APPLE, the global computing, mobile and software giant, has just tweaked its trademark symbol in Australia to now cover motor vehicles.
Wheels has discovered a subtle change made to the Apple logo’s trademark description last month, slipped in as part of a tweak to its Australian intellectual property holdings, that indicate the California-based company is making a play for car showrooms.
Rumours are sweeping the internet that Apple is about to reinvent itself as a carmaker, having variously poached staff from electric car start-up Tesla, wooed workers from battery makers, and even assembled a secret 1000-strong team of design and engineering talent to work on the project.
However, it is yet to come out publicly and say that it wants to move into the potentially lucrative car-making business against software and search rival Google, which already has the jump in terms of teaching vehicles how to drive themselves.
The evidence, though, suggests it is about to.
IP Australia, which takes care of the nation’s intellectual property rights system and manages applications for patents, trademarks, designs and even plant seeds, has posted an application on its website from Apple that aims to extend the coverage of its logo to, among other things, “vehicles; apparatus for locomotion by land, air or water; electronic hardware components included in this class for use in automobiles”.
The application, which cost $1000, was lodged in March last year, but the wider reach of the Apple logo was approved by IP Australia last month after inviting anyone who objected to the application to speak up.
Apple also spent an extra $220 on January 13 updating the classes to which the trademark applied – specifically widening it to include vehicles.
The trademark application is now classed as “pending”.
The trademark also hedges bets for Apple so that, just in case it doesn’t want to make an iPhone on wheels, it can at least have a crack at developing an iPhone that can control a vehicle.
Wheels contacted Apple Australia to ask about the trademark application. We’re still waiting for a response.
HOLDEN is attempting to reconnect with millions of owners of its cars Australia-wide by offering capped price servicing extending to every vehicle it has ever sold.
In a simplified system, Holdens older than 2000 and dating back to the original 48-215 can expect to pay $299 for a service. However, if it wears a Commodore badge and pre-dates 2000, the service will cost only $199.
Holden said cars made from 2000 on were a lot more complex, and owners would have to feed their vehicle’s details into the Holden website to receive a quote for how much it should cost.
Overall, Holden said its capped price servicing program would cover 2.5 million of the roughly 13 million vehicles currently driving on Australia’s roads – that’s about one in every five.
The Holden capped price servicing program rivals that of Japanese carmaker Subaru, which last year introduced a lifetime scheme, though only covering vehicles built since 2006.
Last week, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission took Korean carmaker Kia to task after it bumped up prices for its capped price servicing scheme without disclosing it adequately to customers.
Under the terms of Kia’s settlement with the consumer watchdog, the carmaker will refund customers the difference between the servicing cost they were quoted when buying the vehicle and the actual price charged.
A NEW second-generation Audi R8 has been revealed that will give buyers the choice of swapping the supercar’s former strict diet of hydrocarbons for electrons.
Officially unveiled overnight, the lighter, faster, slipperier two-door coupe drops its atmo V8 exclusively in favour of the free-breathing V10 that will pump out up to 449kW and 560Nm – a 45kW/20Nm leg-up over the most powerful bent 10 used in the model it replaces – and a special-order E-tron badged, battery fuelled model that offers up to 450km of driving range with a rapid-fire recharge time.
Like the previous model, the new R8 is built on a modular space frame. However, this time around the supermodel adds lashings of lightweight carbon-fibre reinforced plastics to the mix, adding strength but helping to shed as much as 50kg of weight to tip the scales at 1454kg, or about the same as a high-end Mazda 3 sedan.
The hi-po version of the 5.2-litre V10 will push the new R8 from 1-100km/h in 3.2 seconds via its launch control function, shedding 0.3 secs off the previous range-topper’s time, before running out of momentum at 330km/h. And although it features Audi’s Quattro system that sends drive to both the front and rear wheels, the system now allows Quattro to deliver all the power to just the rears.
The R8 will also be a technological tour de force, featuring LED headlights and tail-lamps as standard, with buyers able to tick a box on the options list for a laser-based high-beam headlight that shoots a shaft of light 600 metres down the road.
A driver-selectable dynamic handling system will allow on-the-fly tweaks to the engine, the electromechanical steering, torque distribution between the front and rear wheels, and the seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox.
The R8’s sports car focus will also be enhanced via a “performance” button mounted on the steering wheel – optional on the 397kW/540Nm version but standard on the more powerful one – that tunes the low-slung coupe to optimise it for dry, wet or slippery conditions.
