DAKAR: Nasser Al-Attiyah leads Mini domination
MINI driver Nasser Al-Attiyah has taken a crushing – though never easy – win in the 137-strong car class of the 2015 Dakar Rally, to claim a second title on the back of a success with VW in 2011.
It was the fourth consecutive Dakar triumph for Mini. Underscoring its pace and reliability, four Minis finished among the top five.
Al-Attiyah would have led from start to finish but for a two- minute speeding penalty imposed after he was quickest on the opening competitive stage.
The calculating, ever-smiling 44-year-old Qatari immediately bounced back to take control on the second day and thereafter was never threatened, though he still needed to drive quickly and stay out of trouble.
Al-Attiyah won five of the 13 legs. In the end he won overall by 35m34s from South African Giniel De Villiers in a Toyota Hilux, with Poland’s Krzysztof Holowczyc third in a Mini.
“I promised last year when I was on the podium that I’d be back to win, and now I’m here,” said Al-Attiyah. “It was very hard to lead the race from the very beginning and to continue keeping this position on the long distance.”
His only real issue during the 14-day marathon was a bout of altitude sickness, which barely slowed him. Oh, should we mention the dust, dunes, ravines, rocks, ruts, searing heat, crazy rain and sloppy mud?
Peugeot’s return to the Dakar stage after a 25-year absence was hardly a resounding success. Carlos Sainz destroyed his Pug in a crunching rollover while the cars of Stéphane Peterhansel and Cyril Despres finished 11th and 34th respectively.
They accumulated valuable experience that should help Peugeot come back stronger in 2016.
“It’s important to know how to sacrifice one year in order to prepare properly for the next one,” declared Peterhansel.
Overall Car Ranking Rally Dakar 2015:
1. Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Matthieu Baumel (FRA) Mini 40h32m25s
2. Giniel de Villiers (RSA)/Dirk von Zitzewitz (DEU) Toyota All Speed +00:35:34
3. Krzysztof Holowczyc (POL)/Xavier Panseri (FRA) Mini +01:32:01
4. Erik van Loon (NLD)/Wouter Roesegar (NLD) Mini +03:01:52
5. Vladimir Vasilyev (RUS)/Konstantin Zhiltsov (RUS) Mini +03:12:41
6. Christian Lavieille (FRA)/Pascal Maimon (FRA) Toyota +03:15:58
7. Bernhard Ten Brinke (NLD)/Tom Colsoul (BEL) Toyota +03:42:02
8. Carlos Sousa (PRT)/Paulo Fiuza (PRT) Mitsubishi +03:44:59
9. Aidyn Rakhimbayev (KAZ)/Anton Nikolaev (RUS) Mini +04:08:44
10. Ronan Chabot (FRA)/Gilles Pillot (FRA) SMG +04:42:36
DAKAR: Aussie Price snatches bike podium
AUSTRALIA’S Toby Price has finished a stunning third on his debut in the motorcycle division of the bruising Dakar Rally, collecting a fine special stage win (and a second in another) in a performance that must have caught the eyes of international factory teams.
The 27-year-old Motorex KTM rider from New South Wales – one of 161 two-wheeled starters – was fast and consistent throughout, dealing with the vagaries of navigation, exhaustion and the confronting terrain and mad weather throughout the world’s best-known extreme adventure.
He stayed in striking distance of a podium finish and then moved to third as the days wound down in the 9000km enduro held across three countries in South America.
Price’s brilliant rookie efforts equalled the best result by an Australian rider on the Dakar Rally; South Australian Andy Haydon was third in 1998 in his only attempt at the world’s toughest off-road race.
Spaniard factory KTM ace Marc Coma won his fifth Dakar and was joined on the podium by Portugal’s Paulo Goncalves (Honda).
“One of the toughest and badass races I’ve ever done,” said a delighted Price. “Just getting to the finish line is a win for everybody, but I somehow managed third overall and a spot on the podium with these two legends.
SPORTS CARS: New Porsche 919 Hybrid revealed
THE wraps have come off Porsche’s revised weapon for the 2015 World Endurance Championship, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The pictures show the latest iteration of the 919 Hybrid undertaking a shakedown at Porsche’s Weissach test track in the hands of driver Marc Lieb.
