+++ The ATS GT is to be revealed at this year’s Salon Privé, which takes place at Blenheim Palace later this month. The twin-turbocharged V8-engined supercar will be restricted to just 12 Launch Edition-badged units initially, although the company did not expand on how many more may come later. This newest model comes 50 years after ATS bowed out of building road cars. The GT takes a classic sleek supercar shape, with a metal highlight meandering down the car’s silhouette. The overall design of the car is inspired by the 2500 GTS of 1963. The GT was penned by ATS designer Emanuele Bomboi, who was formerly senior designer at Fiat and style coordinator at design house Bertone. The GT’s twin-turbo V8 is connected to a 7-speed twin-clutch automatic gearbox. No performance or power figures have been released, but a 0-100 km/h time of around 3.0sec is expected. The use of lightweight carbonfibre construction on the interior, chassis and bodywork is highlighted. ATS was formed by ex-Ferrari team members, including Carlo Chiti and Giotto Bizzarrini, who left Ferrari as part of the Scuderia’s 1961 staff exodus, the history of which is much disputed. +++
+++ German technology and tyre company, CONTINENTAL , will unveil a wireless charging system at next month’s Frankfurt motor show that could spell the end of ‘range anxiety’ for owners of electric vehicles. Continental believes one of the keys to an electric motivation future is in ensuring charging is both easy and readily available. “At present, there can be any of a number of reasons why EV drivers are reluctant to use every available opportunity to recharge their vehicle”, said Continental’s Thomas Röhrl. “If it’s cold outside, or wet, they may not feel like getting out and grappling with the charging cable”. Additionally, if a driver intends making only a short stop, then it may be too cumbersome to charge an electric vehicle for such a short period. Röhrl agrees. “We have to make recharging more practical and user-friendly”, he said. “Inductive charging technology will be a big step towards achieving this”. Continental’s inductive system transfers power wirelessly from a charging pad on the ground to a receiver pad on the underside of the vehicle. To access the available power, a driver simply has to park his or her vehicle over the pad using the company’s micro-navigation solution, which guides the driver to the correct position via the car’s infotainment screen. Once the car is correctly aligned over the inductive pad, charging begins automatically. The Continental system recharges at a rate of 11 kW, which translates to adding a kilometre of driving range for every minute of charging. “So in the space of a 20-minute shopping trip, the available driving range can be increased by up to 20 kilometres”, said Röhrl. “With the inductive charging system, drivers can take advantage of recharging opportunities whenever they arise, with no hassle whatsoever”, Röhrl continued. “And taken together, a large number of short charging sessions provide just as much energy as one long session”. Continental anticipates the inductive charging pads will be installed in public car parks, shopping centres and the like, making charging for EVs readily and easily accessible. The system is also safe, emitting no charge unless a vehicle with the corresponding inductive pad is correctly positioned above the charging station. It will also switch off if it detects the intrusion of a foreign object, such as a pet cat. +++
+++ FORD Australia has more or less covered sales lost from ending local Falcon and Territory production in October last year, by dramatically increasing sales of its imported Ranger and Mustang hero models. To the end of July, Ford’s network had sold 188 remaining Falcons (down 2.631 over the same period last year), 71 Falcon pick-ups (down 1.579) and 1.641 Territory models (down 2.610). This totals 6.820 sales last year not accounted for this year. However, growth from the Ranger ute (24.714, up 3.641 to be Australia’s number two vehicle after the Toyota HiLux) and remarkably popular Mustang (5.967, up 2.849) totals 6.490, essentially offsets this loss. Few things could be more symbolic of Ford Australia’s shifted focus (pardon the pun) to imports, in this case from Thailand and the US respectively. Losing a trio of hero models and yet covering the gap with its 2 new flagships. Ford Australia as a whole is fifth in-market behind a struggling Holden and ahead of Mitsubishi, with 46.975 units, down 0.6 percent. Holden by comparison is down about 12 per cent as it gears up to end its local production arm late this year. A summation of other Ford models YTD looks like this: EcoSport (880, down 23 percent), Escape (2.864, about offsetting the axed Kuga), Everest (2.576, up 18 percent), Fiesta (1.058, down from 1.707), Focus (3.690, up 1 percent), Mondeo (1.863, up 8 percent) and Transit (1.228, about even). Ford is about out of new Falcon stock now, with around 25 understood to remain in dealer stock according to its database. There are more Territory models left after a late-production flurry, to cover the gap until the new Endura (Edge) arrives in early 2018. There is still some dangers for Ford despite its relative market strength. It’s very reliant on the Ranger for volume (about 53 percent of its total), meaning any drop there would be keenly felt. Mustang, being a sports car, is also likely to wane as it ages. Almost all performance cars do. That’s why the company is pushing the Escape so hard: its sales are still paltry compared to the Mazda CX-5, Hyundai Tucson and co, despite the continued boom in compact SUV sales. Ditto the Focus, which sells in numbers that are a small fraction of those clocked by the Toyota Corolla, Mazda 3, Hyundai i30 and Kia Cerato. +++
