Kia’s rival for the Toyota 86 – GT4 Stinger – created a sensation in Detroit.
Wheels can reveal the “affordable sports car” with rear wheel drive is just two years away from production and is, according to one insider, certain to be sold in Australia.
The concept, powered by a 235kW turbocharged version of Kia’s 2.0-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine from the US Optima sedan, drives via a six-speed manual gearbox. The 4.3m-long Stinger, designed in Kia’s California design studio, is built on a unique platform with double wishbone suspension, a clear indication of just how serious the Koreans are in tackling Toyota.
Tom Kearns, designer chief at Kia’s American studio says, “Driving enjoyment was the number one priority in the GT4 Stinger. It’s a 2+2 sports car that can turn heads as a daily driver while also being right at home on the track. It’s about purity, simplicity and timelessness. The GT4 Stinger is a throwback to days when driving a car was a visceral experience that wasn’t muted by electronic gimmickry.”
Officially, Kia says that while there are no plans bring the concept to production, the company has a “history of delivering production vehicles that bear a strong resemblance to the concept that preceded them, and the GT4 Stinger provides a possible and highly provocative glimpse into Kia’s future.”
The Stinger’s clean lines, beautiful detailing and a profile that could come from the Audi Quattro concept, mark this down as one of Kia’s most successful designs. Look out Toyota.
Nissan calls it the SSC – for Sport Sedan Concept – but we can tell you it’s an official preview of the next 2016 Maxima.
The SSC is a design exercise for a so-called four-door sports car, that’s intended to demonstrate the next generation of Nissan design, but in reality the new Maxima will be a mildly toned-down version of this car.
Current Nissan styling cues can be seen in the SSC, only with a more futuristic look. The boomerang headlights and taillights are more exaggerated and full of LEDs.
Nissan’s new signature grille pumps up the V-motion graphics, while the sharply creased wheel arches are reminiscent of the GT-R. The concept car rides on 21inch wheels and looks both sporting and incredibly aggressive, a dramatic shift from previous Nissan designs.
The inside, too, is futuristic, with an obviously production-ready layout. The gauges and infotainment system are translucent blue displays with silver trim, and the words, numbers, and images appear to hang in space.
The controls and dashboard, doors and centre console, headlights and door mirrors all look real, indicating this is no fantasy concept.
Nissan says the SSC is powered by a 3.5-litre V6 with CVT transmission driving the front wheels, but the new Maxima is also expected to get a turbo four-cylinder engine and probably a hybrid version.
So we saw pictures of Chevrolet’s performance flagship a few days ago, but what we didn’t know was how much grunt the track-focused Corvette Z06 would have.
Until now.
Officially unveiled in Detroit just hours ago, Chevrolet has released the Z06’s official performance figures – and they’re mighty impressive.
Powered by a massive, all-new 6.2-litre LT4 supercharged V8, the new Z06 churns out a colossal 466kW/861Nm and should hit 0-100km/h in a Ferrari-beating 3.0 seconds.
That means the Z06 has even more grunt than the previous king of the Vette, the ZR1 which would only manage 819Nm.
But don’t think the Z06 is just a big engine. Rumour suggests it’s one of the fastest road cars ever to lap GM’s test circuit, with its new lightweight chassis, upgraded brakes (ceramics are an option) and tyres and trick new aero the key to its new speed.
Engineering wizardry means the Z06 is also 60 percent stiffer than the previous car, with GM also offering two transmissions – a seven-speed manual and, somewhat controversially, an eight-speed torque converter automatic.
But if sliding under the radar is your thing, the Z06 isn’t for you. Even GM exec Mark Reuss called it “the big nasty”.
KOREA’S first-ever rear-drive luxury sedan series will finally surface in Australia from the third quarter of this year, Hyundai has confirmed.
Details are still scare, but a sub-$60,000 opening price-tag is expected when sales of the second-generation Genesis commence Downunder in July, as Hyundai targets mid-range versions of the BMW 3 Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Audi A4, Lexus IS and Infiniti Q50.
Of course, at almost five metres long, it will be a much larger sedan proposition than those rivals, so the homegrown Holden Calais V V8 (from $52,990) and Ford G6E Turbo (from $56,235) heroes, as well as the hot-selling Chrysler 300 (from $43,000), will also be hit hard, Hyundai hopes.
But the 313kW/519Nm 5.0-litre ‘Tau’ V8 or new ‘HTRAC’ variable torque-split all-wheel drive versions that headlined the Detroit motor show reveal this morning won’t be coming to Australia any time soon, since neither have been engineered for right-hand drive configuration.