Porsche described the 2015 919 as a “comprehensive evolution” of last year’s model, but has been coy about releasing much more info.
It has suggested it will be better able to adapt to the different characteristics of the various race tracks on the 2015 WEC calendar.
Porsche has confirmed the revised version retains the same powertrain as its predecessor – a turbocharged 2.0-litre V4 petrol engine, two energy recovery systems and an electric motor that powers the front wheels.
Only subtle aerodynamic changes have been made to the car that won the final WEC round of 2014 in Brazil.
The Porsche squad will test the new car at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina circuit this week. Other test programs will happen before the WEC season opener on April 12 at Silverstone in England.
BATHURST 12 HOUR: Erebus team cradle-snatches for its “amateur” SLS GT3
EREBUS Motorsport has moved close to creating some Mount Panorama history by naming American teenager Austin Cindric among its driver line-up for the Bathurst 12 Hour.
Sixteen-year-old Cindric, the son of Penske Racing president Tim, will become the youngest driver to contest the Bathurst 12 Hour when he joins the team’s two-car assault on the enduro.
The prodigy has been racing regularly in his homeland, but the 12 Hour gig is the biggest challenge he has faced in a brief track career.
Cindric, a sophomore and honour student at Cannon School in North Carolina who last year raced and sampled 17 different tracks across five different series in North America, said he was excited about the opportunity to test himself at Mount Panorama.
“I’m really looking forward to my first race in Australia and for it to occur at a track as historic as Bathurst makes it really cool,’’ said young Cindric.
He is part of the team’s youthful ‘amateur class’ entry in the #63 SLS AMG GT3 alongside Australian Formula 3 racers Simon Hodge and Nathan Morcom.
Hodge is the current Australian F3 Champion and current holder of the category lap record at Bathurst.
Highly regarded Dean Canto will link with Erebus Motorsport’s 2014 Australian GT Championship winner Richard Muscat and last year’s Bathurst 12-Hour placegetter Jack Le Brocq in the ‘pro class’ #36 SLS AMG GT3 entry.
Canto, who finished a close second in a V8 Supercar in the 2012 Bathurst 1000, said he was excited to be linking with a team with such an outstanding record in the Bathurst 12 Hour (including a win in 2013). It will be his second start in the endurance sports car event.
After claiming the Australian GT Championship in his debut season with Erebus Motorsport last year, Muscat said he was eager to test himself against some of the best GT drivers in the world at the 12 Hour.
Coming off the back of a memorable podium finish for Erebus last year with Will Davison and Greg Crick, Le Brocq is hoping to raise the bar even higher in 2015.
TOYOTA SERIES: Aussie Randle fires in New Zealand
CANADIAN teenager Lance Stroll has taken out the prestigious Lady Wigram Trophy, part of the opening round of New Zealand’s 2015 Toyota Racing Series held at the weekend at Ruapuna, near Christchurch.
But Australian newcomer Thomas Randle also impressed, though Stroll, 16, was the standout in a classy international field, winning an action-packed 20-lapper ahead of India’s Arjun Maini, GP2 driver Artem Markelov and Santino Ferrucci.
Stroll now joins some illustrious names who’ve won the Wigram race, including Jack Brabham, Peter Whitehead, Bruce McLaren, Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart, Frank Matich, Jochen Rindt, Larry Perkins, Paul Radisich and Craig Baird.
On Saturday, Stroll took victory in the 15-lap pipe-opener from Austrian Stefan Riener (later pinged for a jump start), with Maini holding off Australia’s Randle.
Randle, 18, also uncorked a sizzling drive in the Sunday Wigram feature, coming from 17th to claim sixth after he had to take to the grass to avoid a scrimmage on the opening lap.
His Saturday podium and hard-charging recovery drive to sixth handed him fourth overall for the opening round of the TRS, his first experience of slicks-and-wings competition.
“I’m over the moon with this result,” said Randle, the lone Australian among the 20 competitors.
“To be honest, it was hard to come into this weekend with any real expectations as this field is ultra-competitive with a few surprise packets, so I wasn’t quite sure where I would stack up.
“To come away from Ruapuna fourth in the points is just awesome and it feels even better knowing this is a real result – we were quick all weekend and even had an electrical gremlin in race two, so it’s not as though we lucked in.”
