+++ You thought that last year was the year for the BMW fanboys, then you might want to reconsider this year’s offer. 2017 is upping the game after the 8 Series Concept was spotted at the Villa d’Este recently this weekend. At Pebble Beach is where the BMW followers’ dreams will come true, in a sense. According to sources, the upcoming BMW Z4 from the German automaker can finally be previewed after having been clouded in secrecy. We will be expecting this year to be a BMW fest, and we can’t wait. BMW axed the Z4 around August 2016 and probably, in the latter part of this year, the automobile will be given a second lease with the same label. To the surprise of everybody, a concept will be shown at 2017 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance that is scheduled on August 16-20, and we are counting down the months before we can see how the roadster will transform into what will be known as the 3rd gen. Produced under the ‘G29’ moniker, the new roadster is conceived under the collective work between BMW and Toyota, with the Japanese automaker set to unveil its own version of the car, likely resurrecting the legendary ‘Supra’ codename and released as a coupe. Prototypes of the said vehicles have been spotted various times, albeit in camouflage, so it’s very hard to decipher. However, the recent batch of spy photos did provide us some preliminary tech details of the revived Z4. Spotted this week, the vehicle displayed a soft top with spec sheets on its dashboard that revealed its “S20i” identification, with an output of 200 hp and 320 Newton-meters of torque. Also seen are a rakish windscreen, short rear deck, prominent twin kidney grille, front fender vents and dual exhaust system. It comes with a 6-speed manual gearbox, likely putting smiles on the faces of purists who applaud the brand for sticking with manuals. Most importantly, the said piece of paper also pointed out the model’s start of production: November 2018. Furthermore, Toyota will be doing the same with the revitalized Supra, much like how BMW will be previewing the resurrected Z4 with a concept. Rumors abound that this will likely occur this October at the Tokyo Auto Show before the road-cruising model will debut in 2018. The said cars will be bearing the ‘Made in Austria’ labels as the roadster and coupe will go in hand in the assembly line located at Magna Steyr’s factory in Graz, the same plant that currently assembles some examples of the latest-gen 5 Series and that has been making the venerable Mercedes G-Wagen ever since 1979. +++
+++ LAMBORGHINI explores carbon fiber for prosthetic implants. The company has teamed with the Houston Methodist Research Institute to research bioengineered composites to explore potential medical applications for carbon fiber composites. The automaker has joined a research project that focuses on biocompatibility of composites for use in prosthetic implants and subcutaneous devices. “The aim is to identify new materials that are lighter, better tolerated by the human body, and more resistant over time than those currently used in the medical field”, the company said in a statement. The automaker last year opened a new carbon-fiber research facility near Seattle, Washington. The Advanced Composite Structures Laboratory is tasked with helping develop new materials for use in Lamborghini’s own vehicles and in other industries. The Raging Bull marque has been using carbon-fiber to help strengthen and lighten its lineup for more than 30 years. +++
+++ The MASERATI brand name is associated with speed, performance and noise, but the brand understands a need to move toward fuel-efficient technologies to remain relevant in the current market. Last year former Maserati CEO, Harald Wester, confirmed that Maserati would develop a plug-in hybrid version of the Levante for overseas market. Given it is expected to account for less than 10 per cent of sales, the model will share plug-in hybrid technology with the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Group: the new Chrysler Pacifica plug-in hybrid specifically. But, boss of Maserati’s overseas markets, Umberto Cini, told that Maserati‘s plug-in hybrid will drive like a Maserati, regardless of its powertrain, or its origins. “If it will be a Maserati, and Maserati means many things. One of these things is the pleasure of driving. If we can deliver with hybrid technology or electric technology the same feeling that you can deliver with the current product range, why not”, Cini said. “In any case, there will be something already developed in that direction”. Given the Levante sits on the same platform as Ghibli and Quattroporte, we are also likely to see plug-in hybrid versions of these luxury sedans in the coming years. +++
+++ MAZDA is celebrating the 50th anniversary of it first production rotary engine, the technology with which it remains synonymous despite it being on hiatus since the 2012 death of the RX-8. The back story, as the company tells it, goes a little like this. Mazda, then called Toyo Kogyo Corporation, needed to stand apart from other fast-rising Japanese car makers, and to stay independent. In 1961 it licensed the rotary engine technology from NSU and Wankel GmbH, sharing research with the German companies in hopes of making wider use of the engine. Things got off to a bad start. Within an hour of the first prototype engine starting testing in Hiroshima, it seized. Mazda had “wagered its entire existence” on this one engine technology. “Failure would not be an option, but early impressions meant there was much to be done to keep Mazda afloat”, the company claims. Knowing the importance of getting the rotary right, chief engineer Kenichi Yamamoto assembled a team of Mazda’s most talented engineers (known as the 47 Samurai) to make the rotary viable. This is despite other automakers from the around the world failing to do the exact same thing. After an eventual debut at the 1964 Tokyo motor show, on May 30 1967, Mazda’s Cosmo Sport 110S, the world’s first production twin-rotor, rotary-engined car, went on sale in Japan. It was Mazda’s first sports car; the company had been known only for its small passenger cars and work trucks to that point. Just 1.176 Cosmo Sports would be built, “but its legacy would stretch much, much further”. From the earliest races, such as the 84-hour Marathon de la Route in 1968, Mazda kept working at it. The highest point of Mazda’s development of the rotary engine was in 1991, when the quad-rotor-powered Mazda 787B won the 24 Hours of Le Mans. During its production, more than 1.99 million rotary-engine vehicles were produced, from sports cars to sedans and even a 26-passenger bus. The RX-8 rotary died in 2012 after failing to meet modern emissions requirements, but Mazda insists that it’s trying to make the tech viable for road cars again. Alas, though, the gorgeous RX-Vision concept that we thought might materialise by 2020, remains on the backburner as Mazda focuses on its core bread-and-butter cars. For now, we wait… it’s only a shame the company couldn’t celebrate 50 years with a rotary model still in production. +++