That situation will not change unless Hyundai can interest other RHD markets such as the United Kingdom, Japan, and South Africa to take on these features.
Hyundai will instead introduce one highly specified Genesis powered by a (circa) 248kW/397Nm 3.8-litre ‘Lambda’ direct-injected V6, driving the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission.
While the platform is a stretched and heavily revised version of the first model introduced elsewhere in 2009, much has been changed or modified, with a longer wheelbase, shorter overhangs, a five-link independent suspension layout, rack-mounted motor-driven electric power steering with variable gear ratio, and 52/48 front-to-rear weight distribution ratio headlining the advances.
Additionally, the Genesis II sees a massive increase in ultra high-strength steels. Now making up over half of the total platform composition, it promises improved rigidity and refinement levels. Hyundai claims its luxo barge beats BMW’s 5 Series for torsional and bending rigidity. Development testing included stints in Germany (Nurburgring), Korea and USA.
However, company PR boss Bill Thomas revealed that the four-door sedan is also currently undertaking the most extensive Australian suspension retune in the company’s history, to help ensure the newcomer can match the lauded VF Calais and Mercedes E-Class for ride/handling comfort, balance and control.
“We’re tuning the new Genesis to suit the unique demands of local roads,” he said.
Befitting its role at the top of the ever-swelling Hyundai model range, the sedan features greater interior volume than the E-Class, 5 Series, Lexus GS and Infiniti M/Q70.
Achieving class-leading quality of fit and finish has been of prime focus, with the dashboard presentation and layout striving to emphasis elegance, simplicity and user friendliness, according to the US press blurb.
The standard kit call should include radar-based autonomous braking and cruise control, blind spot and lane-departure detection devices, lane-straying warning, a bells-and-whistles communications and multimedia and sat-nav interface as part of a 9.2-inch high-def touchscreen system, a heads-up display, rear-seat sunshades, electrically adjustable and ventilated seating, 18-inch alloys, and the obligatory lashings of leather and matt chrome.
There is no word as to whether Oz-bound models will feature Hyundai’s new Blue Link system – a Cloud-based platform that allows remote engine starting and service information data to be accessible via wearing devices such as Google Glass.
According to John Elsworth, Chief Executive Officer, Hyundai Motor Company Australia, the Genesis II sedan has what it takes to tackle the luxury brands on every level.
“This high-tech machine is the ideal showcase for what Hyundai can do, and is a superbly-engineered car, fit to rival the best from Europe at a substantially more accessible price point,” he stated.
When sales start in North America this month, the base Genesis V6 will kick off from under $US40,000 ($A45,000).
However, to help establish the model, Hyundai Motor Company Australia may adopt a similar philosophy to that Lexus employed when it debuted the LS 400 in 1990 by offering a heavily equipped all-in-one package in the circa-$60,000 region.
The second-generation Genesis Coupe won’t land in Australia before 2016.
Ford’s all-new F150 is hugely significant and not just because for 32-years it’s been the best-selling vehicle in America.
The radical new pickup truck features an aluminium body – a first on such a high volume 750,000 a year vehicle – that reduces weight by up to 300kgs and an all-new 2.7-litre Ecoboost V6 engine.
Ford intends both the alloy body technology and the V6 to filter down through its truck range, including the next Explorer (delayed by 18-months to incorporate the alloy body), and eventually to the next generation of high volume cars.
“Some people (within Ford) saw it as a risk, but it was a bigger risk to do nothing,” CEO Alan Mullaly told Wheels.
Stringent upcoming American fuel standards forced Ford to act to slash mass out of its best seller. The F150 benefits from Ford’s experience with alloy gained when the Blue Oval owned both Aston Martin and Jaguar.
Pete Friedman, an American engineer who worked on the original all-alloy Jaguar XJ, says a team of 10 former Jaguar engineers also worked on the new F150 program.
In designing the backbone of the F-150, Ford Motor Company engineers improved the truck’s fully boxed ladder frame, which now incorporates high-strength steel to make it stronger and lighter. Aluminium, featuring a similar grade to that used in the military and aerospace industry, has been applied to the body.
Buyers of the 2015 F-150, which despite the One Ford philosophy is not engineered for right hand drive, have four options to choose from. New to the F-150 nameplate is a 2.7-litre EcoBoost V-6 engine, with a stop-start system to further save fuel, that is said to be comparable with “mid-range V-8s” in the power stakes thanks to turbocharging and direct-injection.
The rolling chassis brings no surprises: front coils with double-wishbone setup, and Hotchkiss-type live axle setup with leaf springs at the rear. Steering is handled by rack-and-pinion gear, with electric boost, and there are four-wheel vented disc brakes.
