall height has stayed the same.
The most expressive exterior feature may be the solid strip
of LED taillights at the rear that, at least in European markets, cascade
toward the corners.
Inside, the A7 takes a larger departure from the outgoing
model with a utilitarian horizontal dash layout with touchscreen controls for
nearly every function, including climate control. Eschewing the
last-generation's screen on top of the dash and rotary controller, the new
infotainment system is a touchscreen-only affair highlighted by a 10.1-inch top
screen. Underneath the infotainment system is a secondary 8.6-inch touchscreen
that controls climate functions, seat settings, and Audi's Drive Select
controller.
Audi's Virtual Cockpit will make an appearance and offer
12.3 inches of configurable display in the instrument cluster that includes map,
speed, and trip information.
The A7 rides on parent-company Volkswagen's MLB platform
that has been modified in recent models. The same platform underpins the
current Q7, Q5, and A8, although the A7 will be most closely related to the
next-generation A6, which is also due next year. The lighter weight platform
should be a boon to fuel economy and performance with stiffer, higher strength
steel used throughout and aluminum components to shed weight.
Audi integrated rear-wheel steering into the A7 that can
dial in up to 5 degrees of steering to counter-steer at slow speeds to
virtually shorten its wheelbase and turning circle, or at high speeds can steer
in concert with the front wheels for better stability at higher speeds.
The next-gen platform likely will mean that the A7 will
likely sport the latest in self-driving hardware, which made its debut in the
A8. Audi's self-driving system, dubbed Traffic Jam Pilot, is Level-3 capable at
speeds lower than 37 mph. Audi says that a Level-3-enabled version of the A7
will eventually hit the road, but a date hasn't yet been set.
It's not much of a secret now, but Aston Martin has, for
some time, run a secret car-building operation inside its Prototype
Operations. The team will build one-off vehicles for very special, private
customers. But the price of entry isn't cheap.
Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer recently told Road and Track about the secret club, of sorts, and he
said his company sells two slots to build bespoke cars every year. Don't get
your checkbook ready just yet—all slots are sold out until 2020 at the
earliest.
"For those very special customers who want a very
special car, we sell two of those slots every year. The next four slots are
already sold, and to walk through that particular door, the starting price is
two million pounds ($2.6 Million). But they are very special cars," he
said.
For some comparison, these cars are more special than Aston
Martin's own Valkyrie hypercar project, which will see 175 units
built. Think the Aston Martin
CC100 Speedster that the brand built to celebrate its 100th birthday
in 2013. Or the GT12 Volante. It's those kinds of cars Aston Martin's Prototype
Operations oversees. We can't begin to imagine the tedious planning that goes
into an Aston Martin Prototype Operations vehicle. Heck, the process
behind specifying
a Valkyrie is already pretty darn personalized.
As if we already felt left out, Palmer delivered one last
line of secrecy to shroud the operations in: "Some of those cars, by the
way, you’ll never see."
source: http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1113212_aston-martin-operates-a-bespoke-secret-club-and-it-costs-at-least-2-6m-to-join
by Sean Szmkowski
BMW has just launched a new generation of its X3 and soon there
will be a hotter version cooked up by Alpina.
Alpina is a semi-official BMW tuner that’s been in the
business of making Bavaria’s best go faster for over 50 years.
We only get to sample Alpina’s talents in two models—the
6-Series-based B6 and 7-Series-based B7—but overseas there are many more models
to choose from. One of these is the X3-based XD3 which offers an impressive
combination of stump-pulling grunt, all-weather traction and decent fuel
economy.
A prototype for a new XD3 was recently spotted and reveals
only minor tweaks. The only unique elements are the wheels and lower portion of
the front bumper.
Like the current XD3, the new one should sport a 3.0-liter
twin-turbocharged inline-6 diesel paired with an 8-speed automatic and
all-wheel drive. The current model’s output hovers at 350 horsepower and 516
pound-feet of torque and we expect something similar for the new generation.
A likely debut date for the new XD3 is the 2018 Geneva Motor
Show next March. Note, BMW M is working on a high-performance X3 variant of its
own: the first-ever X3 M. We have spy shots of this model as
well. The vehicle, which also bows next year, should come with a turbocharged
inline-6 delivering close to 450 horsepower.
source: http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1113298_2018-bmw-alpina-xd3-spy-shots
by Viknesh Vijayenthiran
Deductive logic may lead to an uncomfortable truth for Land
Rover fans around the world.
