First Drive: 2010 BMW X6 ActiveHybrid is technologically impressive... but to what end?

BMW's pitch on how great the X6 ActiveHybrid is goes like this: it's the world's most powerful hybrid vehicle, fuel consumption is reduced about 20 percent compared to a similar vehicle without a hybrid drivetrain, and no matter what speed you're going, the incredibly complicated powertrain is performing at the most efficient level possible. All of this power means that the X6 hybrid is no sluggish Toyota Prius, offering frugal but unexciting performance. On the other hand, the size and weight of BMW's luxury hybrid crossover means that, well, the X6 hybrid is no Prius in the mileage department, either.

Let's start by congratulating BMW for bringing its first batch of hybrids to market (the 7 Series ActiveHybrid is launching alongside the X6). In everyday traffic, the hybrid system helps keep fuel consumption down – to a still-lame 18 mpg combined (estimated) – and, since the engine can shut down at stops, the ultra-quiet interior made sitting in Miami traffic during our preview drive almost a pleasure. Nevertheless, there's still a lot of vehicle here that hampers any attempt at real fuel efficiency gains. The X6 ActiveHybrid weighs 5,688 pounds for crying out loud – 400 pounds more than the non-hybrid. This vehicle simply doesn't makes a lot of sense for anyone actually interested in fuel efficiency. Who does it make sense for? Follow us past the break as we try to find out.


Gallery: First Drive: 2010 BMW ActiveHybrid X6

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Photos copyright ©2009 Sebastian Blanco / Weblogs, Inc.


The ActiveHybrid powertrain in the X6 is a complex animal, being that it's made up of a twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8 engine, two electric motors (one that puts out 91 hp and a smaller brother that manages 86 hp), three planetary gearsets and a 2.4 kWh NiMH battery pack. All that machinery manages to produce 357 kW (485 horsepower) and 780 Nm (575 pound-feet) of torque. This is what BMW has created out of the two-mode hybrid system that the Bavarians co-developed with General Motors and Mercedes (think Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid and Benz S400 Hybrid). BMW claims its hybrid SUV can achieve fuel efficiency of up to 9.9 l/100 km (about 24 mpg U.S.) on the European drive cycle, but during our a few hours in the 2010 BMW X6 ActiveHybrid Sports Activity Coupe, we averaged just 14.8 liters (16 mpg U.S.).



On the way to 16 mpg, the X6 ActiveHybrid performs like one expects a BMW to. It wasn't possible to test the handling much on the straight and clogged streets of southern Florida, but the CUV had plenty of punch for entering highways – the 0-to-60 mph time is a quick 5.4 seconds – and keeping up with traffic was a doddle. Power, be it electric or gasoline-fueled, was readily available whenever we touched the accelerator pedal. As much as the drivetrain offered, we didn't get anywhere near the vehicle's electronically limited top speed of 130 mph due to traffic. The good news is that there's no need to go fast to enjoy the drive: at any speed, the X6 offers a comfortable cruise, with bumps and other annoyances passed over with ease. Also, the X6 ActiveHybrid's electrical steering feels about as good as any hydraulic system ever has - at least in these non-challenging circumstances.

For all the work that BMW engineers did to make the X6 ActiveHybrid burn less fuel, they haven't chosen to apply some of those same easy tricks across the X6 lineup. For proof, take a look at those special aerodynamic wheels that are available only on the gasoline-electric version of the X6. While they do reduce emissions by 0.1 grams of CO2 per kilometer, don't try to order them for your standard X6. The reason? BMW wants to give its first hybrid in the U.S. a distinctive look and those special wheels are one way the driver can make a statement. All is not lost, though, and BMW told us that making the aero wheels an option on the standard X6 is "in discussion."



Of course, the real efficiency gains come from the battery, not the wheels. The liquid-cooled 2.4 kWh NiMH battery pack sits between and above the rear wheels, offering the powertrain 1.4 kWh of its total power. The part-electric set-up gives the X6 four operating modes: eDrive, eBoost, Charge and Drive. eDrive is the most efficient and uses nothing but electrons to attain up to 37 mph for up to 1.6 miles. It's not a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), but it works great in parking lots and during stop-and-go traffic like we experienced in Miami. eDrive doesn't help drivers who like to engage the manual shifter, however, as it's available only when the transmission is in D, not in manual shift mode. eBoost, on the other hand, uses the two electric motors to boost the internal combustion engine's performance when needed and is the reason this beast never feels sluggish. 'Charge' mode means the regenerative brakes are capturing energy that would normally be lost from the discs, and finally, 'Drive' just means the X6 is using nothing but the V8 to move forward.