The 2015 Toyota Racing Series now heads to Teretonga near Invercargill for round two next weekend.
With the release of the new Ford GT this week, we thought it was time to revisit what made the original so great with possibly the best car video we saw in all of 2014.
Let’s look at the component parts, shall we? Firstly, it’s at Le Mans, one of the world’s greatest racetracks.
Then there’s the car, one of just four surviving GT40 Roadster prototypes built by Ford. Only five were built in the first place, with the featured car one of three raced by the Ford works team.
It was thought to be lost for four decades after Ford essentially sold it for scrap, but thankfully now not only is it in rude health, it’s being used as its maker intended.
The last time one of these sold it was for $US7 million, but that doesn’t stop the Brazilian owners from driving it flat-out at one of the world’s most demanding racetracks. In the dark. And the rain.
The entire video is almost 48mins long, so be prepared to waste almost an hour hypnotized by a very handy driver in an utterly incredible car flashing down the Mulsanne Straight at 300km/h.
In fact, for some incredibly handy driving, check out this video that vividly illustrates just what a handful these old monsters are when the road turns slick.
Don’t forget to check back every Friday evening for our video of the week.
And just like that, seemingly out of nowhere, America finds itself atop the performance car world again.
During a previous life spent at MOTOR’s classic car sister mag, Unique Cars, the majority of my time was spent researching and then writing about all manner of US performance metal from the ’60s and ’70s.
Many people look back on this era with fondness and rightly so; the muscle car scene was booming and every manufacturer was itching to get in on the act. Corvette L88, Camaro Z/28, Chevelle SS 454, Mustang Cobra Jet, Galaxie 427, Challenger 426 Hemi, Superbird – you could easily write a list as long as your arm of cars that would lay rubber the entire length of the quarter mile.
The reason for such nostalgia is that we’d never see the likes of such prolific performance again. Except we will. In fact, we’re seeing it right now.
This week’s Detroit Motor Show hammered home the realisation that we’re currently living through another golden era of US performance.
I’m not referring to the new Ford GT, though the arrival of a new world-class supercar is indicative of the confidence and momentum currently being felt – the foam at the very crest of the wave, if you will.
No, what I’m referring to is the explosion of relatively affordable muscle cars offering lunatic performance. Even the current king of the hill, Chevrolet’s Corvette Z06, only costs the same as a Porsche Cayman GTS in its homeland – and it’s got 485kW/881Nm, ferchrissakes!
Everywhere you look there are wild performance cars with comedy specifications. Ford just unveiled its Shelby GT350R with (Aussie-made) carbon fibre wheels; Chevrolet has the insane Z06 and Camaro Z/28, a 1725kg ‘track car’ with 305mm-wide rubber all ’round; Cadillac offers two V-series sedans, the most powerful of which has 477kW/855Nm.
Best of all, though, and most redolent of the halcyon days of muscle car madness, are Dodge’s Challenger and Charger Hellcat twins. For the price of a base C63 AMG Coupe, you can drive away in a car with 527kW/881Nm – LOL.
This resurgence is all the more remarkable given many of these vehicles would have been conceived with the US car industry still reeling from the effects of the GFC.
Of course, none of these cars are exactly the most refined machines out there, but all offer a slightly unhinged rawness increasingly being lost by the majority of the rest of the world. The real sad news is, private imports aside, none of these vehicles are currently offered in Australia.
However, that’s going to change by the end of the decade, with Ford’s Mustang obviously arriving by year’s end and GM confirming Holden will have a V8-powered rear-drive coupe offering in showrooms come 2018.
Regardless, the fact the America is so interested in producing awesome cars again can only be good news for enthusiasts, and with US auto makers now largely free from crippling post-GFC debt, we’re excited to see what they come up with next.
CADILLAC will maintain a range of rear-wheel-drive models aimed at driving enjoyment and refinement rather than outright fuel savings.
The news will be welcomed by Australians, who will soon be able to buy Cadillacs locally, possibly before local production of large, rear-wheel drive cars ends by late 2017.
Speaking at the Detroit motor show, General Motors chief engineer David Leone said rear-wheel drive would remain a staple of future Cadillacs, predominantly the larger sedans.