+++ INDONESIA plans to lower taxes on domestic sedan sales in a bid to promote the country, the biggest car market in Southeast Asia, as a manufacturing hub for sedans, a finance ministry official told. Sedans have so far been included in the luxury goods category and is subject to higher taxes of about 30-40 percent, versus multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs) that carry a 10-20 percent tax, making them less attractive to car makers and buyers. The plan to cut the sales tax for sedans has been included in a revision to the country’s Value Added Tax and Luxury-Goods Sales Tax Law, which the government will propose to parliament soon, said Goro Ekanto, who heads revenue policy study at the finance ministry’s fiscal policy office. “How much the reduction is and its impact will be discussed further before a decision is made”, Ekanto said. Industry minister Airlangga Hartanto said by cutting taxes, the government hopes to get carmakers to produce more sedans, not only for the domestic market but also for exports. “We hope to enhance the potential to export sedans and one way to do it is to bring tax on sedans into alignment. In the global market, demand for sedans is much higher than for MPVs and SUVs”, said Hartanto. Indonesia charges a 30 percent luxury tax on sales of sedans with a cylinder capacity of up to 1,500 cc, while sales of 1,500-3,000 cc sedans are taxed at 40 percent. In contrast, sales of smaller MPVs are currently taxed at 10 percent, while larger models are taxed at 20 percent. A number of brands sell sedans in Indonesia, including Honda and Toyota that have the biggest share of total car sales in the country. But manufacturers have said the difference in tariffs has discouraged them from producing sedans in Indonesia, which overtook Thailand as Southeast Asia’s largest car market in recent years and is growing as a regional production base. The country’s Car Manufacturers Association (Gaikindo) has proposed the tariff on sales of smaller sedans be reduced to 10 percent to match that of MPVs. A total of 533,903 vehicles, including sedans, were sold in the domestic market in the first half of 2017, up 0.3 percent from a year ago. In 2016, sedans accounted for about 2 percent of the 1.1 million cars sold. Indonesia can produce more sedans if tax rates are cut, but the industry should focus on domestic market first, before exports, Gaikindo co-chairman Jongkie Sugiarto said. +++
+++ MCLAREN has “the only authentic sports car setup” on the market, engineering boss says. That’s the message conveyed to the motoring press at the recent launch of the 570S Spider by Paul Burnham, Chief Engineer for the brand’s Sports Series line. “Make no mistake, the 570S Spider is a very, very capable supercar, despite its positioning within the McLaren fold as a more versatile model more focused on everyday useability and versatility, and less on ultimate downforce and track performance”, Burnham told. “At McLaren, we like to think we’ve got the only authentic sports car setup in the market. It’s no coincidence that not a lot separates McLaren’s various models, given they feature all a carbon-fibre tub, hydraulic steering and the same 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 sitting amidships”. In that respect, there isn’t a lot that separates the Sport and Super Series from each other. In fact, with the 570S range, things like tyres have been specifically down-rated, compared with the Super Series cars. “It’s one of the reasons why the 570S gets slimmer tyres than the new 720S Super Series car, otherwise there isn’t a lot that separates these two cars, as far as grip levels go. It means you can reach the limit earlier, and theoretically, have more fun. Our aim was to make the Sports Series more exploitable at road speeds, whereas, with the Super Series it’s about pure performance”, he added. I asked Burnham about the importance of reducing lag on the twin-turbo McLaren road cars. Mind, there isn’t much, but down low enough, you can still find a dead spot in certain situations when you really need to jump on it. “We’re constantly looking at ways to improve throttle response by further reducing turbo lag, but much of that has to do with software than anything else. In between the launch of the 650S range and release of cars like the 570S Spider, we’ve continuously improved what the engine software is doing in response to throttle input. It’s still a turbo car and there is a limit