Honda Civic (2012): the first teaser info and video

Honda has gone official with the new 2012 Civic. Sort of. It's issued this single disguised photograph of the new Civic, and a brief video with some background on the chassis development.
As yesterday's scoop of the Civic showed, the 2012 Civic will be a bit longer and lower than today's model. And there will be a new range of engines powering the front-drive chassis, eventually including a new compact diesel thought to be around 1.4 litres in capacity.

Honda Civic (2012): the chassis

The rear axle sticks with a torsion beam suspension. Honda argues it give more boot space – something Honda claims will be class-leading – than a full independent system as found in the VW Golf or Ford Focus.
Honda engineers will bang on about their new fluid-filled compliance bushes on the ends of the twist beam, which are designed to improve ride and handling. The current, eighth-generation Civic has never been at the top of class for dynamics, an area Honda clearly wishes to address.
You can watch the Honda engineers talking about the new suspension in the short film below.

When will we see the new Honda Civic for real?

After a long teaser campaign. Expect a series of mini announcements before we see the car for real on 13 September at the 2011 Frankfurt motor show.
The new, ninth-generation Honda Civic goes on UK sale in spring 2012.


source : http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/News/Search-Results/First-Official-Pictures/Honda-Civic-2012-the-first-teaser-info-and-video/

[ CAR review] Audi R8 V8 Spyder (2011)

The lesser-engined R8 is arguably the most conceptually perfect of Audi’s supercar family. Why? Because it’s the R8 that most closely resembles an extreme Audi without delusions of Ferrari. You can admire it as much for its honesty as for its ability. And, even without its roof, boy does it have ability…

No V10 and no roof? Compromised surely?

You might not be saying that at 186mph. In fact, you might not be saying ANYTHING at 186mph. But the R8 V8 feels perfectly engined, beautifully balanced and in no way structurally hampered by its rooflessness. It’s incredibly comfortable with the roof down, even at speed (though possibly not at 186mph) and driving it this way allows you to drink in the delightfully mellow throatiness of the 4.2-litre 24-valver behind you.
This isn’t a Ferrari-style howl or even the thunderous torque-rush of sister act Lamborghini – no, it’s more of a rising surge, an escalation of pitch rising to a racy crescendo up around the 7000rpm mark.

This model has a manual gearbox. Better or worse than the auto?

A matter of taste, obviously, but for me the manual wins through every time. You’ve got to hand it to Audi for delivering the six-speed shifter with an open gate, reminding us of the glorious past now busily being left behind by the supercar glitterati. The noisy clack of the aluminium stick slamming into the gate is delicious, and all the more so for the sympathetic stacking of the ratios which, unlike those long-geared, big-beat Lambos, allows you to play with the whole selection on a normal drive.
I recently had the pleasure of the open-gate manual in the Lamborghini Gallardo Balboni, but this R8 is even better because of that sympathetic usefulness. It defines the whole car. The R-tronic is naturally readily available and most R8s will pack it. Your call, but a nice dilemma to have.

What about the price? Can we call it good value?

That’s the beauty of the V8 model. Yes, it’s £96k, but that’s £20k less than the V10, and I absolutely guarantee you’ll never catch yourself yearning for those extra pots. Whether any Audi can ever really be lux enough to justify such a tag is a moot point. On the one hand, the interior is massively understated, beautifully built but willfully underdesigned, but on the other hand it’s pretty much knob-for-knob what you’ll get in your wildly pricey Gallardo.
If you wanted to criticise you’d have to admit that when the roof’s up the whole experience falters somewhat. It’s cramped in there, visibility is radically curtailed and the happy noise of the engine is replaced by a less pleasing vibey thrum from the wind. But you can say that about most super-cabrios.
And this R8 IS a super-cabrio.

source : http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/Drives/Search-Results/First-drives/Audi-R8-V8-Spyder-2011-CAR-review/

[pictures] BMW i3 Concept (2011)

This is the BMW i3 Concept, a near-production preview of Munich’s new urban vehicle. Previously known as the Megacity Vehicle (MCV), it’s an all-electric carbonfibre and aluminium car that BMW will sell from 2013 as part of its new ‘i’ range – the i8 supercar has also been unveiled today. Both the BMW i3 and i8 concepts will be revealed at the 2011 Frankfurt motor show in September.

