|
|
|---|
Monday, April 11, 2011
Subaru has revealed a successor to its Impreza S203 and S204 special performance models with the new S205 that benefits from chassis, engine and styling upgrades. The bad: at least for now, it's only available in Japan.
Billed as the top performance model of the WRX STI lineup, Subaru says that the R205 -where "R" stands for "Road Sport"- makes full use of specially designed features and performance parts of the "WRX STI spec C" model.
In the handling department, the R205 adopts STI tuned dampers, coil springs, flexible type strut tower bar, flexible type lower arm stiffener of front suspension, and 18-inch alloys wrapped in Bridgestone's specially designed RE070 tires size 245/40 R18.
Stopping power is provided by a Brembo brake system with 6-pot calipers up front and 4-pot calipers at the back.
Subaru also tweaked the Impreza WRX STI's engine by adopting an exclusively designed turbocharger with ball bearings for the turbine axle bearing, specially tuned ECU, and a new sport muffler with lowered back pressure exhaust. The result is an increased output of 325-horsepower and 431Nm or 317.9 lb-ft of peak torque.
As for the R205's looks, aside from the different alloy wheels, Subaru added newly designed front under spoiler, rear apron and black roof wing, as well as specially colored front grille and side STI garnish.
Suzuki's subsidiary in India has unveiled the Suzuki R3 Concept MPV at the Auto Expo 2010 in New Delhi earlier today. The Indian-designed vehicle with six individual seats was designed from scratch in only nine months.Unveiled live on national television, the R3 Concept was designed to capture the attention of a growing number of consumers in that country who require vehicles for multiple purposes. Should the vehicle make production, consumers should expect a vehicle whose seats fold away allowing for a substantial amount of cargo room.
If the subsidiary, Maruti Suzuki India, brings the car to market, rear passengers would find it much easier getting in and out of rearward opening doors versus conventional doors. The doors also look much more stylish compared to sliding versions. Color tones on the inside go together well, and include cream and black upholstery, glossy black inserts with chrome trim, and a mellow blue.
The exterior is given a somewhat brutish look, with a somewhat boxy shape and bulky rear. At the front, high-intensity lighting is contrasted with, what appears to be, subtle LED accents. LEDs can also be seen in the rear. Dual-exhaust pipes are well incorporated behind each wheel well.
It is unclear what engine is used on the car, what fuel it uses, and the performance it delivers. Some reports speculate the car could receive the automaker's 1.2- and 1.4-liter petrol engines, and a Fiat-built 1.3-liter diesel. The engine appears to be mated to a five-speed manual transmission on the prototype.
Maruti Suzuki is the big dog of the Indian auto market. The company holds nearly 50% of the market share in that country. Unveilings today by Toyota and Honda, and increased investment by GM, will require Suzuki to continue developing vehicles specifically for the Indian market if they want to continue dominating there.
A production version of the Suzuki R3 Concept MPV could come to market inside of two years.
Renault today revealed the first teaser photograph of its new Megane Coupe-Cabriolet model that will break cover at the Geneva Motor Show on March 2, 2010 The only piece of information released by the French automaker is that the new Megane CC will keep its predecessor's foldaway glass top.The shady picture doesn't tell us much about the four-seater convertible's looks but expect to see similar styling cues to the rest of the new Megane's range.
here won't be any surprises under the hood as the engine lineup will be carried over from the hatchback and coupe models including the 1.6-liter 110HP, 2.0-liter 140hp and the turbocharged TCe 180HP petrol units.
The new CC, which will join the Megane hatchback, coupe and Sport Tourer models, will compete against other C-Segment hardtop convertibles like the Ford Focus CC and Volkswagen Eos.
Supercar lovers hoping for the Devon GTX would lead to a Dodge Viper revival may have had their dreams dashed. Chrysler's decision to kill off the Viper is forcing the niche automaker to eliminate their Viper-based GTX, according to published reports.Devon Motorworks has not officially confirmed the death of their supercar, possibly because the company wants to make one more attempt to purchase the Viper model from Chrysler.
The GTX would have used an 8.4-liter 650-horsepower V10-engine capable of delivering impressive speed to the supercar. During testing, the GTX unofficially crushed the lap time record at the Laguna Seca, posting a 1m 35.075s time. That is roughly 4.5 seconds faster than the Nissan GT-R.
Unveiled in August at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, the GTX was supposed to go on sale this year. 36 units were expected to be produced annually.
Leave it to GM to take out all the fun even when it comes to re-badging its own vehicles... See, while the General took the decision to reveal a North American version of the Opel Insignia OPC in the form of the Buick Regal GS showcar in Detroit, unfortunately, the European model's 325HP 2.8-liter twin-scroll turbo V6 has been replaced with a lighter but more puny 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder producing an estimated 255HP.Officially, the Detroit automaker says that the Regal GS was designed "to explore the appeal of a high-performance variant of the Regal", but chances are that it will make it into production in the very near future.
"We designed the Regal GS to explore the appeal of a high-performance variant of the Regal," said Craig Bierley, product marketing director for Buick. "Like the Regal, the Regal GS is based on the award-winning Opel Insignia, and we believe it will reinvigorate Buick's storied Gran Sport legacy."
The Regal GS showcar uses a modified version of the 220HP 2.0-liter turbocharged four-pot that will be offered on Regal CXL models later this summer tuned to deliver greater boost pressure. The engine's output is estimated at 255 horsepower (190 kW) and 295 lb.-ft. of torque (400 Nm).
Furthermore, whereas the Regal CXL comes with a six-speed automatic transmission, the Regal GS's engine is linked to a six-speed manual gearbox that directs torque to an adaptive all-wheel-drive system.
As with its German counterpart, the GS is equipped with an electronic, limited-slip rear differential to reduce wheelspin.
General Motors says that the 255HP Buick Regal GS is expected to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in less than 6 seconds, which sounds a bit optimistic considering the fact that the 325HP Opel Insignia OPC reaches 60mph in 5.8 seconds.
The Regal GS also benefits from a tuned four-wheel-independent suspension, a revised steering wheel system and a high-performance Brembo brake system with 14 x 1.2-inch (355 x 32 mm) cross-drilled rotors; four-piston, high-strength aluminum calipers, and high-performance pads.
There's also Opel's Interactive Drive Control System (IDCS) chassis technology that allows the driver to chose from three different operating modes (normal, sport and GS) for the suspension settings, throttle response and steering sensitivity.
Other than that, the Buick Regal GS gets the same tasty bodykit, sexy 20-inch alloy wheels and interior upgrades including a pair of Recaro front seats and flat-bottom steering wheel as its European counterpart.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