This week, at a press event for the 2018 Land Rover Range
Rover Velar, the automaker confirmed that it would offer electrified
powertrain variants for its new models beginning with the 2020 model year.
That push begins this year with the introduction of the Range Rover Sport
plug-in hybrid, which the automaker estimates will sprint from 0-60 mph in 6.3
seconds.
It also confirmed that the next-generation Defender is still
firmly part of the Land Rover plan for the U.S., though it hasn't confirmed an
on-sale date for the States. That last part is key: if the Defender arrives
before 2020, it may initially skip an electron-heavy options.
But if all Land Rovers will have electrified options, and
the new Defender will be a Land Rover, does that mean that the Land Rover
Defender will have an electrified option?
"That's as far as we're willing to go with that,"
Chris Marchand, executive vice president for Jaguar Land Rover North America,
told Motor Authority.
Offering electrified powertrains and all-electric ones are
very different things, officials quickly pointed out. While the new Land
Rover Range Rover Sport plug-in hybridwill arrive soon and sport a 13.1-kwh
battery, the next-gen Defender could be anything between a mild 48-volt hybrid
system to a fully electric off-roader. It's too early to tell, and even some
Land Rover higher-ups say they're still in the dark.
Of course, the additional low-down weight of batteries and
the torque delivery of electric motors could be a boon for hardcore crawlers.
Are electrified powertrains and off-roaders mutually exclusive?
Have your eye on a brand new Mercedes-Benz
G550 4x4²? Take action soon because the German luxury brand announced
production will cease at the end of October.
The rugged G550 4x4² made a splash with its
serious off-road credentials, which begins with a ride height that exceeds 17
inches off the ground. The off-road cred extends to a permanent all-wheel-drive
system, a reduction transfer case, three differential locks, and portal
axles. The portal axles are quite different from traditional axles
since the wheels are not at the height of the axle center. Instead, they
are much lower to make room for the portal transmission, and they help give
the G550 4x4² its
incredibly tall ride height. Dual springs tuned for a high rate of travel help
ensure the SUV handles any terrain thrown at it.
Power comes from the same twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter
V-8 found in the regular G550. It produces 422 horsepower and 450 pound-feet of
torque. A 7-speed automatic transmission handles shifting duties and sends
power to the AWD system that boasts 50:50 torque distribution between the
axles.
It's unclear if the next-generation 2019 Mercedes-Benz
G-Class will ever spawn a similar off-road beast, so we'd advise
placing an order before it's too late. Interested parties better have the
$225,925 the G550 4x4² commands.
The 2019 G-Class will represent the nameplate's first full
redesign ever, but spy shots indicate it'll stick to the body style so many
fans have come to know and love. We expect the 2019 G-Class to go on sale some
time in 2018.
It's wonderful news that Jaguar is bringing a wagon over to our shores. We don't
have enough longroof options here in the States, so the arrival of the XF
Sportbrake is very welcome. It certainly helps that this particular model is
also rather sharp looking. Also, as a Jaguar, it's quite capable of high speeds
as one gent on a pair of skis recently discovered.
Graham Bell grabbed the tow strap affixed to the rear of the
Jag wagon. His goal was to set a new top speed record for an individual being
towed on skis. Guinness World Records was brought in to verify the attempt.
It all went down up in the Arctic Circle in an area of
Arjeplog, Sweden. There on a snow- and ice-covered test circuit, Bell set out
to break the record. He did just that by screaming along with an average top
speed of 117.48 mph.
Seeing as the XF Sportbrake puts out 380 horsepower and can
run up to a limited top speed of 155 mph, Bell has room to give this record
another go. Well, that's actually what he'd need–more room, so that the Jaguar
wagon could deliver him more Guinness glory.
The BMW Group is the latest automaker to announce the
addition of Amazon’s Alexa to its cars.
The cloud-based voice activation system will start appearing
in all BMW and Mini models from mid-2018.