Is the BMW i3 just an electric Mini with a different badge?
Oh no. Beneath the stylish skin is BMW’s new LifeDrive architecture. The Drive element comprises the suspension, battery and drive systems, plus the aluminium structural and crash elements, while the Life part is the high-strength and lightweight carbonfibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) passenger cell.
The LifeDrive set-up features in both the i8 and i3, but it’s different in the latter because of its all-electric configuration. The Drive element sits low, containing the big lithium-ion batteries (held in place and protected by aluminium ‘profiles’) for optimum weight distribution and a low centre of gravity, and the Life element is mounted on top. Think of the body-on-chassis configuration of American pick-up trucks – albeit a little more complex – and you’ll be along the right lines.

And this i3 is electric?

That’s right. An electric motor (mounted over the rear axle and driving the rear wheels via a single-speed gearbox) produces 168bhp and 184lb ft, the latter from zero rpm – it’s 40% smaller than the motor found in the Mini E. With a 1250kg kerbweight it’s enough, BMW claims, for 0-37mph in less than four seconds, and 0-62mph in under eight seconds. Top whack is 93mph, and the batteries can be fully charged in six hours from a domestic plug, or up to 80% in 60 minutes from a high-voltage socket.
But, just in case you’ve got range anxiety, there’s an REx (or range-extender) option, which installs a three-cylinder petrol engine into the i3 to power a generator and keep the batteries topped up. Stick with solely EV power and BMW reckons on a 80 to 100-mile range, or 140 miles if you really push it. An Eco Pro mode helps increase the range, and the Eco Pro+ mode dials back the air-con, heater and other ancillaries as much as possible.
Size-wise the i3 is 3845mm long, 1537mm tall and a chunky 2011mm wide, making it shorter and taller than a Ford Fiesta, but very nearly as broad as a Lamborghini Aventador. The 2570mm wheelbase is lengthier than the Blue Oval’s supermini, and although the 200-litre is pretty small, the rear bench folds and there’s a cubbyhole in the nose.

What else?

The horizontal LifeDrive split means there’s no traditional transmission tunnel, leaving space for full-width benches both up front and in the back. And (how cool is this?) there are suicide doors too – though BMW would rather we call them ‘coach’ doors.
Both the i3 and i8 feature a ‘three-layer’ interior, with the outer, supporting structures in white, the inner layer consisting of the seats and storage areas, and the black level inbetween made up of the instrument panels and other technical elements. There’s a 6.5in screen for the instrument panel, and a 8.8in central screen.
And BMW is very proud of the materials used in the interior: some of the instrument panel and door paneling uses natural fibres, the leather seats are naturally tanned, and 25% (by weight) of the interior plastics come from recycled or renewable raw materials.

What about the exterior styling of the new BMW i3?

Lots of aerodynamic elements crafted over transparent surfaces serve to make the i3 look much more interesting than any other small car. It’s not quite as extreme as the i8, but there are still ‘AirCurtains’ to ensure optimum air flow around the wheel arches, and aeroflaps in the sills behind the front wheels, both of which are claimed to substantially reduce drag. There’s also a completely smooth and enclosed underbody. The kidney grilles are blanked off (there’s no engine to feed), the wheels are tall but narrow 19in items, and there are energy saving LED headlamps, too.
And while the styling is fairly futuristic, so are some of the mobility solutions. Beyond the necessary smartphone connectivity (so you can check the charge of your EV remotely), the i3 also features BMW’s new Front Protection system, with a camera that scans the road ahead and warns of potential collisions – it can also detect pedestrians below 37mph and brake the car. Parking Assistant steers and manoeuvres the i3 into tight spaces without you need to do anything, and Traffic Jam Assistant steers, accelerates and brakes you in traffic jams at speeds up to 25mph, as long as you keep one hand on the wheel. Plus the ‘Last Mile Navigation’ system can guide you on foot for the last steps of your journey, and the ‘Intermodal Route Planning’ finds your best sat-nav route using private and public transport.
UK sales start in 2013, and prices are expected to be in excess of £20,000.

Sources:
http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/News/Search-Results/First-Official-Pictures/BMW-i3-Concept-2011-first-official-pictures/