01-06-2012 08:00
+++ ASTON MARTIN will revive the Vanquish name for its new V12 supercar to replace the DBS. The Vanquish was arguably the first major-league hit of the modern Aston era and sold from 2001-2007. Conceived under the leadership of Ulrich Bez, appointed CEO in 2000 and still at the helm today, it pioneered the design style and technical hardware which have gone on to underpin the entire current Aston range. Now it's back for 2013. The AM310 design concept that was shown at last weekend's Villa d'Este concours d'Elegance is a barely disguised look at the new DBS successor. The second-generation Vanquish has a very different back from the current crop of Astons. There's an elegant integrated rear spoiler, looping neatly into the rear deck with the smoothness of the wings on the Lotus Evora/Porsche Boxster. A pair of blunderbuss exhausts straddle a large diffuser panel, designed for maximum aero efficiency and air-cleaving. The boomerang-shaped rear lamps are very distinctive and are clearly inspired by the One-77 hypercar, of which only 77 were produced. It's clear that Aston's Veyron has a wider purpose and will inspire future generations of Aston Martin sports car. Expect to see the new V12 Aston Martin Vanquish Mk2 formally unveiled in summer 2012. +++ Ford is in talks with local partners to introduce indigenous brands in CHINA as it plays catch-up in the world's biggest auto market with the likes of General Motors and Volkswagen. Such a move would see Ford join other foreign car makers in launching indigenous China-only brands, in part to comply with government rules that allow them to make cars on the mainland. "We are always in discussions with our joint-venture partners", David Schoch, chairman and CEO of Ford's China operations, told in an interview. "All I can tell you is we are studying indigenous brands, but our total focus in terms of brand enhancement is really on the Ford brand". China's vehicles market, which includes cars, vans and trucks, will likely expand by around 5 percent this year and that pace of growth was likely to be sustained over the next few years, Schoch added. China's 2011 vehicles sales stood at 18.5 million. Ford, which makes its Fiesta, Focus, Mondeo and other sedans in China in a three-way tie-up with Chongqing Changan Automobile and Japan's Mazda, is a relative latecomer in China, where General Motors and Germany's Volkswagen have a sizeable lead. It also holds 30 percent of Jiangling Motors, which makes Ford's Transit vans. Typically, China-only brands use older technology that foreign companies no longer use, enabling them to keep vehicle costs lower and at the same time help Chinese partners learn the ropes in developing and marketing modern cars. Schoch was speaking after Volkswagen elevated China's status within its sprawling empire and reasserted control over its wayward trucks brands with an extensive overhaul of senior management, as it bids for global market dominance. Ford, which avoided a bankruptcy filing and was the only U.S. auto maker not to take a government bailout in 2009, shipped 519,390 passenger cars, including sedans, sports utility vehicles and multi-purpose vehicles, to dealers in China in 2011, up 7 percent from a year earlier. Schoch said Ford's car sales in China would outpace the China auto industry's growth forecast of 5 percent for this year, but he declined to provide a specific figure. His forecast was at the lower end of a projection of 5-10 percent he made earlier this year. "That is still fairly rapid growth and we don't expect to see the rapid growth that we saw in 2008, 2009 and 2010", he said. "We've seen in 2012, in the last several months, a slight slowdown not just in the automobile industry, but also in the general economy". Car sales in China climbed 5.2 percent in 2011, the slowest pace since the nation's car culture took off at the turn of the century, as consumers shunned local brands after Beijing scrapped tax incentives for small cars. Ford is for the first time taking part in Computex Taipei, the world's second-biggest computer trade show, where it is showcasing and launching in greater China its car voice-activated entertainment system called Sync. Sync has already been launched in other markets, such as North America. Helped by the sheer size of the greater China market, Ford expects to add 9 million SYNC customers in the next three years, up from the more than 4 million it has now. The system will be able to connect with smartphones on models including the Fusion sedan, F-150 pick-up trucks and the Expedition SUV, the company announced in June in the United States. The option, called Sync AppLink, is already available on the Fiesta, and Ford had previously said it would be available on the Mustang. The Sync system, without the Synch Applink option, is available across the Ford and Lincoln line-up as an option on some models and is standard on others. +++ FISKER says its revenues have exceeded $100million in the first four months of this year. The company, which began deliveries of its Karma four-door electric saloon in December 2011, also revealed that it has so far dispatched 1,000 vehicles to customers in the US and Europe. Fisker released details of its performance in a business update. Significantly, the company claims it has shored up its finances, raising 174 million dollar of private equity investment since the start of the year to fund its expansion plans. Those plans had been put on hold following the suspension of a 529 million dollar loan that had been offered by the US Energy Department from a fund intended to accelerate growth of companies building alternatively powered cars. Tom LaSorda, Fisker’s chief executive, said: “We are encouraged by solid demand for the Karma. Pending completion of investment sourcing, we are poised to press ahead with further market expansion and development of our higher volume model, the Atlantic”. Fisker is eyeing further expansion into new territories, including the Middle East. Earlier this month, Fisker signed an exclusive agreement with the Al-Futtaim Group, an automotive distributor in the Middle East, to build Fisker’s sales presence in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, and Egypt. +++ FORD ’s next RS model could be a Fiesta rather than a Focus. Previously, it had been assumed that the second-generation Focus RS, which put 305 hp through its front wheels thanks to its novel RevoKnuckle suspension, would automatically be replaced by a new Focus RS by Ford’s Special Vehicles Team (SVT). However, while