European market versions of the R8 will have magnetic-control dampers that stiffen up at the touch of a button, and a bimodal exhaust system that gives more growl to the V10 sitting behind the driver available on the options list.
The electric version of the R8, meanwhile, will include an onboard charging system that can top up the T-shaped battery hidden in the transmission tunnel and folding behind the seats in what Audi claims is “significantly less” than two hours.
The electric system in the R8 produces 340kW and a massive 920Nm, which is enough to officially push the EV from 0-100km/h in 3.9 seconds – faster than the old V8 version’s sluggish 4.3.
Dropping the $279,500 entry-level V8 in favour of the V10, which in Australia kicks off from $366,900, can go two ways for buyers here once Audi brings in the new R8, expected to be either late this year or early in 2016.
It can either fill the price gap vacated by the now-extinct V8, or chase the gap opened up by the V10-only, $428,000 Lamborghini Huracan with which the R8 shares its hydrocarbon-fuelled heart – and performance figures.
As for the battery-fuelled version selling here? Audi has hinted that the off-again, on-again environmental hero will only be sold in selected markets, suggesting that for only a handful of sales in Australia, it could be well off the radar. We’ll have to wait and see.
A new affordable ‘one-make’ Toyota 86 Pro-Am Series could light a fire under Aussie grassroots motorsport.
Inspired by series run in Japan, Germany and New Zealand, Toyota Australia has spearheaded what is calls “an affordable, grassroots motorsport series” to be run at select rounds of the V8 Supercars.
Commencing in 2016 under the Toyota Racing Australia banner, the CAMS-sanctioned series is a clever and inspired formula where amateur drivers get to test their skills against professional racing stars.
Essentially, five selected pro drivers will mentor larger groups of amateur racers who get to qualify for the starting grid for the pro-versus-am races.
It’s a brilliant idea that allows armchair racers and weekend warriors the chance to showcase their skills in parity-built machinery on the most high-profile motorsport circus in the country.
The 86 race car package was developed and tested by Toyota stalwarts Neil Bates Motorsport, based on GT manual variants and with “key specifications controlled to ensure their suitability and reliability while keeping costs as low as possible”.
The package, which keeps cars close to road-going form, comprises of adjustable suspension, brake, extractor/exhaust, engine management, oil cooler and rolling stock enhancements together with the usual safety equipment (roll cage, race belts, etcetera).
The Aussie-designed Motec ECU will be locked and capable of being transferred from one car to another to ensure parity, while brake hardware is significantly upgrades to enlarged four-and-two-piston AP Racing components.
Competitors will be able to freely adjust the bespoke coil-over damper suspension system developed by famed motorsport supplier Murray Coote.
Official specifications list outputs at 147kW at 7000rpm and 205Nm at a lofty 6400-6600rpm band, while kerb weight is pegged at 1222kg.
While outright lap pace is clearly not the main aim of the package, development has thus far yielded respectable laptimes: 2min42.6sec at Mount Panorama, 1min8.7sec at Wakefield Park and 1min37.8sec at Winton.
While Toyota Racing Australia hasn’t revealed pricings associated with the V8 Supercar-affiliated Pro-Am series or its machinery, the apparent affordability of the Bates-developed package – which would, of course, work with Subaru’s BRZ – may well spurn a more widespread take-up, even potential rival series, throughout the grassroots motorsport fraternity.
“My dream is that one day we can have a World 86 Challenge with the best drivers from Japan, Europe and other market (competing against) the champion Toyota 86 driver from Australia,” says 86 chief engineer, Tetsuya Tada.
Last year MOTOR drove a so-called ‘Tata prototype’ fitted with modifications suspiciously close in spec to the Pro-Am racer at a Toyota Australia-run event coming away impressed with the improvements they made over the production 86.
Potential series competitors can register their interest at the Toyota website.
HAVE a lazy $100,000 kicking around to satisfy that need for speed? That’s the budget Toyota Australia estimates will cover the first year of an “affordable, grassroots motor sport series based on the country’s best-selling sports car, the Toyota 86 coupe”.
That $100K will include buying the car, race package, expenses of racing, transport and entry fees in the first year.
The costs for years two and three should be much lower.
Starting next year, Australia will be the fourth country after Japan, New Zealand and Germany to stage a one-make Toyota 86 series.
The series will run for a guaranteed three years.
To be featured exclusively at selected V8 Supercars events, the series is intended as a pro-am competition with up to five selected professional drivers serving as mentors and benchmarks, with the larger field of amateur drivers qualifying to get onto the starting grid.