You can bet a Baja-inspired SVT Raptor variant is waiting in the wings. In developing the new 2015 F-150, Ford even ran a disguised prototype in the Baja 1000, without anybody recognizing the new model.
Porsche has wound back the clock in Detroit, revealing a new Targa with design that harks back almost half a century.
This new, seventh generation Targa, is full of retro inspired details – like its fixed B-piller hoop, or Targa bar – albeit with a modern, electrically operated roof that allows for open top driving with the push of a button.
As always with Porsche, the new cloth roof if wonderfully over engineered and features fabric-covered magnesium roof panels which fold into a Z-shape and stow behind the rear seats.
Based on the new 991 Carrera 4 Cabriolet, the Targa is tipped to share the same dimensions and power as Porsche’s other four-wheel drive models, meaning a 257kW 3.4-litre flat six in standard guise, or a 294kW 3.8-litre unit in the Targa S.
Expect the Targa to hit Aussie roads around May.
Harder, faster, angrier: meet the Chevrolet Corvette C7.R.
Just unveiled at the Detroit motor show, this track-tuned racer was a surprise showing with everyone waiting for the road-going Corvette Z06.
But while we’d already seen the Z06 courtesy of leaked images, it was the C7.R that made the biggest bang.
Built to race at the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona later this month, the C7.R is based on the new Z06, sharing the road car’s aluminium frame, splitters and cooling ducts, but not its monstrous 6.2-litre supercharged V8 engine.
Instead, power comes from an enhanced version of the 5.5-litre V8 used in the previous racing Vette, the C6.R, which we know to be very, very loud.
God bless America.
The Toyota Supra is back! Well…not really, but Toyota basically blew the doors off its hall in Detroit this morning by unveiling this – the FT-1 concept.
Standing for ‘Future Toyota’, the FT-1 hails a more exciting future for Toyota which has promised to stop building “boring cars”.
Toyota is desperate to appeal to a younger audience (the type who grew up on computer games and social media), with the FT-1 the first attempt.
The catch? Sadly, despite its striking looks – which many hope could hint at a potential Supra successor – Toyota has no plans to put the FT-1 into production.
No word on engines or performance either, but with those provocative Lexus LFA-inspired curves and interior, it’s clear Toyota’s vision for the future is on the right track.
No you don’t need glasses. What you’re looking at really is a Kia.
Cool, right? Officially called the GT Stinger, this provocatively styled coupe has just been unveiled in Detroit and shows how a Kia rival to the wildly-popular Toyota 86 could look.
Designed in the US at Kia’s California studio, the GT is powered by a highly-worked version of the brand’s venerable 2.0-litre turbo four and sends 235kW to the rear wheels.
Power is shuffled through a close-ratio six-speed manual, with the GT’s custom chassis, lightweight body and independent rear suspension proving it’s more than simply a design exercise – this is a sportscar Kia could actually build.
Fingers crossed it does…
The second stage in Toyota’s resurrection of a sports car range took a giant leap with the Detroit unveiling of the FT-1 concept, a potential spiritual successor to the Supra.
Akio Toyoda’s insistence that the 86 coupe be joined by sports cars above and below the hugely successful coupe will clamour for a production version of the FT-1. FT – for Future Toyota – also represents a new design philosophy that is also intended, according to designer Tom Matsumoto, to filter through to the next generation of Toyota production cars.
Toyota refused to provide any technical details for the front-engine/rear drive coupe, except to say the aim is a 50/50 weight distribution, with the exposed engine mounted well back and behind the front axle line. FT-1 is planned for a conventional engine and is not part of Toyota’s collaboration with BMW to build hybrid sports cars.
Work on FT-1 only started in mid-2013 but if the ultra-positive reaction in Detroit was any guide, Toyota should push the green light for production.
Matsumoto, a Japanese born-designer working at Toyota’s Calty research centre in California, says the car is a runner but refused to identify the engine.
The clean, more rounded and muscular design “carved out of the wind” says Matsumoto, is cleaner, with tauter surfaces, than the 86, but the same long bonnet, short overhangs profile.
He says the car is intended to be track ready. Design inspiration comes from the 2000GT, especially in the way the wraparound windscreen is flush with the A-pillars.
Matsumoto, who owns both an 86 and a 2006 Porsche Cayman, describes the way the body moves up over the rear wheel arch as, “ like a wave.” Believe me, this is a beautiful car.
“Very cool” says Julian Thompson, head of advanced design at Jaguar. The car is soon to feature on Gran Turismo 6, surely the best possible indication that Toyota is serious about a production version.