Ford has all but decided there will be new RS model, since former SVT head Jost Capito defected to Volkswagen (where he is heading development of the Polo R) the firm is less certain about which direction the new car will take. There’s a strong argument that, because the Fiesta is now a global car and is Ford’s motorsport flag-bearer (where, in its world rallying guise it’s even called Fiesta RS WRC), it’s the natural performance flagship and would suit the character of an RS. However, the sales success of the last Focus RS will be hard to overlook. Ford SVT engineers are already working on the Fiesta ST, which they regard as a “very positive” project that will be easier and quicker to complete than the Focus ST, because its suspension will be an updated, upgraded version of the previous Fiesta’s. Extending that project to encompass an RS model would not prove technically difficult. Additionally, some Ford executives are resistant to the idea of a five-door RS model, and with no three-door Focus, that points to the Fiesta as the only suitable alternative. However, the Focus’s case is strong too. An Ecoboost engine can provide the requisite horsepower (330 hp would be expected), to be directed either through the front wheels like the previous-generation car, or through a 4WD drivetrain; Ford has a suitable one ready. SVT’s engineers have told us they could put together a 4WD demonstration mule in fairly short order once a decision is made. Ultimately, market demands are likely to prove decisive, and that’s where the Focus, being larger, might hold an advantage, particularly in markets like the US. And, because it’s bigger and would be more powerful than a Fiesta RS, it could command a higher price tag with greater built-in profitability. Ford’s experience with cars like the Racing Puma might not help the Fiesta’s case, either. Although widely regarded as a fabulous driver’s car, the Racing Puma was very expensive to make; a Fiesta, like the most recent Focus RS, would be more closely aligned to a production model. But more worryingly, sales struggled to match its production targets. Ford will be keen to avoid making a car that is beloved of purists if it fails to sell strongly with it. +++ HONDA is working on a new version of the revered Civic Type R. At last year’s Tokyo motor show senior Honda sources confirmed that the hot hatch is likely to make a return, probably in 2013. Manabu Nishimae, president of Honda Europe, admitted that “customers are keen to see sporty models and while we can’t deliver immediately we are going to develop and deliver those products”. Expect the Civic Type-R to stick to its classic defining characteristics of a high-revving naturally aspirated petrol motor putting out over 200 hp and focusing on handling prowess rather than outright pace. Unlike previous Civic Type-R iterations, however, the new car is destined to be a five-door, rather than three-door. Yoshikazu Kigoshi, general manager for Honda research and design centre, described the new Type-R as having “special bumpers, wheels, spoilers and seats”, to set it apart from the standard car, as well as the usual firmer springs and more hardcore settings. It was also confirmed that Mugen would not be involved in the development of the Civic Type-R despite the tuning firm’s hand in last year’s Mugen CR-Z. The return of Type-R is yet another indication of how seriously the Japanese maker is now taking its performance cars. There are rumours that more Type-R models could appear in the current range, but nothing is confirmed. +++ JAGUAR has claimed the top spot in the JD Power/What Car? customer satisfaction survey after knocking Lexus into joint second place alongside Skoda. The Japanese marque has ranked number one for the last 11 years. The Kia Sportage was rated as the most satisfying car to own, beating the Jaguar XF and Toyota Prius. The XF also gained 15 places from last year to take the Executive Car of the Year title. Owners rated Jaguar’s dealer network more highly than any other. Despite not being built since 2009, Jaguar’s X-Type took second place in the compact executive category, behind the Lexus IS. Jeremy Hicks, managing director of Jaguar Land Rover said: “To be awarded the Number One spot by JD Power is a huge honour; not only for the staff of the 90 Jaguar dealers in the UK but for the employees at the Castle Bromwich factory and the talented designers and engineers in Warwickshire whose determination, attention to detail and commitment to quality have delivered this result". It was a poor result for GM-owned Chevrolet and Vauxhall, which were rated as the car makers offering the poorest levels of satisfaction. The Vectra was rated as the worst car overall, with owners citing problems in almost every area. The JD Power/What Car? survey researched 18,000 owners, who rated their cars’ performance, design and comfort to quality, reliability, cost of ownership, economy and dealer service satisfaction after owning them for a minimum of 2 years. The best 10 cars according to British drivers were the Kia Sportage, the Jaguar XF, the Toyota Prius, the Skoda Superb, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, the Toyota IQ, the Honda Jazz, the Volkswagen Passat CC, the Lexus IS and the Toyota Avensis. +++ TOYOTA and Subaru are expected to make a decision soon on whether to put a convertible version of the GT86/BRZ rear-wheel-drive sports car into production. Toyota GT86 project engineer Tetsuya Tada confirmed that a convertible version of the car was “technically feasible”. Given the engineering work already undertaken and the likely popularity of an open-top version, particularly in California, a production convertible is almost inevitable, and could possibly be on sale as early as 2014. Toyota is keen to maintain its promising early sales momentum with a series of model variations and performance pack offerings. “We have not seen a third of the development planned for the GT86”, said Tada. A black-box telemetry system is one of the developments, which can be retro-fitted to cars. It will record data from track days and allow drivers to compare their performance with other owners by downloading data onto PlayStations. They can also download online tutorials and demos, and Toyota engineers are currently mapping major tracks to note the GT86’s behaviour. Getting the telemetry scheme signed off by Toyota’s conservative board wasn’t easy, according to Tada, but was aided by the keenness of enthusiast boss Akio Toyoda, who sampled the developing GT86 every month. +++