The good news is that the complicated transmission of power goes completely unnoticed, showing that BMW's engineers have done a tremendous job of blending the vehicle's electric and gasoline-fed powerplants. Shifts are wonderfully smooth and the switch from electric to hybrid to pure gasoline drive just happens. You can hear the changes if you pay close attention – and there is an analog display under the speedometer showing the battery's state of charge and whether or not it is charging up – but the best way to tell what is happening under the hood is to have the drive mode displayed on the iDrive's info screen.



Even though there are two different brake systems on the X6 ActiveHybrid, don't look to the brake pedal to reveal which is engaging. The brake pedal is decoupled from the actual brake system and uses simulated feedback to tell the driver what is happening. Most of the time (up to 0.3 Gs), only the electric motors are used to brake the X6 ActiveHybrid. In other situations (read: emergency or sudden stop), the standard friction brakes kick in. The decoupled simulation is meant to make sure the driver experiences the same feeling at all times, and it easily passes for the real thing. Because the regenerative brake system in the X6 uses both electric motors, it is able to capture about 25 times more energy than the company's other regen systems. This isn't as big a deal as it sounds, since BMW's Brake Energy Regeneration is fairly wimpy. The two 60 kW motors are theoretically capable of capturing up to 120 kW of energy, but the battery can only handle 57 kW.

The X6's design has its fans and detractors, but the Kammback shape does help the X6 stand out – for now. We can deal with the hood hump – excuse us, PowerDome – and the tall rear end most of the time, but from inside, the design is troubling. Backing-up is terrible, and the rearview mirror only serves to make the back of the car look like it's a million miles away. Luckily, BMW has installed an almost-magical back-up camera system, which, like Infiniti's Around View Monitor, uses cameras built into the rear end and under the side mirrors of the X6. When driving backwards, an image appears on the navigation screen that looks like a camera is floating above the car and showing the close surroundings. Using this screen and the curved side mirrors, it's possible to back out of a garage or parking spot safely. Trying to do so just by turning your head? Not so much.



While we're still waiting for the EPA's official figures, BMW expects the X6 ActiveHybrid will to achieve 17 mpg in the city, 19 on the highway and 18 combined. That's better (except on the highway) than what the best non-hybrid X6 can muster: 15/21/17 for the 2010 X6 xDrive35i. A better comparison for the X6 ActiveHybrid is to the X6 xDrive50i, which also has a V8 engine and gets 13/18/15. The X6 ActiveHybrid goes on sale in the U.S. next month and will be built in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The starting price is $89,775 (including an $875 destination and delivery charge), which would make it even more expensive than the 555-hp X6 M.

In the end, we're not sure who will want the X6 ActiveHybrid. Most likely they'll be people who own an aging BMW X5 and want something new with more power and no penalty at the pump (at least compared to the rest of the X6 lineup). If past popularity of big BMWs is any indication, there is certainly a market for the X6 ActiveHybrid. Today, about 20 percent of BMW sales are X models. Introduced in 1999, the X5 was the brand's first SUV and remains the most popular, with 911,000 sales. The X3 has sold 554,000 and the X6, introduced just last year, has already sold 57,000 units.

We need more time with this big hybrid crossover to be sure, but based on our short drive, the BMW X6 ActiveHybrid will probably not find itself on our shopping list. All that extra hardware (and weight) and what we expect will be the highest price of any X6 model is balanced only by a marginal gain in MPGs. For us, although it's a laudable technological achievement, the value just doesn't add up.

First Drive: SMS 570X makes 700 hp, gobs more joy

During the course of a wide-ranging, more than two-hour long conversation, we asked racing legend, aftermarket impresario and SMS namesake Steve Saleen what's the single most important thing he wants Autoblog readers to know about not only his new 700-horsepower 570X, but about SMS as a whole. Without missing a beat, Mr. Saleen cocked his head to one side and said, "That we're not a tuning shop. SMS is an Original Equipment Manufacturer."

"We're not a tuner.
SMS is an Original Equipment Manufacturer."
- Steve Saleen
Normally, when the head of a company that takes existing cars and modifies them says something like that, you nod politely and draw your own conclusions. But in the case of Steve Saleen, you err on the side of trust. For one thing, he's been at this for 25 years – in fact, a 1984 Saleen Mustang just sold for $80,000. Compare that price to other 1984 Mustangs. For another, he's the man behind the Saleen S7, a totally bespoke beast of a machine that's one of the most dominant supercar-based race cars ever.

Still, looking at the all-new SMS 570X, it's very hard not to see an aftermarket Dodge Challenger, albeit a heavily modified one. But keep on staring and you'll notice that not only are most of the body panels new, they're actually well constructed. More importantly, they fit together properly. And SMS cars come with actual warranties (three year/36,000 mile for the 570, one year/12,000 for the 570X) and have countless thousands of hours of R&D behind them. But really, it's only once the 570X's hood gets popped that you suddenly realize this ain't no backyard tuner.