Toyota says the mentoring will extend beyond honing driving skills to also teach the amateurs how to manage the complicated business of motor sport, including sponsorship and the right technical support.
Racing under the official banner of Toyota Racing Australia, the Toyota 86 Pro-Am series will be based on the GT manual model, which will have some modifications locked in and controlled to optimise reliability while keeping costs as low as possible.
Neal Bates Motorsport, the engineering company owned by the four-time Australian rally champion, has developed and tested a race package that includes coil-over suspension, four-pot front brakes, extractors and exhaust, programmable Motec ECU, oil cooler, rims and R-type tyres as well as the obligatory safety gear.
The standard 86’s modest standard power output of 147kW will be lifted slightly by the mods.
Pro-Am competitors will also have the freedom to adjust the suspension to their own driving styles.
Bates has lapped the development car around Mt Panorama in 2m42.6s, Wakefield Park in 1m8.7s and Winton Motor Raceway in 1m37.8s.
“The aim is to engineer a car that is pretty much bullet-proof in racing conditions while making it a satisfying and rewarding experience for its driver,” Bates said. “Its ride, response and feedback is phenomenal and very predictable.”
The ECU will be locked and transferable from car to car.
Toyota will subsidise the cost of parts and panels for competitors.
Already lauded for its excellent dynamics and fun factor, the rear-drive 86 Coupe has been a popular choice for many owners who have competed regularly in lap dashes, tarmac rallies and club events. But the Pro-Am series is the first serious attempt to get the 86 a higher motor sporting profile.
Toyota Australia executive director sales and marketing Tony Cramb says the company was committed to supporting enthusiast 86 owners in making the transition to circuit racing.
Cramb reinforced the point that the 86 one-make series will not allow drivers to modify their cars beyond strict guidelines, the objective being that the rewards should fall to drivers with the most talent rather than the biggest budget.
Toyota paid a significant, though undisclosed figure, for the 86 Pro-Am to be part of the high-profile V8 Supercars circus, but hopes the investment will be rewarded by large numbers of spectators and television viewers.
Since the 86 was launched in mid-2012, Australians have bought more than 13,000 of them – the third-highest total in the world.
Though Toyota has been absent from local motor sporting battlefields in recent years, on the world stage its presence is more obvious. It took out the 2014 World Endurance Championship and has competed successfully in NASCAR, Dakar Rally and the Nürburgring 24-hour endurance race. In 2017, Toyota returns to the World Rally Championship with its Yaris.
V8 Supercars’ boss James Warburton said he was delighted to start a relationship with Toyota, the market leader in Australia.
Warburton welcomed the Pro-Am’s strong youth flavour as a wonder addition to the championship.
The car’s ‘rock star’ chief engineer Tetsuya Tada, named patron of the series, said he was impressed – and humbled – by the overwhelming passion and enthusiasm for the 86 among Australian owners.
“My dream is that one day we can have a World 86 Challenge with the best drivers from Japan, Europe and other markets, and the champion Toyota 86 driver from Australia,” he said.
Tony Cramb also hinted strongly that there will be limited edition 86 road-going models, but not necessarily spinning off the race series.
Toyota isn’t the only automotive giant to get behind an international one-make extravaganza; Mazda recently announced the Global MX-5 Cup for its fourth-generation sports car, to run across North America, Europe and Asia.
Starting in 2016, the new series will use identically prepared MX-5s powered by 2.0-litre SKYACTIV-G four-cylinder engines.
Mazda Australia, looking for a re-entry to local motor sport after a lengthy absence, says it is considering a Global MX-5 Cup series for this market.
One-make series, with their almost obligatory biffo, have sporadically been part of Australian motor sport dating back at least to the 1970s, featuring Renault 12, Holden Gemini, Triumph TR7, Ford Laser, Alfa Alfasud, Mitsubishi Mirage, Suzuki GTi, MG, Lotus and Mini. The standout, enduring one-make competition is Porsche’s Carrera Cup.
David Brabham first came to notice in the Laser Series.
In more recent times the MG, Lotus, and the Mini brands have provided chances for wannabe racers to jump into relatively cheap racing on bigger stages.
But the standout, enduring one-make competition is Porsche’s Carrera Cup which, along with giving the manufacturer a steady income from parts sales, continues to breed some excellent drivers for other major categories here and internationally.
Further details of the Toyota series will be released in coming months. In the meantime, potential competitors can register their interest on the Toyota website.
