Motoring News
Today, 18 February 2015Rolls-Royce gears up to launch 4x4
SUV will prove big departure for luxury carmaker
read moreFaster, lighter Lotus Evora 400 flagship confirmed for Geneva show
New Evora 400 features more power and improved packaging and handling; on sale in late summer
Lotus is poised to unveil a faster, lighter, better-packaged version of its flagship, the Evora 400, at next month’s Geneva motor show.The 400, which will be the fastest production Lotus yet built, is the first fruit of a dramatic sales and product push masterminded by the firm’s new boss, Jean-Marc Gales, whose aim is to treble volume to around 3500 cars a year in the next three years.Sales for 2014-2015 are already up 63% year on year and are on target to beat the first-year mark of 2000 cars set by Gales.The revised Evora, which will go on sale in August, priced from about £70,000, carries the ‘400’ tag because the output of its supercharged 3.5-litre V6 has been raised by 16% to 400bhp. In total, 60% of the car’s parts are new. It has all-new nose and tail styling, the cabin is completely redesigned and major modifications have been made to the extruded aluminium chassis tub, which now has greatly improved cabin access. The car’s dynamics have been refined, high-speed downforce has been improved and kerb weight has been cut by 22kg.Lotus is so confident of the Evora 400’s enhanced appeal that it is creating two production lines at Hethel (separating the Elise/Exige line and that of the Evora) and hiring an extra 150 production workers. This all forms part of a plan to lift producti
read moreWhy an SUV can be a real Rolls-Royce
An artist's rendering of how the Rolls-Royce SUV could look
Rolls-Royce's history of adventure means its 4x4 should be welcome, not shocking
Is the notion of a Rolls-Royce 4x4 really all that shocking? Innovative, exciting and intriguing, yes. But shocking? I don’t think so.
It’s not hard to imagine the core values of Rolls-Royce transferring to this new arena. Space, comfort, refinement and luxury are easily imagined. The only serious question mark must be over the exterior styling, but Rolls has quite openly stalled for a long time while it resolves the issue.
Some may suggest that an SUV rails against the firm’s heritage and that such a vehicle couldn’t ever acquire the authenticity required at such a rarified price point. But that’s to overlook that Rolls-Royces have long been used for long-distance adventures through barren landscapes. This new SUV should only reinvigorate that tradition.
It’s intriguing, too, that Rolls-Royce's plans to base it on a new platform which will eventually underpin other cars in the range. Bespoke attributes should be a Rolls-Royce hallmark. A move from BMW architecture marks a significant shift from that which has gone before and mirrors the stance of the likes of Bentley and Lamborghini.
read moreHonda HR-V to be unveiled in Geneva
The Honda HR-V sits on a similar platform to the Jazz and Civic
New HR-V compact SUV to be seen in production-ready form at Geneva ahead of UK sales beginning this summer
The Honda HR-V will go on sale in the UK this summer following its public debut at the Geneva motor show next month.Revealed in prototype form at the Paris motor show last year, the HR-V is based on a similar platform to the Civic hatchback and the Jazz supermini. Honda sees an opportunity with the HR-V to provide a small car with SUV styling to take advantage of the current trends for compact crossover cars.As well as rivalling the likes of the Nissan Juke and Vauxhall Mokka, Honda will be going after the same style-conscious customers who buy the Renault Captur.Due to be available in the UK in two-wheel drive form only, the HR-V will be powered by two engines at launch - an all-new 128bhp 1.5-litre petrol engine and a 118bhp 1.6-litre diesel, versions of which are shared with the Civic hatch and CR-V SUV. The petrol engine will be available with a CVT automatic gearbox but both engines will come with a six-speed manual transmission as standard.The Japanese manufacturer also claims the HR-V will offer better refinement than its rivals, with high levels of acoustic insulation and sound-deadening.Honda claims the interior will be of the same high qu
read moreOfficial: Rolls-Royce 4x4 confirmed
Rolls-Royce 4x4 has been confirmed for production; this is an artist's rendering of how it could look
Letter informs stake holders that Rolls-Royce 4x4 will be built; production mooted for 2017
A Rolls-Royce SUV will be built, the company has officially confirmed.Rolls bosses made the announcement today in a one-page open letter to all stakeholders in the project - potential customers, employees, suppliers and media - signed by CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös and chairman Peter Schwarzenbauer, and seen exclusively by Autocar. The pair are taking special pains to communicate early with Rolls-Royce owners, “because many of our discerning customers have urged us to develop this car”. The decision, made in Goodwood but green-lighted at the highest echelons, is a personal triumph for Müller-Ötvös, who loved the idea from the start and has been instrumental in making the business case for it.Blog: Why an SUV can be a real Rolls-Royce“I am proud to confirm that we are developing an all-new, high-bodied Rolls-Royce,” he told Autocar, studiously avoiding the term ‘SUV’. “I’m confident it will deliver on our brand’s promise of supreme luxury while being effortless everywhere.”Müller-Ötvös believes ‘effortless everywhere’ describes the Rolls-Royce 4x4’s mission particularly well and says he intends to use the words throughout the model’s gestation.The Rolls-Royce 4x4 is likely to become the global flagship for a vehicle segment whose sales, across all class
read more2015 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 revealed - exclusive pics and video
Ultimate version of the Vantage gets a 592bhp V12, an extensive aerodynamic package and a £250,000 price tag
The new race-inspired Aston Martin Vantage GT3 is the most powerful and focused road model that the company has made.The 592bhp-plus 5.9-litre V12-powered model will be built in a limited production run of just 100 units, each costing about £250,000. Most of the production run is understood to have already been snapped up by Aston Martin’s VIP customer base ahead of the car’s Geneva motor show debut next month.The new Aston is based on the V12 Vantage S road car and inspired by the Vantage GT3 race car. It makes extensive use of lightweight materials inside and out — including carbonfibre, magnesium, titanium and aluminium — to reduce its kerb weight by up to 150kg over the 1665kg V12 Vantage S with all the lightweight options fitted. In its standard form, the Vantage GT3 weighs 1565kg.An extensive aerodynamic package also features on the Vantage GT3, as does a more focused seven-speed automated manual transmission, wider tracks, revised adaptive damper settings and a new titanium exhaust system.David King, director of the Aston Martin Special Projects arm that created the model, told Autocar the aim was to “create the essence of a GT3 racer in a still-legal Vantage road car”.King added: “We wanted to push the Vantage as far as we could to make a more extreme track day car that’s visually and functio
read moreAston Vantage GT3 - official!
600hp, 1,565kg and 100 units only for ultimate Aston Vantage
read moreLotus Evora 400
Lighter, faster and heavily updated 400hp Evora is new boss's vision of what Lotus SHOULD be
read more
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