Gallery: First Drive: 2009 SMS 570X

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Photos copyright ©2009 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.

The Devil's in the Engine's Details

Staring back at you from the 570X's engine bay is one of the best looking supercharged V8 mills in existence. Starting with Dodge's 5.7-liter Hemi, SMS bores and strokes it out to 6.4-liters (though SMS just informed us that they'll be going down to 6.2-liters by the time you read this). They don't start with the larger 6.1-liter in the Challenger SRT8 because it's already been bored/stroked to different dimensions. Plus, the 5.7-liter motor comes standard in the Challenger R/T, which is SMS's starting point. Now you can get a non-fettled motor hooked up to a supercharger and that will net you around 500 ponies. This car is called simply SMS 570.

Please trust us – you want the 570X.



Because with the 570X you get the bigger motor coupled to their proprietary SMS 296 Supercharger, which is one big mama-jama of a blower. But because it's so large, and because SMS's patent pending Six-Pack micro-finned intercooler technology is so efficient, the screw-type supercharger has to put out just 5.5 PSI to achieve 700 horsepower. Did we mention the 725 lb-ft of torque? You know you want that.

But numbers are exactly that – anyone can make huge numbers, but can they make them well? We believe the answer to that last question is going to separate SMS from the chaff. With the exception of the anodized fuel rail connectors, everything in the engine bay looks straight from a factory. Put another way, the engine and blower look as if they've been designed, rather than just attached. To the eccentric eye, the belt driven, auto-tensioned shaft driving the supercharger's screws might resemble the shaft powering the hydraulics on a Citroen SM, only ninety-times more stout. Also, the cold air intake pipe is bigger than a baritone saxophone.



Seeing as how the intake pipe connects to the manifold right above and between your knees, the dominant sound in the cabin is also baritone sax, albeit one plugged into a pair of Mesa/Boogie half stacks. We're sure other noises are taking place as you dip your right foot deep into the throttle's long travel, but you can't hear 'em. And that's just fine because you really ought to be concentrating on what's barreling towards you at a rapid rate. 725 pound-feet of torque is an insane amount of forward thrust to deal with, and 700 horsepower means that you won't be slowing down anytime soon.

The Other Details are Almost as Important

There are two kinds of people in this world. Those who are smitten with the looks of the new Dodge Challenger, and those who shrug their shoulders and say, "meh." Without tipping our hand too much as to which camp we belong, we will say that SMS did a bang up job on the 570X's exterior. The front splitter helps to not only lower the Challenger's overall stance, but looks less blobular. The real magic happens out back where a rear diffuser performs an optical illusion that greatly cuts the bulk of the Challenger's portly backside.



The coolest party trick is saved for the three red butterfly valves on either side the hood – they're functional! Meaning that when you goose the throttle, all six open up to allow in much needed air. Totally necessary? No, but a very cool trick that we think signifies just how serious SMS is about their products. They take that extra step. The sharp-eyed amongst will also notice the three-rectangle pattern of the induction butterflies are visually repeated throughout the 570X, most noticeably in the three box grille. In a nice touch of cubism, the three box pattern is set off by a two box pattern. Note the two gray hash marks on either side of the hood.



This theme is also repeated inside the 570X's cabin, most notably on the seats where you sit on three boxes, but recline against two. There's also some tasty pinstriping, which helps spruce up the joint. As far as the rest of the cabin goes, we appreciate the new shifter. And that's about it. Hey, contemporary Chryslers don't make very good starting points when it comes to cabins. Let's just leave it at that.

Not Your Gearhead Father's Muscle Car

Let's get this part out of the way: the SMS 570X is hugely quick. Ridiculously so. We'd just finished drifting around Irwindale with Tanner Foust and his 650-ish-hp stock car-motored Scion TC and the 570X still felt scary fast. The first time SMS design guru Phil Frank dropped the proverbial hammer (er, in this case, sledge hammer) we were pinned to our seat harder than any mega-roller coaster we've ever ridden. Just a stunning amount of power and velocity. But with that much power on tap, the results were predictable, while still impressive.

We don't want to imply that this 700-horsepower Dodge Challenger-based car is a caricature of a muscle car. As in fast in a straight line only, but hopeless everywhere else. Having now switched seats with Mr. Frank, one stomp of the custom 14-inch, six-piston front calipers and the 570X stops surprisingly well, especially for something as big and heavy as the donor car. Likewise when it comes to handling, the 570X is not just a throwback to the days of $0.29 per gallon gas. We went in expecting the 570X to wallow and root about like a hog, but because of a full SMS suspension pack, it simply doesn't.