See the all new BMW X5 M and X6 M in action!
The Peugeot 308 GT is the warm – definitely not hot, according to the French brand – version of its return-to-form small hatchback.
WHAT IS IT The Peugeot 308 GT is a more powerful, better handling and more richly equipped flagship for the 308 line-up.
The GT is offered in 151kW 1.6-litre turbo petrol and 133kW 2.0-litre turbo diesel form (with 400Nm) and both variants inhabit the warm hatch sphere, where performance is brisk, rather than blinding, and back-road ability comes packaged with comfort.
The petrol Peugeot 308 GT costs $41,990 and the diesel version $42,990, which puts it in hot-hatch price territory.
WHY WE’RE TESTING IT The 308 was represented by the three-cylinder turbo and turbo-diesel variants at COTY 2014, where it was a finalist. Now that the top-shelf 308 GT has landed in Oz, we grabbed the opportunity for a first drive.
MAIN RIVALS Alfa Giulietta QV, Ford Focus ST, Renault Megane GT220, Volkswagen Golf GTI
THE WHEELS VERDICT The mainstream Peugeot 308 range’s return to French ride quality is one of its best features, so the fact the GT variant trades some of this in search of sportier dynamics is a small shame. The higher output 1.6 turbo and 2.0 turbo diesel, while more potent, lack character and the honest charm of the base turbo three-cylinder, and add weight over the front wheels.
PLUS: Chassis balance and lack of roll; extra accelerative ability compared with cooking models; solidity and noise-suppression; styling MINUS: GT takes shine off polished ride of mainstream models; neither engine sparkles; artificial backing track sounds it; auto’s lack of a true manual mode
THE WHEELS REVIEW IN THE context of Peugeot’s return to loping ride and long-haul comfort with the 308, “GT” seems like the right badge for a warm variant. This, stresses the French maker, is not a GTI.
However, the problem with making that distinction is that today’s highest profile GTI – the Golf – has built a legion of devotees by delivering its corner-carving ability with comfort. The ‘I’ is irrelevant (it originally stood for ‘injection’) and the VW is a grand tourer.
By the same broad modern definition that allows a hot hatch to be a GT (the words “grand tourer” once called for two-doors and two seats), the base 308 is already halfway there. It rides well, but needs speed.
The GT’s high-output 1.6-litre turbo petrol and to a lesser degree the 2.0-litre turbo-diesel duly elevate outputs into the warm hatch realm. The 1200kg, six-speed manual petrol version is light, with 151kW and 285Nm, and feels bang-on Pug’s 7.5sec 0-100km/h claim. The venerable PSA 1.6 turbo is effective, if not exactly effusive.
The 308’s excellent cabin noise suppression meant the GT demands – and receives – a sound-augmentation system that plays through the cabin speakers. The rortiness is synthetic, and without it (outside of sport mode) it’s all too quiet.
The GT diesel’s backing track sounds like a metallicky three-pot, or even an oil-burning bent-eight, and it feels heavier on its front tyres. With 400Nm underfoot, visceral thrills ultimately give way to effortlessness. Meanwhile, the oiler’s six-speed auto has the smarts (mostly), but not a true manual mode, despite a DIY shifter plane.
The stiffen-up of the pseudo-strut front, and torsion-beam rear, suspension is small (10 percent petrol and 20 percent diesel), but with the upsize to 18-inch wheels and tyres and a slightly lower ride height the GT inevitably trades some of the mainstream variants’ long-travel absorbency to deliver heightened handling.
It sits flat, turns in quickly via the small, sculpted wheel and is possessed of palpable balance and cohesion, with only the odd mid-corner bump prompting a squiggle from the rear and ruffling its composure.
Peugeot is right, then. The 308 GT isn’t a GTI because it’s not as much fun as Volkswagen’s evergreen hot-hatch. It largely rides like a GT should but, perhaps unavoidably, it doesn’t do so with the comfort or polish of the more softly sprung, smaller-tyred base variants, which is a quality that, given how long it took the brand to re-embrace, we’re reluctant to lose.
SPECS Engine: 1598cc 4cyl, dohc, 16v, turbo Max power: 151kW @ 5000rpm Max torque: 285Nm @ 1750-4500rpm Transmission: 6-speed manual Weight: 1200kg 0-100km/h: 7.5sec Fuel economy: 5.6L/100km (ADR) Price: $41,990
The curtain has dropped on McLaren’s latest track-friendly road rocket ahead of its official bow at Geneva.