“Our primary sedans will remain rear-wheel drive,” said Leone. “I feel Cadillac has to have rear-wheel-drive entries in the primary sedan space to be able to have the driving character that we want to lead with. It’s a requirement for that.”
Leone said a rear-drive layout – increasingly rare in a world fixated on reducing emissions and lowering fuel use – could deliver superior driving dynamics.
He said attributes rear-drive delivered were “fantastic steering precision and very sophisticated ride control” that produced a car capable of hitting a race track while still providing “refined, luxury ride with precision handling”.
Leone said Cadillac’s place in the GM family – as the flagship brand in a broad portfolio – gave it more flexibility than European rivals, including BMW, which will switch its top-selling 3 Series family to front-wheel drive for the next generation.
The news comes as GM looks to continue its Cadillac rollout to other countries, including Australia.
“We’re working it,” said Leone when asked directly about Australian distribution, something that would be easier without the Holden Caprice that currently occupies similar prestige space to some Cadillac models.
But he said Australians would likely have access to “selected models” from the soon-to-expand Cadillac family (with diesel engines, and a smaller SUV to sit below the SRX).
But there is plenty of work to prepare the quintessentially American luxury brand for Australia, especially as plans were shelved at the eleventh hour in 2009 as GM battled bankruptcy (Cadillac even showed cars at the 2008 Sydney motor show).
“If it were to come back to Australia, everything has to be right,” said Cadillac design boss Andrew Smith, an Australian who once designed Commodores.
“There’s a plan for the whole globe. We’re talking a lot about Cadillac.
“My strong preference would be to get my dad in a Cadillac, and my brother-in-law as well.”
Leone reiterated there were many steps before Cadillacs would again be sold in Australia.
“We don’t have a Cadillac distribution system right now, so we need to have that in place,” he said.
“You can’t bring just one of them … it takes far more than a right-hand-drive CTS to be able to have the dealers be successful.
“So it’s a very careful coordination and planning process that takes lots of cooperation to make that successful.”
We drive Mercedes-Benz’s second attempt at producing a top-end luxury rival to Rolls-Royce and Bentley, almost a year ahead of its Australian showroom debut
WHAT IS IT? Maybach is Mercedes’ revived sub-brand. It’s designed to be the ultimate in luxury, with a level of exclusivity and opulence to wrestle buyers from the classic choices of Rolls-Royce and Bentley. Designed for the driven, not for drivers, it starts as a 600L – the V12-powered former crown of the range – and adds space to the wheelbase and gives it all to the rear passengers. Its biggest markets are expected to be China and Russia.
WHY WE’RE TESTING IT The irony of testing a car that most buyers will be chauffeur-driven in rather than at the helm is not lost here as we see if the Maybach can offer the same levels of luxury as its opposition, or if Mercedes has wrecked a perfectly good S-Class trying. It’s a stretched, nipped and tucked S-Class rather than a stand-alone model like the original 2003 Maybach, but whether or not it feels like an S-Class with a few options is the key here.
MAIN RIVALS Rolls-Royce Ghost, Bentley Flying Spur
THE WHEELS VERDICT The Mercedes-Maybach S600 is a brilliant machine, superbly engineered, designed and executed. Yet it lacks the sense of occasion and grandeur that a Rolls-Royce has, and that’s crucial to the fight it has walked into.
PLUS: Fit and finish; refinement; technology; cabin space MINUS: Not distinguished enough from the rest of the S-Class range
THE WHEELS REVIEW AUTHENTICITY is a word used a lot by the Germans flown to California for the global launch drive of the Mercedes-Maybach S600.
This is a car designed to steal sales from the likes of Rolls-Royce and Bentley, but it’s much more affordable than the million-dollar mess that was the previous Maybach. That car, which sold only about 3400 globally between 2003 and 2010, flopped. Oh, and it was a Maybach, not a Mercedes-Benz, even though its S-Class underwear was visible through its Maybach dress.
The 2015 version is different. It’s out of the closet as a Mercedes, with a three-pointed star proudly on the bonnet, and officially badged a Mercedes-Maybach as a sub-brand of Stuttgart’s finest saloon-car producer. It’s also an S-Class, part of the S-Class family, and one of six body styles on sale once the final brick in the wall, the coupe-based S-Class convertible, arrives by the end of 2015.