+++ MITSUBISHI is tipping about 400 million dollar into a major renovation of its research and development (R&D) centre in Okazaki, in Japan’s Aichi Prefecture. Among the upgrades will be the rebuilding of the 3 main facilities: the main office building, environmental testing facility and the wind tunnel. “Investment in this project is to be around 33 billion yen. The office building and the environment testing facility are due for completion in fall of 2018, and the wind tunnel testing facility at the beginning of 2020”, Mitsubishi said. “Improvements in the work environment and the introduction of the latest equipment will strengthen the company’s research and development capabilities, and Mitsubishi will move forward to revamp R&D structure for creating next-generation models”. This news will be music to the ears of people watching the company’s patchy model rollout of late. The company is strong in plug-in hybrids, small SUVs and commercials, but has axed core cars like the Lancer Evo as part of a pivot towards pick-ups and SUVs, and has some other aged key product such as the Pajero/Shogun. It’s now about one year since fellow Japanese car-maker Nissan took a controlling share in Mitsubishi, promising product tie-ups would be part of the package. The rebuilt 8-story office building will have a cafeteria and a large conference hall available inside, with space for 700 people. It will have a layout that gives consideration to ease of movement between floors so as to facilitate cross-functional activities. The building is scheduled to provide meeting space for better communication. Some 2.000 employees will be working in design, development, certification and testing. The environment testing facility will simulate real-life environments and allow the engineers to conduct tests in conditions that include extreme cold temperature (- 40°C) and extreme hot temperature (+ 50°C) as well as under natural sunlight and in snow. The new large-scale wind tunnel will be equipped with a moving belt function that can simulate complex real-life driving situations and will be used to improve aerodynamic characteristics, environmental performance and noise levels. +++
+++ The sale of OPEL and Vauxhall to the PSA Group, owner of the Peugeot, Citroen and DS brands, has reportedly hit a snag. Sources have told the company’s works council has paused the transition timeline. Employee information sessions, which were due to be held this week, have been postponed indefinitely. Also delayed is the transfer of the bulk of General Motors’ European operations to a new holding company named Opel Automobile GmbH. At issue is Opel’s International Technical Development Centre (ITEZ), which currently employs around 7.700 people. The works council and the IG Metall union want to lock in future contracts for the development centre, including work that it will carry out on behalf of GM after Opel’s sale to the PSA Group. ITEZ is General Motors’ second largest development centre and currently undertakes development not only for GM’s European operations, but for projects throughout the world. It is reportedly deeply embedded within General Motors’ powertrain division. It is estimated that in 2020 up to 30 percent of ITEZ’ work could still come from GM. If such a number is achieved, it could help stave off redundancies and cutbacks at Opel’s white collar facility, with the PSA Group already employing around 13,000 people throughout its engineering department. This is the first major stumbling to appear after GM and the PSA Group announced the sale of Opel and Vauxhall in March. A spokeswoman for Opel’s works council said there was no disagreement between PSA, General Motors and the works council. She noted, however, the discussions are complex, and figuring out all the details will take longer than expected. Opel still hopes to have the deal completed during the second half of this year. +++
+++ The next-generation ROLLS-ROYCE Phantom will be revealed before the end of the year, the company has confirmed, with some initial details also released this week. Rolls-Royce’s global client sales manager for the Asia Pacific region said the new Phantom will be much lighter, feature improved manoeuvrability and an evolution of the current car’s design. “What I can tell you, is it’s a brand new vehicle from the bottom up. It’s a full-aluminium architecture, so the vehicle carries a lot less weight than before”, Grant said. “I’ve seen the vehicle personally, and it’s absolutely beautiful. The design lines are so striking, yet elegantly and impressively Rolls-Royce”. “Sneak piece of information: four-wheel steering is coming. So the manoeuvrability and turning circle of that car is incredible”, he added. The now retired 7th generation Phantom had been on sale since 2003, with the last example rolling down the company’s Goodwood production line in February this year. While the 8th-generation version is set to be revealed later this year, first deliveries won’t make it here until 2018. Other new features expected with the new Phantom include a high-resolution digital instrument cluster, and a larger central infotainment system. +++
+++ The boss of VOLKSWAGEN is working on high-performance ‘R’ versions of its SUV models. Volkswagen chief Herbert Diess said the company is right now developing several SUV R models to expand its performance line-up. “We have a second sub brand which is R. With R we are considering. GTI has something to do with the hatch and this size of car – we shouldn’t expand this brand”, he said. “For high-performance SUVs there is definitely customer demand. There are some premium cars there already that are quite successful. I agree that it is a good fit for the brand”. It wouldn’t be the first time Volkswagen has offered an R-branded SUV, of course. The first-generation Touareg was offered in V10 turbo-diesel R50 guise between 2007 and 2010, developing 350 hp and 850Nm of torque. The company also offers ‘R-Line’ versions of its current Tiguan and Touareg. The upcoming T-Roc small SUV could be a candidate, spawning a hi-po T-Roc R and likely using a version of the Volkswagen Group’s 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine, which comes in various states of tune. The 310 hp version seen in the Golf R would suit the R moniker, though a crossover so small and Polo-based could see a slightly detuned version to leave room for a more powerful Tiguan R. A clue could lie in the upcoming 2.0 TFSI Quattro version of the related Audi Q2, which develops 190 hp of power and 320Nm of torque; close to the 1.8-litre Polo GTI’s 192 hp and 320Nm (250Nm DSG) outputs. +++