That's not to say the Challenger's two-ton starting weight helps the 570X out any. Pounding the car (within reason) on some choice Orange County twisty roads, the 570X is a handful, albeit a delightful one. More than once the big bruiser got a little out of sorts when exiting a choppy corner. And when the supercharger is spooled up, you'd better have a firm grip on the wheel, otherwise you'll wind up in the weeds faster than a Top Chef contestant making pastries. Still, compared to a stock Challenger, the handling and composure (and ride quality) is otherworldly.

But let's not overlook the obvious. The SMS 570X is fun in the same way a mutant orange Lamborghini convertible is fun. Both are simply berserk. Wild, unrestrained, silly cars that don't make that much sense – and thank God for that! You can buy yourself a Camry 'til the cows come home but we can assure you that a year spent in four-door appliance-ville will never be half as joy-inducing as 60 minutes in the 570X. Sadly, we know this from experience. The larger point is, like any extroverted car worth its low MPG figures, we leave it realizing the world is a better place for it having existed.

In the End, We Must Conclude

We hope we surprise no one when we tell you that this particular SMS car is not a Porsche Cayman. But then again, the people in the market for more-than-potent muscle cars aren't cross shopping darty little Germans against American Iron. With this in mind, you realize that SMS might have just built the ultimate in modern muscle. You're rarely (if not never) going to lose at a stop light, the looks are stunning in that I'm-gonna-beat-you-to-death thug stance one expects from a proper muscle car and the price is much less than any other 700-horsepower car we can think of – about $85,000.



Perhaps you're not a Mopar guy, perhaps you want a bit more handling (and a lot less weight) than is on offer in the 570X. No worries, as SMS has two other modern throwbacks up its sleeve. The first is the Ford Mustang-based 460 and 460X, which will be available in either January or February 2010. The next is the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro-based 620 and 620X, which should come online sometime in third quarter of 2010.

As you can see, SMS names their cars based on the donor vehicle's engine displacement – 570 = 5.7 liters, 460 = 4.6 liters, 620 = 6.2 liters. The really impressive part is that the SMS supercharger is designed to work on all three motors with a minimum of unique parts. Obviously, the LS3-based 620X is going to be an absolute power monster. 800 horsepower isn't a bad guess. But for our money, we're most interested in the 460X, as the current Mustang GT is so good as is. 600 or so horses ought to make it divine. Whichever SMS car you choose, you'd better be prepared for one thing: Giggling like a teenager every time you hit the gas.


Gallery: First Drive: 2009 SMS 570X

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Photos copyright ©2009 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.

Filed under: Aftermarket, Coupe, Performance, Dodge, First Drive

Tags: 570, 570X, challenger, Dodge, Dodge Challenger, DodgeChallenger, featured, first drive, FirstDrive, saleen, SMS, SMS 460, SMS 460 Mustang, SMS 460X Mustang, SMS 570, SMS 570X, SMS 570X Challenger, SMS 620, SMS 620 Camaro, SMS 620X, SMS 620X Camaro, SMS Supercars, Sms460, Sms460Mustang, Sms460xMustang, Sms570, Sms570x, Sms570xChallenger, Sms620, Sms620Camaro, Sms620x, Sms620xCamaro, SmsSupercars, steve saleen, SteveSaleen

Toyota: FT-86 Will Be ‘Best in the World’ for Drifting Read more: http://www.motortrend.com/auto_news/112_0910_toyota_ft_86_could_get_celica_name/ind

Celica Name May Be Revived for Production Model; Turbo, Cabrio Versions Being Considered
October 22, 2009
/ By Paul Horrell

Toyota Ft 86 Concept Front Three Quarter
Click to view Gallery
Amid repeated promises from new president Akio Toyoda that it will start making exciting cars to pull itself out of its slump, Toyota officially unveiled the FT-86 concept edition of its 2012 “affordable” compact rear-drive sport coupe at the 2009 Tokyo show.

As we've previously reported, the FT-86 is a joint effort with Subaru, which engineered the car to Toyota’s performance targets, and will be building both the Toyota and its own version. Subaru didn’t unveil its version at the Tokyo show, instead leaving all the glory to the Toyota. Subaru’s version is expected to debut sometime next year.

It’s a proper sports-car platform, though the suspension fundamentals are familiar from the Legacy. The engine is a Subaru boxer 2.0-liter four with a Toyota head unit, normally aspirated to keep the price low but with direct gas injection. Expect 160-180 horsepower, which should be able to provide decent performance because the car is light thanks to its compactness -- just 164 inches long, which is sub-Audi TT, but with a comparatively stretchy 101-inch wheelbase. It’s also possible it will use aluminum in its construction.