China is expected to be the sweet spot, where Mercedes will sell about 60 percent of the Maybachs it builds. The Australian arm is hoping for double figures, which seems realistic given that Rolls-Royce sold a record 39 cars in 2014. But that still depends on whether a larger S-Class hits the spot.
The wheelbase is a whopping 3365mm, which is 200mm more than the long-wheelbase S600L, and the biggest contributor to the Maybach’s 207mm increase in overall length.
Visually, the Maybach is distinguished by different grille inserts, split twin pipes at the rear (unique to this car), a silver B-pillar, 20-inch wheels, an extended and flatter roofline, and a unique C-pillar and quarter window, thanks to the rear door actually being 66mm shorter than in the regular 600L. That means the tiny triangular window is separate from the door, enabling the rear passenger to sit further back behind the door opening, giving celebrities and gangstas both improved crash protection and privacy from paparazzi.
That extended length also means an ‘executive’ chair that reclines 43.5-degrees and shames airline seats can be fitted on both sides of the Maybach; in the other S-Class models, it’s only offered on the passenger side due to space limitations. They’re trimmed in Nappa leather, and so are the doors, pillars and even the roof. The diamond pattern is exclusive to Maybach, but in terms of trim there’s little else to distinguish this car from its lower-spec stablemates, apart from a Maybach badge on the console and an IWC-brand clock also found in AMG models. Even the wood-rimmed steering wheel still has Mercedes-Benz script, not Maybach, at the bottom.
For the chauffeur, he or she will feel like they’re in any other S-Class. That’s not necessarily bad, as the crisp digital instruments and huge 12.3-inch centre screen make life easier, and there’s that stunning centre Comand touch-controller. Yet it doesn’t feel extra special or have the mystique of a Rolls-Royce or Bentley, even if the latter’s interior is utterly shamed by the Maybach in terms of design. To elevate to the heights of such brands isn’t an easy task.
Driving the Maybach, the strengths of the S-Class haven’t been diluted with the additional length and weight. It doesn’t feel hefty or obese, with a 5.0sec 0-100km/h claim.
The standard Magic Carpet adaptive airbag suspension gives it a smooth ride on those 20-inch wheels, even if it feeds a little too much of the road surface back through your seat. The steering is well-weighted, if a little slow, but that seems deliberate as it makes the 390kW twin-turbo V12-powered limousine easy to drive smoothly through a set of curves, even at considerable pace, controlling the little body roll adroitly.
There is a Sport setting for both the engine and suspension, but even in its softest full marshmallow Comfort mode, it’s responsive and competent. Despite some wind noise up front, undetectable gearchanges, effortless torque, strong, progressive brakes and an excellent driving position will make this a chauffeur’s choice.
However, it’s the CEO or rock star in the back seat paying the bills, and despite the claim of the quietest rear compartment available, a few decibels doesn’t mean its rivals’ rear seats are exactly noisy, and it simply cannot match them for brand cache and grandeur, that sense of occasion.
This car is brilliant; the S-Class is a technological masterpiece, but this car challenging Rolls-Royce is the sort of mountain Korean carmakers faced against the Japanese two decades ago. The brand cannot be made overnight. Even if the product is superior, it doesn’t mean it will gain acceptance in certain circles.
The Mercedes-Maybach S600 – there will also be an S500 version that Australia is unlikely to get – is a brilliant car that offers quality engineering, fit and finish, is high-tech and performs strongly whether you’re the driver or passenger.
Yet chasing Rolls-Royce is a mammoth task, and won’t be achieved easily or quickly. Bentley may be slightly easier meat, with a far less advanced product, but saying you own a Bentley or Rolls has more clout than saying Mercedes-Maybach. That’s where the word authenticity rears its head. It’s not the product so much as the perception that will be the tallest order, but if anyone can do it, it should be Benz.
SPECS Model: Mercedes-Maybach S600 Engine: 5980cc V12, dohc, 48v, twin-turbo Max power: 390kW @ 4900rpm Max torque: 830Nm @ 1900-4000rpm Transmission: 7-speed automatic Weight: N/A 0-100km/h: 5.0sec Economy: 11.7L/100km (EU) Price: $449,000 On sale: Now (first deliveries Q4 2015)
In case you missed it, there was a motor show in Detroit this week.