to how far you can go, but there are things you can do to improve either the reality or the perception of lag”, he said. Thankfully, McLaren has also made the decision to stick with hydraulic steering, due to the more natural feedback it provides from the road for what is a very satisfied feeling. And, even though it’s a Spider, the electrically operated roof system is something of a masterpiece in design, useability and functionality. “Some of our Sports Series owners use their cars as daily drivers, so it’s critical the roof mechanism be non-fiddly and easily deployed, as this one is. Simply hold the button and in less than 15 seconds the roof can be opened or closed, at speeds up to 40 km/h”. And it works brilliantly, as tested on the launch program. Better again, when you consider the fact the Spider is no slower than the coupe, with the roof up (top speed is 328 km/h) and slightly less with the roof down (315 km/h). Mind, on test, I did find there was a fair amount of buffeting in the cabin at around 130 km/h, but oddly enough, I could still quite easily hold a conversation at normal volumes. “For the Spider, we developed a glazed wind deflector, to reduce turbulence inside the cabin, and we’re still working on that, in terms of airflow around the rear buttresses”, outlined Burnham. +++
+++ The look of MINI ’s upcoming all-electric model will be previewed in a concept at next month’s Frankfurt motor show. The concept will offer a first glimpse of the model’s design and its technical specifications before production starts in 2019. Parent company BMW confirmed last month that Mini’s all-electric model will be constructed at the brand’s plant in Cowley, Oxfordshire, and be based on the 3-door variant. The new model is to be built alongside the rest of the Mini range but it will use a new electric drivetrain that will be made in BMW’s e-mobility factories at Landshut and Dingolfing in Bavaria, where the i3’s drivetrain is also built. Range is predicted to be at least 400 kilometers. The announcement that production will be in the UK quelled concerns that BMW could produce the electric Mini entirely in Germany, partly due to economic uncertainty created by the prospect of a hard Brexit. +++
+++ TESLA is well known for its electric luxury sedans, but we also know they are going to have a go at the commercial vehicle sector with the introduction of the production semi-truck that has already been teased a while back. Now a new report is stating their planned semi-truck will be developed as a long-haul, electric semi-truck that can autonomously handle driving and even “platoon” with others to follow a leading vehicle. It seems the press has caught wind of talk between the company and the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) regarding potential public tests in the state. More so, California officials have openly revealed they will meet up with Tesla reps this week “to talk about Tesla’s efforts with autonomous trucks”, according to state DMV spokeswoman Jessica Gonzalez. This naturally means Tesla is looking to equip its upcoming electric truck with self-driving technology, and we may even see it feature it from day one, though we’ll have to wait for September’s promised reveal. The area of commercial autonomous trucks is open for the taking, but it won’t be without a fight, because Uber and Waymo are also keenly interested in taking up a large share of the segment’s market. +++
+++ The manual transmission faces an uncertain future. Increasing emissions standards, future safety technology, and dwindling take rates could spell its demise. But a new patent shows TOYOTA gives a shift, as we like to say, and it could give the manual gearbox an extended lease on life. Toyota had patented a “Controller for vehicle and control method for vehicle”. Translation: the technology allows for the engine to return to idle while coasting in a car equipped with a manual transmission. In turn, it could help raise fuel economy in cars equipped with a manual transmission, which are often outdone by modern automatics with more gears. Per the patent’s description, the controller gains access to work the car’s clutch and gearbox. The system then recognizes safe times to disengage the clutch, pop the car into neutral, and allow the engine to idle while coasting along. Seems like a neat concept, but the technology harkens back to technology used by Saab in the 1960s. The now-defunct Swedish automaker used a freewheel mechanism to help with lubrication issues found in its 2-stroke engines. The clever freewheel mechanism allowed the wheels to spin faster than the engine while going downhill, which solved the engine’s nearly unquenchable thirst for lubrication. The engine would idle, but the car would maintain its speed. Obviously, this patent is a little more technical than Saab’s solution, but the concept is similar. Toyota’s potential implementation could even help those unfamiliar with driving a manual transmission, since the patent also details lockout pins to keep drivers from shifting into too low or too high a gear after the system disengages from coasting. +++