Toyota Ft86 Concept Rear
Click to view Gallery
A six-speed manual transmission is mounted directly behind the engine, but the motor itself is low and well aft -- further back than in existing Subarus -- so weight distribution will be helpful to the dynamics. When asked about the actual balance, chief engineer Tetsuya Tada replied: “Many people think it should be 50:50, but we did lots of tests and that isn’t the best for drifting. That’s why the gearbox is at the front not the rear. Drifting and sliding the tail is the most important thing, and this car will be the best in the world for that.”

He added, “We have built lots of prototypes and taken them to the Nurburgring, but this isn’t just a car for the track. The steering will react instantly, and you’ll feel it not just on the track but on every junction on the way to the supermarket.”
Toyota Ft 86 Concept Grille Toyota Ft 86 Concept Rear Three Quarter Toyota Ft 86 Concept Side Exhaust
Toyota Ft 86 Concept Passenger Seat Toyota Ft 86 Concept Rim Toyota Ft 86 Concept Side Dash

Read more: http://www.motortrend.com/auto_news/112_0910_toyota_ft_86_could_get_celica_name/index.html#ixzz0X5SQQmLC
The car was styled at Toyota’s ED2 studio in the south of France. It has echoes of the FT-HS hybrid sports show car from Detroit 2007, but a roofline and greenhouse that can accommodate two small passengers in the rear. There’s a bit of fussiness to some of the strange overlapping panelwork, especially around the front wheel arches, but it’s modern, aerodynamic and distinctively Japanese.

The cockpit will obviously not survive intact to production. It’s too precious, sad to say. It sports glowing neon, milled aluminum twist-switches sprouting from the oval instrument binnacle, and a leather dash with zippers slashing across it. Fetishists would die for it. Another detail unlikely to make production is the A-posts, which incorporate slitlike vertical windows to improve visibility. But sitting in the car, it feels nicely wrapped around the driver, and not intimidating. The windshield is shallow, but even without those trick pillars you get all the visibility you need while still feeling you wear the car.

Engineer Tada, when questioned about a turbo option, replied: “This isn’t the end of the story, if you all [the assembled press] want more power.” He later told Motor Trend that if readers push for a cabrio version, they might also be rewarded.

Toyota Ft 86 Concept Interior
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President Toyoda referred several times at the Tokyo show to his company’s rear-drive sports cars, citing the MR2, the Celica and the AE86 Corolla coupe. “The fact that none of these vehicles is still being produced makes me, a serious car fan, really sad,” he said. The show-car’s FT86 name is a reference to the AE86, by the way, but Tada says the production car might be called Celica.
Toyota Ft86 Concept Front Three Quarter 2009 Toyota Ft 86 Concept Controls Toyota Ft86 Concept Side

Read more: http://www.motortrend.com/auto_news/112_0910_toyota_ft_86_could_get_celica_name/interior_exterior.html#ixzz0X5SUaKSI

What to Expect: 2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS

Mercedes is preparing a full model change of its CLS sport sedan-coupe. It will be shown at the end of 2010, and likely go in U.S. sale as a 2012 model.

The car shares its platform with the recently renewed E-Class, but the design is far more expressive. While its silhouette is an evolution of the current car, there are substantial changes to the nose, which is more upright and forceful.

We spoke to Mercedes' head of passenger car design Karl-Heinz Bauer. He explained that he believes the mainstream Benzes will have to get more subtle in their design in coming years as owners want to be less flashy about their spending and driving habits. But he says the niche models such as the CLS and other coupes and sports cars will compensate by going the other way, getting more expressive.

What this means for the CLS is that the flanks will have an exaggerated version of the crease that runs upward ahead of the rear wheel and then flicks backward. It will also have a strong curved beltline, and wraparound rear lamp clusters. These photos show the AMG 63 version, wearing plastic panel disguise. Although the hood has apparent vents, these are dummies that won't appear in production.

2012 Mercedes Benz CLS Side View
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Other big news for the CLS is that it will introduce a new family of downsized turbocharged direct gas injection engines. The technology has just been introduced on a European four-cylinder engine in the E-Class, the E250CGI. This is just a 1.8-liter four-cylinder, yet it makes 204 hp and 229 lb-ft of torque at 2000 rpm.

Benz engineers have confirmed to MT that in the next CLS, a V-6 will use the same DI turbo technology. We expect a 3.0-liter, with two outputs either side of 300 hp. A turbo V-8 will run to about 400 hp. All use the automaker's seven-speed autobox.

