Each and every week, our German correspondent slices and dices the most current rumblings, news, and fast-hit driving impressions from the other side of the pond. His byline may say Jens Meiners, but we basically call him . . . the Continental.
Subsequent year, we will ultimately see the wild Bugatti Veyron 16.4‘s successor in the metal. I hear it’ll be named the Chiron, just like the eponymous 1999 Bugatti idea vehicle styled by Italdesign Giugiaro. You read it here first. In case you had been wondering, the Chiron idea car seems to have taken its naming inspiration from early Bugatti racing driver Louis Chiron. Naturally, a cursory Google search returns far a lot more data for a different Chiron, who is apparently a notable centaur from Greek mythology.
No Mercedes-AMG GT Roadster
Hard occasions lay ahead for the Porsche 911. I have observed its nightmare, and it is the Mercedes-AMG GTS, Benz’s new sports automobile which is in the middle of a multi-stage launch. Starting with prototype drives and continuing with an ever-rising multitude of particulars on its powertrain and interior, Daimler is keeping suspense at a maximum. Full information here next week.
Inside, the GTS is beautifully executed, with a stylized NACA duct in the center console and 8 cylindrical buttons mimicking a its engine’s V-8 cylinder arrangement. The most spectacular detail is the row of buttons positioned above the windshield. It lends a positively aeronautical look to this currently spectacular interior.
Energy will come from the new M178 twin-turbocharged 4.-liter V-8 engine. Down the road, there will be a GT3 version, which will kind the basis for a customer racing series. But there will not be a V-6 engine selection. And if Porsche ever decides to do a 4-banger 911, I am confident that the boys from Stuttgart will have that market place all to themselves.
A roadster version of the AMG GTS is practically complete, and at this point it requirements small much more than an executive yes/no choice. But a selection in the affirmative is unlikely to come, given that the topless GT would undermine the position of the much more prestigious SL. Already beneath stress from the upcoming S-class cabriolet that Daimler R&D board member Thomas Weber confirmed is on its way, an open-leading GT is the last point the ailing SL would require standing beside it in the showroom.
Volkswagen to Empower the U.S.
The U.S. may be Volkswagen’s most challenging market place of late: Sales are well under expectations, and the cars are not in tune with the expectations of the average American buyer. The design and style is perceived as cold and generic, and there is as well tiny “news” or pizazz in the brand’s portfolio.
Now best management has offered the U.S.-market place operations a lot much more clout. Product cycles will be shortened to 5 years, in a 3–2 pattern: Following a model’s redesign, its 1st major facelift will come following 3 years 2 years later, an totally new product will be prepared. The first vehicle to which this life cycle will apply is the upcoming B-segment SUV, followed by the next-generation Passat. Even just before that, in time for the 2016 model year, the existing Passat will acquire a main face lift. This update will give it a far a lot more aggressive and modern appearance.
To be clear, the new American-industry life-cycle approach will not be applied to the brand globally, but they have implications for markets exactly where U.S.-developed models are sold, such as China.
I have received much more intel on the subsequent-gen VW Phaeton, which “is created and finished” as these words are published. Primarily based on the “MLB Evo” platform, the new Phaeton will be presented with numerous high-powered engines, like a V-8 TDI with around 450 horsepower, a gasoline plug-in hybrid, and a W-12 (!).
Audi News, Electrically Supercharged Edition
Audi has just face-lifted its A6 and A7 models for the European market place, and now I’ve spent some time behind the wheel of the new A7 at the vehicle’s launch in Copenhagen. The updated A7 will come to the U.S. for the 2016 model year. The modifications, which include new headlights and taillights, bring the auto visually closer to the 2009 Sportback idea, which is a excellent point.
The most fascinating model, apart from the ultra-effective RS7, is the A7 Competition (pictured above), a leading-of-the-line diesel model with a twin-turbocharged V-6 TDI. Thanks to far more aggressive timing, optimized turbocharger bearings, and a particular exhaust downpipe, it makes 326 horsepower (up to 346 horsepower below overboost situations). The sprint to 62 mph now requires merely a claimed 5.1 seconds, and prime speed is governed somewhere north of 155 mph. (Audi is generally a bit a lot more generous with its limiters than the competitors, so raise your expectations.)
But Audi has but a greater thought: Electric supercharging, which we have described in detail following Audi let us try out an RS5 TDI with a twin-turbocharged, 385-horsepower diesel equipped with such a device. In Copenhagen, Audi had a pre-facelift A6 prototype with an electric supercharger for us to try, as nicely. With its engine primarily based on a 3.-liter V-6 TDI with a single turbocharger plus the e-superchargerr, it is rated at a healthful 326 horsepower. The motor doesn’t match the twin-turbo RS5 TDI concept’s sheer upper-rev energy, but it performed just as beautifully at step-off and at low rpm. I cannot wait to see this technologies on the road.
A Cool Lada—No, Seriously!
Quite much everybody missed out on the Moscow auto show, which is a pity. Lada unveiled the Vesta, a new compact sedan of unprecedented high quality (for the brand) and style. I like Ladas they are truthful vehicles with character. And the Vesta positive has lots of character.
The Continental: Bugatti Veyron Successor Gets a Name, Topless Mercedes-AMG GTS Seems Unlikely
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