If you haven’t been keeping up to date with the news, fear not, we’ve collated the highlights for you below.
Alfa Romeo
Roofless version of the 4C keeps everything that’s great about the coupe and adds open-top thrills and a far prettier face, courtesy of replacing the hardtop’s awful arachnid eyes with proper headlights.
Bentley
Big news for Bentley was the naming of its forthcoming SUV, now confirmed as the Bentayga. Nope, we don’t know what it means either. Elsewhere on the stand were the gloriously excessive 395kW/1100Nm Mulsanne Speed and 467kW/823Nm Continental GTC Speed.
BMW
Nothing much to see here, with the facelifted 6-Series – design tweaks, more kit, revised interior – its show highlight.
Buick
Not a brand that makes news in Australia often, but the new Avenir Concept was designed and built right here in Australia.
Ford
A huge offering from Ford, who was arguably the star of the show. Headline news was of course the new GT supercar, which Ford successfully kept (mostly) under wraps until it rolled out onto the stage, no mean feat in this digital age.
And the hits just kept coming with the track-focused Shelby GT350R and new Ford F150 Raptor, the first evidence of Ford’s new performance push, the Blue Oval aiming to release 12 new performance cars between now and 2020.
Holden
No Holden vehicles at Detroit, obviously, but plenty of praise from GM big-wigs about Holden’s importance once manufacturing ceases in 2017. The good news for performance fans is the confirmation of a V8-powered Holden sports car post-2017.
Honda
At long last Honda provided us with a production version of the NSX. Developed and built in the US, the twin-turbo V6 hybrid supercar is once again out to embarrass Ferrari, though it’ll have a much tougher job of it than last time around.
Infiniti
In such a packed show, it’s lucky Infiniti teased its Q60 Concept early, otherwise it would have been completely overshadowed. A replacement for the ageing current Q60 (nee G37), it looks great and is powered by a twin-turbo V6. It can’t come soon enough for Infiniti’s ailing local arm.
Jaguar
News from Jaguar was the naming of its forthcoming SUV, based on the C-X17 concept car. It’s been dubbed the F-Pace; we would’ve stuck with C-X17, personally.
Lexus
Another manufacturer that got in early, Lexus unveiled its GS F, complete with tasty naturally-aspirated V8 in the nose. It’ll undercut its German rivals on price, but will it offer a competitive driving experience?
Maserati
A quiet stand at Maserati, though the Alfieri sports car concept is always worth another look. The F-Type competitor will arrive in 2016 with turbocharged V6 power.
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes waged into the Coupe-SUV war with its GLE Coupe range. Armed with 430kW/760Nm, the GLE63 will be one fearsomely fast off-roader when it lands locally later this year.
Porsche
Another show, another 911 variant revealed. This time Porsche has given its Targa the GTS treatment, though creating a performance-focused version of its least focused variant (in terms of hardcore driving at least) does seem a bit redundant. Likely to be a nice thing, but probably not the 911 we’d pick.
An all-new V8 rear-driven coupe will supplant Commodore SS as Holden’s next-generation hero car.
And the mainline Commodore range will be replaced by a different, smaller, front-driven four-door sedan created by Australians for Australia.
Those are the two increasingly certain bombshells to come out of Detroit, casting clear light on Holden’s future product after it shuts shop on local car-making.
Myriad details have emerged after Australian journalists were granted intimate access to GM brass in Detroit off the back of Holden’s design and creation of the show-stopping Buick’s Avenir concept.
What seems almost guaranteed is that the breadth of Commodore’s current VF range will be substituted by two model lines built off two different platforms.
While keeping cards close to its chest, GM’s top execs have intimated that neither bound-for-Oz model will be a reskinned version of the 5.2-metre-long, Caprice-sized Avenir that’s underpinned by GM’s new Omega platform.
With GM’s steadfast move towards global platform sharing, it’s increasingly likely is that the mainline Commodore replacement will share its underpinnings with the next-generation Opel Insignia, almost certainly in front-wheel-drive form.