2012 Mercedes Benz CLS Side View Passenger 2
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Above those comes the mighty 525 hp 6.3-liter AMG version seen in these shots. Its transmission is the AMG Speedshift MCT, a seven-speed auto trans with a robotically controlled clutch pack in place of the torque converter, for smooth starts and whip-fast on-the-gas shifts. It has widened tracks, and a hybrid suspension system of coils at the front and air springs behind, with adaptive dampers. Carbon-ceramic brake rotors will be available.

It is also possible that the four-cylinder version of the CLS, as well as a CLS350 BlueTec diesel, will make it to the U.S., depending on demand (both customer and legislative) for more economical vehicles.
2012 Mercedes Benz CLS Side View Passenger 2012 Mercedes Benz CLS Rear Three Quarters View Passenger 2012 Mercedes Benz CLS Rear View

Read more: http://www.motortrend.com/auto_news/112_0910_2012_mercedes_benz_cls_news/index.html#ixzz0X5S0BCNI

McLaren MP4-12C Launch "On Track"

Rumors the MP4-12C supercar's launch has been delayed are incorrect, according to McLaren execs. "Because we have decided not to exhibit at the L.A. Show, someone has decided that means we're delaying," says McLaren Automotive PR chief Mark Harrison, who described the Web-sourced rumors as "daft". "All is still on track for production start in late 2010, with the car going on sale early to mid-2011."

McLaren Automotive technical director Dick Glover heads a 50-strong testing and development team that's been working with eight development cars (called XP cars in McLaren-speak) during the past year. The 2009 testing program has focused heavily on two of the most famous tracks in the world -- the notorious Nurburgring Nordschleife and the BBC Top Gear test track at Dunsfold Aerodrome.

Mclaren Mp4 12C Prototype Hot Weather Testing
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A McLaren MP4-12C prototype undergoing hot weather testing in Bahrain.
"Having to develop a brand new range of cars from scratch to the standards expected of McLaren, featuring ground-breaking new structures and powertrain is the ultimate challenge," says Glover. "But now we know just what the 12C is capable of, we are able to push on into 2010."

Glover's team is using experience gained from McLaren's long experience in Formula 1, where engineers continuously develop and implement major vehicle changes in very short time frames. Detailed daily reports from all MP4-12C test sessions are sent to personnel in a wide range of functions, ensuring the full range of the company's engineers, designers and management are able to contribute their experience. Simulation and rapid engineering practices -- two core aspects of a successful Formula 1 team -- are then employed to re-calibrate the XP test cars for the following day, or night's, development targets.

Mclaren Mp4 12C Prototype Test Dick Glover
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McLaren Tecnical Director Dick Glover.
A unique F1-inspired program also brings the whole development team together at one venue over a period of up to two weeks. Huge strides are gained during these intense testing periods as all car systems are stretched to their limits in combination and as a whole, rather than part by part in sequence.

"McLaren has always set itself the highest standards," says chief test driver Chris Goodwin. "We are the most successful ever motor racing team; we designed and built one of the world's most iconic sports cars in the world [the McLaren F1], and pioneered carbon fiber development on race and road cars. We took those standards into the development program for the MP4-12C."

2011 Mclaren MP4 12C Front Three Quarters View Motion 2011 Mclaren MP4 12C Rear Three Quarters View 2011 Mclaren MP4 12C Cockpit
2011 Mclaren MP4 12C Interior View 2011 Mclaren MP4 12C Side View Driver 2011 Mclaren MP4 12C Rear View

Read more: http://www.motortrend.com/features/auto_news/2009/112_0911_mclaren_mp4_12c_launch_plan/index.html#ixzz0X5Rh3xLU

Saab in Expansionist Mood

After years struggling under the slow, dead hand of GM management, Saab is in an expansionist mood once again. Not just to build the cars planned under GM management (9-5 sedan and Sportcombi, and 9-4X crossover), but to do its own replacement for the 9-3. It also wants eventually to do a 9-1 or 9-2 compact car.

But first things first. The company has two vital all-new cars to launch in the next two years. The 9-5 was seen at the 2009 Frankfurt show and will go on sale in 2010, with a Sportcombi wagon to follow in and 2011. The second is the 9-4X crossover, which was previewed accurately by the concept at the Detroit auto show in 2008. The production version shares platform and dimensions with the Cadillac SRX and will be built alongside it in Mexico.

U.S. dealers are crying out for this stuff. With the separation from GM, Saab will sell only about 8500 cars in the U.S. in 2009. Its best year was 2006, with 47,000 U.S. sales. The existing 9-5 is out of production and the new one doesn't ship until spring. Dealers in the States are surviving on used cars and service business.

The 9-5 and 9-4X should bring Saab's U.S. dealers back to life -- if they haven't died first.