Voice activation has been around for years but most systems
are still finicky things that more often than not get commands wrong. Alexa is
one of the better systems out there. Another is Google Home. Mercedes-Benz
announced in April that it was integrating both
systems in its own cars.
Alexa can handle numerous functions, referred to as
“skills,” and many of these are helpful in driving situations, as demonstrated
in the video. For example, it can tell you the weather, give you traffic
updates, play your favorite songs, order a pizza…there are literally tens of
thousands of skills already present and the list is constantly growing.
There are car-specific skills too. With the BMW Connected
app, you can ask Alexa to check vehicle information such as the state of charge
or fuel level, or control some car functions remotely. The latter means you
could start the car’s heater on a cold day before leaving your home.
You don’t need a smartphone for Alexa to function. In BMW
and Mini cars, the system will connect to the Internet via the car’s in-built
SIM card. And relevant visual content for certain skills is shown in the
infotainment screen.
Aston Martin is the latest automaker to commit to an
all-electrified lineup, following the lead of Volvo which said in July that
every vehicle in its lineup will have some form of electrification by 2019.
However, for a low-volume manufacturer of exotic sports
cars, Aston Martin’s commitment to electrification is much more profound.
Understandably, its time frame isn’t as short as Volvo’s,
with CEO Andy Palmer pointing to a mid-2020s date. Aston Martin also plans to
make the technology optional rather than standard, unlike Volvo.
“We will be 100 percent hybrid by the middle of the 2020s,”
Palmer told Financial Times in
a recent interview.
Further out, Aston Martin plans to offer an increasing
number of pure electric cars. According to Palmer, roughly one quarter of the
lineup will have a battery option by the end of the next decade.
Aston Martin’s first hybrid will be the Valkyrie hypercar due out in 2018.
A year later, Aston Martin will introduce a pure
electric version of its Rapide sedan. These will be limited-edition
models, however. Aston Martin’s first regular production hybrid and electric
cars will be variants of the DBX SUV entering
production in 2019.
Due to toughening emission standards and potential
bans on cars powered solely by internal combustion engines, even
low-volume exotic marques like Aston Martin are turning to electrification.
Rivals Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes-AMG and Porsche are also treading down the
electrification path. The good news is that the technology can enhance the
driving experience. Electric motors are great for low-end torque, for example.
In other Aston Martin news, the Financial Times reports
that Aston Martin’s mid-engine
supercar due in 2020 will likely feature a V-6. The automaker’s
current models rely on V-8 and V-12 engines, so any V-6 will be an entirely new
unit. A V-6 would provide efficiency and packaging benefits over a larger unit.
It would also help the car escape punitive taxes in countries where taxation is
based on engine size, one of which is China.
Hybrid technology hardly came from performance-oriented
beginnings. After all, the first mass-market hybrids' sole goal was to improve
fuel economy and curb emissions.
While this remains their primary goal today, brilliant
engineering minds have worked wonders in another area. Now, hybrid technology
often finds a role in performance vehicles as well, to enhance their power.
Specifically, we're talking about the Audi RS 7
Performance, in which a hybrid variant has been confirmed for its 2019
redesign. Audi's head of design, Marc Lichte, confirmed to Evo that not only will Audi roll out a next-generation
Audi RS 7 with a standard gasoline powertrain, but a hybrid version will arrive
with—get ready for it—700 horsepower.
Said power will come from cousin Porsche,
specifically its Panamera
Turbo S E-Hybrid, which produces 680 hp from a 4.0-liter twin-turbo
V-8 engine supplemented by an electric motor powered by 14-kilowatt-hour
lithium-ion battery.
As for the non-hybrid Audi RS 7, it will reportedly be rated
at 650 hp, up from 605 hp in the current car. The increased power will
reportedly come from the same Porsche-sourced 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 engine,
minus the hybrid system. The non-hybrid Panamera Turbo makes 550 hp.
This isn't the first time we've heard about Audi dipping
into Porsche's powertrain bin. Earlier this year, Audi revealed the 2019 A8
sedan—but, curiously, a new S8 was missing. Later reports indicated the next S8
will also feature an S8
Plus variant with that same hybrid setup from the Panamera Turbo S
E-Hybrid. It's unclear when we'll see the new S8 and S8 Plus, but the 2019 Audi A7 and its variants
should be revealed sometime in 2018.