It’s been confirmed that development of the next four-door sedan began prior to Holden’s shutdown announcement and that the company’s local designers and engineers are elbow deep in development, with test mules already undergoing validation at Holden’s Lang Lang facility in Victoria.
GM’s product bosses have flatly stated that the downsized family car range will not carry the Commodore nameplate.
Crucially, Holden’s highly regarded design team is tasked with ‘localizing’ the four-door’s styling – while Opel’s Monza concept from the Geneva show is a key indicator to the look of the next-gen Insignia, it serves only to subscribe the size and proportions of the Australian (though imported) car.
GM has even hinted that the Commodore replacement will likely forego V6 power and with the V8 reserved for the two-door spiritual successor to the Commodore SS, leaving turbo four-cylinder power as the only feasible powerplant option.
Noises out of Detroit could, however, be wide of the mark, as rumours persist that Opel in Europe may revive its defunct Omega nameplate for a model sharing its rear-driven platform with Cadillac CTS and, perhaps, a next-gen Holden sedan.
GM seemed more forthcoming about the performance flagship coupe that will undoubtedly be built off a platform shared with the next-generation Camaro and has all but been confirmed to offer V8 power in at least one trim level.
It will, however, be a truly global product – a local rival to Ford’s Mustang – and GM has shot down suggestions it could wear either a Commodore or Monaro badge.
Interestingly, it’s been strongly rumoured that GM’s mid-sized Alpha platform, used for the Cadillac CTS and next-generation Camaro, will most likely be adopted for the coupe, putting to pasture the Zeta platform currently used for VF and Camaro.
MAYBACH is evaluating an SUV to take on the forthcoming Bentley Bentayga and mooted Rolls-Royce SUVs.
This would be the second born-again Maybach offered following the launch of the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class announced at the 2014 Los Angeles motor show as a new sub-brand for the Stuttgart-based brand.
Mercedes-Maybach will likely use the next GL as the basis for the first SUV in its top-down approach, says the product manager for the new flagship S-Class sedan, Martin Hulder.
“We are focussing on the S-Class, and then after that it is logical to think about the GL, what we will call the GLS,” Hulder said.
“I’m not going to say that we will do it, but it’s the most logical step.”
Maybach’s focus on China, where it expects 60 percent of its new sedan production to be sold, is also a fertile SUV and luxury market. Combining the two would make perfect sense, and follow Bentley into the SUV battle.
“When you look at Russia, Middle East to China, these countries are very much looking for SUVs, and an SUV also has some advantages against a sedan – the seating position for example. So therefore it’s an option.
“If you look to the GL, which has a certain substance, and you then offer a Maybach package on that, then you also come in a six-digit price range.”
Hulder also indicated that the expansion of the Maybach sub-brand may include sedans below the S-Class.
“Even that is possible. This is what we are discussing … E-Class?
“The SUV segment is a little bit more likely.”
HIGH-TECH equipment, including a removable tablet computer and the soon-to-arrive Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity systems, will help push the price of entry into the Audi Q7 closer to $100,000.
Arriving in Australia in the third quarter of 2015, the new seven-seat luxury SUV was unveiled at the Detroit motor show with a partial-electric e-Tron model as the flagship.
The all-new model, which has shed up to 325kg and adopted a cleaner, more cohesive look, will be a welcome sight for Audi dealers, who have soldiered on with the original generation Q7 that first arrived in 2006.
While Audi dominates in the small and medium luxury SUV segments – the Q3 and Q5 are comfortably top-sellers – the Q7 isn’t as successful against the BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz ML with which it competes, partly because of its age.
However, accompanying the new model and its generous lashings of gear is a price increase above the current car’s $90,500 (plus on-road and dealer costs) start price.
Audi senior product communications executive Shaun Cleary said the mid-price for the new Q7 would be about $110,000.
The Q7 will initially be offered with a 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel (with 200kW and 600Nm) or a 3.0-litre supercharged V6 petrol (245kW/440Nm), each teamed to an eight-speed auto.
The plug-in hybrid diesel in the Q7 e-Tron puts out a hefty 275kW and 700Nm, enough to launch it to 100km/h in 6.0 seconds. It teams a 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel with a 94kW electric motor.