2010 Saab 9 5 Rear Three Quarters View Passenger
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What's striking -- and more than a little brave -- about the new Saab is that its management wants to go beyond the GM plans and replace the 9-3 with a car that is "more unlikely than likely" (according to Global Brand & Sales Operations Director Knut Simonsson) to be derived from a GM platform. And that beyond that, he indicates, Saab wants to build a compact, a 9-1, that will take a lot of inspiration from the 9-X BioHybrid concept first seen at the Geneva auto show in 2008.

Saab usually sells 100,000-150,000 cars a year globally. How can such a small firm have such big ambitions? No car company this small in the modern era has ever survived independently with the exception of Porsche, which sells far more expensive cars. Of course, Porsche is now part of the VW Group.

By contrast, Saab is now part of the Koenigsegg Group. The tiny Swedish supercar maker's automotive business consists of fewer than 50 employees making about a dozen cars a year. Not exactly VW, or even the New GM.
2010 Saab 9 5 Front Three Quarters View 2010 Saab 9 5 Side View 2010 Saab 9 5 Rear View
2010 Saab 9 5 Engine 2010 Saab 9 5 Interior View 2010 Saab 9 5 Shifter
2010 Saab 9 5 Gauges 2010 Saab 9 5 Start Stop Button 2010 Saab 9 5 Center Console

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But the Koenigsegg Group is more than just a maker of boutique sports cars. It's backed by the strong Norwegian investment house Ecker. The Koenigsegg Group's chairman is the respected Augie K. Fabella, who founded Vimpelcom, Russia's second-largest telecom company, which was the first Russian corporation to list its shares on the NYSE.

Saab management maintains that this depth of business experience and capital will bring new speed and solidity to Saab's operations, while the automotive expertise will be provided by Saab's existing management, which has not changed since the sale by GM.

It's also important to note that Saab is in a stronger position than before because it has gone through the Swedish equivalent of Chapter 11. This has allowed it to cut debt by around three-quarters and shed a significant number of staff with no redundancy cost. GM was so keen to be rid of Saab that it has given Saab the new models without charging for their development cost, and agreed to favorable future supply terms for engines and components.

Even so, it will go against the auto industry's "bigger is better" mantra for Saab to survive. It will need to cooperate with suppliers over things such as mild hybrid systems, which it plans to do. It will also try to barter its expertise in design and ergonomics. It's a new industry model, and success is far from assured.

Saab 9 4X Rear Three Quarters View
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But Saab's key potential asset is a Chinese connection. One of the failed bidders for Saab was the Beijing Auto Industry Corp. and, since the separation from GM, BAIC has taken a 10-percent stake in the Koenigsegg. BAIC claims to be China's fifth-largest automaker, producing roughly one-million units a year, and although it builds no cars in its own name, it makes among other things Chinese-market C-Class and E-Class models for Mercedes.

Were BAIC to start building Saabs, which the Swedes say is possible, then there is potential for an as yet untapped source of sales in the world's hottest automotive market -- one that is already the largest for 9-5-size cars.

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Mazda MX-5 to be Downsized

Motor Trend has learned that Mazda will be downsizing its famed softtop and shedding precious pounds off its next-generation MX-5 Miata, currently under development at the company's Hiroshima headquarters in Japan. A source close to Mazda confirmed that the R&D team, now under the leadership of chief engineer Shuko Yamamoto, will be going back to basics to redefine the MX-5 for its proposed 2011 launch.

The goal? Getting size and weight down to where they were 20 years ago. "The current model is just too heavy," says our source. The original 1989 MX-5 weighed just 2100 lbs. and was powered by a 1.6-liter 4-cylinder engine. That is where Mazda wants to take the fourth-generation coupe, a car that today, in third-generation guise, tips the scales at a hefty 2460 lbs. According to a source inside Mazda, the R&D team will be targeting a curb weight of around 1000 kgs. or 2200 lbs. But shedding more than 250 lbs. while maintaining the current car's safety levels and spacious cockpit won't be easy.

No one knows that better than Takao Kijima, former chief engineer and father of the MX-5 since the early '90s. Never a meeting goes by that Kijima doesn't utter his signature phrase of "lightweight sports." As the years went by, he reluctantly watched his roadster pour on the pounds, reaching a weight that makes him uncomfortable, although he won't come straight out and say it. Thought Kijima still is employed as a "special adviser," the task of slimming down the MX-5 now is firmly in Yamamoto's hands.

2009 Mazda MX 5 Miata Grand Touring Side View
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Our source says that getting weight down will enable the incorporation of a smaller, lighter engine, crucial in lowering emissions and improving fuel economy. "We are testing both 1.6 and 1.8 liter engines, which undercut our current 2.0 liter unit, but deliver the same 160-170 hp power range," informs our insider. "Obviously we are giving priority to the 1.6-liter, but who knows?"