Showcasing “the darker side of the McLaren brand” according to its maker, the 675LT produces a cheeky 666 horsepower (497kW at 7100rpm) and 700Nm from a heavily revised version of the marque’s twin-turbocharged 3.8-litre V8.
It comes with a wicked trio of performance stats to: 0-100km/h in just 2.9 seconds, 0-200km/h in 7.9 seconds and a top speed of 330km/h.
Designed to be more track-focused than the 650S it sits alongside in McLaren’s Super Series range, the new coupe-only model is more conventionally proportioned than the original F1 GTR Longtail racer from which its name is taken.
Its ‘longtail’ active airbrake, though, is 50 per cent larger than its stablemate’s and made from carbonfibre – in fact, McLaren says that 33 per cent of the car’s parts count is different to the 650S.
Key visual design changes include a more pronounced front splitter, extended door blades with additional cooling intakes and twin titanium exhaust pipes, though there are many more aero-enhancing devils in the details.
Tipping the scales at just 1230kg (dry), the most powerful and lightweight model in McLaren’s Super Series is around 100kg lighter than its stablemates and creates an eye-opening 404kW per tonne.
Much of the weight saving is due to the use of carbonfibre for body panels and a gram reduction strategy applied to the powertrain, chassis and body structure, its maker says.
Inside, the stripped-out and minimalist cabin features a new carbonfibre-shelled seat design inspired by the mighty P1 and trimmed in Alcantara.
To further separate the 675LT from ‘normal’ McLaren stock, it will be offered in five ‘By McLaren’ visual themes that include four new colours as well as the heroic McLaren Orange that taps the brand’s heritage.
After a decade of production, the 450th and final ever Bugatti Veyron will be showcased at Geneva.
The suitably nameplated ‘La Finale’ example is set to share the Bugatti stand at next month’s international motor show alongside the very first Veyron produced before being whisked off to its owner in the Middle East.
The La Finale marks the end of an era for what is as much a testament to mankind’s engineering achievement as it is a representation of arguably the most famous hypercar of modern times.
After period of hiatus, the historic Bugatti brand was resurrected by Volkswagen after purchasing naming rights back in 1998, with the design of the production Veyron firming up around 2001.
The Bugatti Veyron EB 16.4 was finally launched in 2005, a four-wheel-driven two-seater coupe of considerable heft, but which represented a high watermark in performance motoring, courtesy of its outrageous specification and the heroic numbers associated with the car.
According to its maker, the Veyron formulae aligned four goals: to produce at least 1000PS (736kW), to achieve 400km/h or higher, to accelerate to 100km/h from a standstill in under three seconds and still provide first class comfort and style.
Initially, its extraordinary quad-turbocharged 8.0-litre W16 engine produced the requisite 1001PS together with ridiculous 1250Nm, with outputs blossoming – and performance claims supplanted – with successive versions throughout its 10-year lifecycle.
Major updates included 2008’s open-top Grand Sport, 2010’s more-powerful Super Sport and 2012’s Grand Sport Vitesse roadster.
Based off the Grand Sport Vitesse, the La Finale boasts 1200PS, or 883kW, with a planet-shifting 1500Nm and is claimed to achieve a 2.5sec 0-100km/h time on its way to a “world record speed” of an oh-so-exact 431.072km/h.
The average price for 450 Veyrons sold – “including options” says their maker – is 2.3 million euros, or more than 3.3 million Aussie dollars, with a neat 300 coupes built and a roadster count of 150 examples.
It’s been rumoured for some time now that a replacement for the Veyron is in the works that will use a petrol-electric hybrid powertrain that adopts a reworked version of the current 8.0-litre W16.
Today would have been Peter Brock’s 70th birthday, and what better way to remember him than to celebrate what he did best?
A lot of you will be familiar with this video, but it illustrates so well just what an immense talent he was behind the wheel.
It’s the closing laps of the 1987 Bathurst 1000, and Brock switches his VL Commodore on to slicks on a greasy track and proceeds to spend most of the next couple of laps driving in anything other than a straight line in a bid to catch the leading Texaco Sierras.
He would be unsuccessful on the day, but about nine months later the Sierras would be thrown out of the race, handing Brock his ninth Bathurst victory.
It’s an incredible display of car control, from a time when commitment and driving it ‘loose’ could still be the fastest way to drive a race car. If only it still was!
Happy Birthday Peter Brock, you’ll always be missed.