The Q7 e-Tron is claimed to travel up to 56 kilometres on electricity alone (it can then be plugged in and recharged) while accelerating to 60km/h on electricity in 6.1 seconds.
The Q7 will also be offered with a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine for the first time (185kW/370Nm), although it hasn’t yet been confirmed for Australia, with Audi saying it is “planned primarily for the Asian markets and the USA”.
Audi will also offer an “efficiency model” of the 3.0-litre diesel, which has been tuned more for fuel economy and drops outputs to 160kW and 500Nm.
The lighter weight, a torque-vectoring system and the new multilink independent suspension system are claimed to deliver significant improvements to agility and handling.
There is also optional adjustable air suspension and an optional four-wheel-steering system for better response and high-speed stability.
But it’s the technology and connectivity in the cabin that looks set to separate the Q7 from rivals.
Audi has developed an optional iPad-like tablet for the rear seats, allowing internet browsing and activation of audio and navigation functions by back-seat passengers.
The 10.1-inch tablet – or tablets, if you option one for each side – can even be removed and used in a wireless internet zone outside the car.
The significant cost of such a tablet was necessary to ensure it lived up to the rigours of life in a car, according to Audi board member for technical development, Ulrich Hackenberg.
“We didn’t find a tablet that fulfils the automotive demands of our customers; that’s the reason why we make it ourselves,” Hackenberg said.
“The tablets on the market are not able to be used under extreme conditions. For example, take a crash – the glass of a normal tablet is not made for a crash, so if you’re head is going against this touch surface, it breaks. With our tablet, it doesn’t break.
“Or if you leave the tablet in the car, then maybe you have very high temperatures … a normal tablet is not able to live long in such temperatures. Or if it’s very cold … a normal tablet is not able to run. Our tablet is able to do that.”
The Q7 also picks up Audi’s virtual cockpit, which replaces traditional instruments with an adaptive display with increased functionality.
There is also an 8.3-inch central screen that works with a touchscreen pad to operate major vehicle and infotainment functions.
JEEP is set to get a seven-seater to fight family trucksters such as the Toyota Prado/Kluger, Ford Territory, Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sorento.
One option is the new Grand Wagoneer flagship, due in 2018, which was all but ruled out for Australia but is now on the agenda thanks to solid local sales growth.
“It may be right-hand drive but today it’s not,” said Jeep president and chief executive Mike Manley said from the floor of the Detroit motor show. “We’re at the stage where we have to make the final decision in terms of right- and left-hand drive.”
He said Jeep’s solid growth in Australia – sales grew 37 percent in 2014 to propel the brand to 12th place on the list of top sellers – was a catalyst for putting the Grand Wagoneer back on the agenda for right-hand-drive markets such as Australia.
“We have performed well in the Australian market. That’s helped all right-hand-drive markets … that has a big impact on any future investment plan.
“The vehicle at the top of the range, in the same way as Wrangler is an icon … is very important in terms of how it establishes your brand.”
Manley said it would come down to crunching numbers to create a business case for the expensive engineering required to sit the steering wheel on the right.
Even without the Grand Wagoneer, Manley said there would likely be another seven-seat option, possibly the next generation Jeep Grand Cherokee due in 2017.
“A number of other competitors have three-row, seven-seat vehicles. Certainly it’s an option for us to look at a three-row vehicle outside Grand Wagoneer,” he said. “There’s no reason why it wouldn’t be available for Australia.”
Manley said it was all about maintaining the sales momentum with the possibility of cementing Jeep as a top 10 brand in Australia.
Jeep’s 2014 growth came with just five models and one, the Grand Cherokee, accounts for more than half of Australian sales. The Grand Cherokee is the 14th best-selling model (of about 350) and the fourth best-selling SUV (of almost 100).
In 2015 Jeep will release the Renegade that will slot in as an entry level model to take advantage of growth in the fast-growing small SUV segment.
Manley said Jeep was working to improve its disappointing recall record, which involved 14 recalls in 2014 – 11 of them for the Grand Cherokee.
“We’ve taken a number of steps to address the things that are addressable in terms of the way that we handle our customers,” said Manley. “Our job is to try and produce the best quality vehicle that we can but when there is an issue make sure we deal with that situation the best we can.”