Dark new take on the more powerful V8 S version of Bentley's
Flying Spur has been commissioned by Mulliner
Bentley has
released a new limited edition variant of the powered Flying Spur V8
S, which boasts new, unique styling tweaks and has been commissioned by
Mulliner – Bentley’s bespoke customisation division.
Named the Flying Spur V8 S Black Edition, it gets new black
styling touches on both the exterior bodywork and in the cabin.
It’s not the first Bentley to wear the ‘Black Edition’
badging - the model follows on from the Continental GT Speed
Black Edition, which boasts similar styling touches and was released last
year.
The new model features black gloss accents all over with
bespoke radiator and window surrounds, alongside black mirrors, black door
handles, dark tinted headlights and taillights.
It rides on a new set of black wheels - unique to the Flying
Spur V8 S Black Edition - measuring 21-inches. Black brake calipers are
offered, but customers can opt for a contrasting red, should they wish.
A similar black and red theme is on show in the cabin – black
leather matches off against contrasting red stripes and stitching, alongside
Piano Black wooden veneers. At customers' request, Bentley offers its usual
interior material and colour selections.
Under the bonnet sits a 4.0-litre V8 engine, which is unchanged
over the standard Bentley Flying Spur V8 S. Therefore it still packs 521bhp,
propelling the car to 62mph from standstill in 4.9 seconds, with a top speed of
190mph. Power is delivered to the road via an all-wheel-drive system.
Bentley has yet to reveal just how much the Flying Spur V8 S
Black Edition will set back its customers, but it should command a slight
premium over the £142,800 list price of the regular V8 S.
Land Rover is poised to offer a road-biased luxobarge to
rival the Mercedes-Benz S-Class by the end of the decade.
That’s according to Autocar which reports
that Land Rover is developing the vehicle, code-named the Road Rover, in
parallel with a next-generation Jaguar XJ.
The vehicle will reportedly come with an electric powertrain
and offer dynamic performance never before seen in a Land Rover. However, it's
also said to be coming with some off-road capability—most likely soft-road
capability—to carve out its niche in the market.
The concept of a road-biased Land Rover isn’t new. The
British automaker as early as the 1950s sought to offer a vehicle that bridged
the gap between the original Land Rover and cars of the day, also under the
Road Rover code name. The first prototype was a shooting brake-style vehicle
code-named the SNX 36.
Over the next two decades Land Rover would refine the
concept into what would eventually become the first
Range Rover.
If a modern Road Rover proves successful, we could see the
lineup expanded. The thinking is that they’ll help insulate Land Rover from any
potential end in the current love affair buyers seem to have with SUVs.
Autocar reports that a reveal of the Road Rover could
take place as early as the 2019 Los Angeles Auto Show.
The British publication also reports that Land Rover design
boss Gerry McGovern is drawing up a potential Bentley Bentayga and Rolls-Royce Cullinan rival.
The model would feature its own design and not simply be a derivative of the
Range Rover.
Jaguar Land Rover CEO Ralf Speth confirmed this month that
every model from the automaker launched from 2020 will feature some form of
electrification.
That means even the F-Type will be electrified, something
Jaguar Land Rover CEO Joe Eberhardt recently confirmed to Automotive
News (subscription required).
Heck, even the Ford Mustang is
being hybridized so an F-Type with an electric motor and battery
doesn’t really seem that odd anymore.
Of course, it could simply be that the F-Type will receive a
mild-hybrid setup. This is where an electric motor-generator is really only
used for starting the engine and powering some ancillary features, so those
fearing the electric revolution shouldn’t get too concerned just yet.
The good news is that Jaguar is committed to the F-Type
despite low sales. Only about 45,000 have been sold worldwide since the start
of sales.
“We are going to do another range of sports cars
eventually,” Jaguar design boss Ian Callum told Automotive News. “[Sports
cars] are not going to go away.”
The current F-Type is related to the XK which dates back to
the last decade. The next one should be a clean-sheet design, a move which may
also leave the opportunity for the car to adopt a mid-engine
layout. There’s no word on when we’ll see it arrive. Considering the
current model was introduced for 2014 and given an update for 2018, we should
see the next one introduced for 2021 or thereabouts.