To get weight down, they'll have to fit in a smaller, lighter engine. More to the point, designers will have to be very liberal as they shave back the front and rear overhangs, because the platform and wheelbase dimensions will stay pretty much as is but use a more lightweight yet robust construction that will be critical in achieving this ambitious goal. Oh, and we are told to expect a slight drop in price, too.
2009 Mazda MX 5 Miata Grand Touring Front View 2009 Mazda MX 5 Miata Grand Touring Rear Three Quarters View 2009 Mazda MX 5 Miata Grand Touring Engine
2009 Mazda MX 5 Miata Grand Touring Cockpit 2009 Mazda MX 5 Miata Grand Touring Drivers Seat

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Opel's Unexpected Turn

Opel's Unexpected Turn
GM Keeps Its European Brand, But Troubles are Far From Over
November 05, 2009
/ By Paul Horrell

2010 Opel Astra Front Three Quarter 2
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At just about the last minute of the eleventh hour, GM has decided not to sell its European Division, Opel. Well, it had always seemed absurd to sell. Many conspiracy theorists have speculated that this week's outcome was planned all along: GM was just playing brinkmanship to get loans in place from European Governments and concessions from the unions.

It now seems the reason wasn't so sinister.

Back in the spring, Opel was losing money fast, and at the time, GM -- mired in its own financial mess -- couldn't afford to prop it up. In any case, visibly sending domestic tax dollars to a foreign unit would have gone against very public promises by Washington.

But GM came out of bankruptcy in July. At that point it could have done the right thing and saved Opel. Instead it has waited until now. Partly that's because the economic conditions have turned in its favor. GM is running ahead of its plan, and Opel isn't doing so badly either.

But there's another reason for the reversal.

Opel Ampera Front Three Quarters View
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The Opel Ampera will bring the Volt's technology to Europe.
A fascinating timeline emerged from John Smith, who had led the sale negotiations from GM's side. On August 1, GM got a new board, with seven new members, some from outside the auto industry. Smith says the board looked at the money Opel was losing, and the cost of restructuring, and considered the job too hard, so the decision was made to continue with the sale plan.

But Opel was always integral to GM's operations. Since GM product development went global in about 2005, Opel is the global center for compact and medium car platforms. It developed the platform for the Chevy Cruze (which, adapted, goes under the Volt too), the Buick Lacrosse and new Regal. It is the center for U.S.-relevant fuel-efficient four-cylinder engines, too. And by the same token, Ford is pinning its revival on cars designed by its own European division.

Smith implied -- but didn't quite say -- that the neophytes on GM's board just didn't comprehend the need for GM to retain this global strategy. Nor could they see how hard it would be to untangle the intellectual property, the component manufacture, the purchasing, of Opel from GM. Or hard it would be to replace that engineering expertise. Now the board has learned.

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True, GM had planned to keep 35 percent of Opel, and deal with the Europeans as an 'alliance'. But that would have been difficult, given the proposed buyer of the majority stake.

The deal envisaged selling some 55 percent of Opel to a consortium led by supplier Magna. Half the money for that bid was to have come from Sberbank, the Russian state bank, with a view to starting a modern Russian carmaking industry.

GM has a strong Chevy footprint in Russia. If Russian-built Opels, using technology developed for Chevys, were to have hit the market there, there would have been tense conversations between the parties. Or as Smith tactfully put it, 'We would have had an energy-intensive relationship, and likely no continuous alignment on product development or purchasing.'

But hard times lie ahead for Opel workers. Back in spring, when Opel was in its worst financial crisis, GM devised an Opel Viability Plan. It entailed cutting 10,000 off the workforce of 55,000 in Europe, closing three of its nine plants and making structural cost cuts of 30 percent.

2010 Opel Astra Front
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The new Astra may also end up in Buick dealers in some form.
That basic plan was never queried by either of the bidders, RHJI or the Magna consortium. They planned to do very similar things: "There was very little daylight" between GM's restructuring plan and theirs, says Smith. But crucially, Magna said it would save German jobs at the expense of those in Britain, Spain and Poland, and so the German Government weighed in with support for that bid.

GM now needs to convince several Governments all over again of the need to restructure Opel, and to get some loans from them to do it. Smith remains confident he can do so.

But he might have trouble with the Germans, whose Economy Minister Rainer Bruederle said after the reversal of the sale, "The behavior of General Motors towards Germany is totally unacceptable." Other recent reports indicate the Russians are also livid over GM's decision, which could possibly impact the automaker's operations in the country. So while keeping Opel may indeed turn out to be the right move in the long run, GM must start mending fences quickly, or it could have yet another intractable mess on its hands.

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