Hyundai’s Work to Fire Up Competitor to BMW M, Mercedes AMG Gets Boost from Former BMW M Chief Engineer

For effectively over a year, Hyundai has contemplated how to tackle the efficiency vehicle segment after announcing its new “N” sport-model series. Every choice was on the table, from adding graphics and a louder exhaust to otherwise regular cars to using bigger engines from higher-positioned models, up to a complete-fledged work that would rival—at least in concept—BMW M GmbH, Audi Quattro GmbH, and Mercedes-AMG. It appears that Hyundai’s efforts are about to get a excellent sturdy kick in the shorts, as the automaker just announced the hiring of BMW M’s chief engineer, Albert Biermann.

To be stationed at Hyundai’s R&D center in Namyang, South Korea, Biermann will be accountable for the improvement of high-efficiency derivatives for the Hyundai and Kia brands he is also tasked with the common improvement of ride and handling, as nicely as safety and comfort, of mainstream Hyundai and Kia models. The Koreans have made fantastic strides in dynamics the past handful of years—look no additional than the newest Genesis sedan—but they still have a techniques to go prior to sporty competitors like Honda and Mazda have something to be concerned about.

That said, we are excited over the prospect of higher-overall performance models for the 2 Korean brands, which we fully count on to rival the offerings of the German competition, as effectively as Cadillac’s V-series and Lexus’s F models. “N,” by the way, is a moniker derived from the Namyang R&D center but it could also stand for “Nürburgring,” exactly where Hyundai operates a new testing center.

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But back to Biermann—clearly, Hyundai-Kia’s gain is BMW’s loss. With Biermann’s departure, BMW loses its second passionate auto guy from prime management ranks this month. Just 2 weeks ago, R&D chief Herbert Diess deserted BMW to head up the Volkswagen brand in Wolfsburg. Biermann, who is 57, apparently figured he wouldn’t have a lot of a profession left at BMW when the company announced that outgoing M GmbH chief Friedrich Nitschke would be replaced by Franciscus van Meel (48 years young) on January 1, 2015 (a move we 1st reported in May possibly 2014). At BMW, senior managers retire at 60, and it is a rule with couple of exceptions.

At Hyundai, Biermann will be the most prominent Western executive to be head-hunted soon after design chief Peter Schreyer abandoned VW for Kia. (Schreyer now heads up style for both Kia and Hyundai.) His hiring at Hyundai is serendipitous, for last year we were told that the automaker’s N models would attempt to emulate BMWs’ dynamics. To that end, Biermann’s crowning achievement at BMW might have been the current M3 and M4 with their downsized, turbocharged straight-6 engine and bespoke manual transmission and steering technique. We’d be okay with a little M3/M4 in some Hyundais. Would you?

Hyundai’s Work to Fire Up Competitor to BMW M, Mercedes AMG Gets Boost from Former BMW M Chief Engineer

Formula 1 Discusses Return to V-8s, Mercedes Says It Will Leave F1 If That Happens

Formula 1 teams and fans of all colors can agree: These muted, altogether unsatisfying sounds from the turbocharged hybrid engines adopted this year need to go. But Mercedes is not agreeing with the crowd.

Mercedes-AMG Petronas chairman and F1 champ Niki Lauda told Worldwide Motorsport Media that, “If V-8 comes back, Mercedes will be gone.” Lauda was referencing the ever-clearer possibility that F1 rules may create off the complicated 1.6-liter turbo V-6 engines and electric motors that the FIA mandated for the 2014 season. F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone stated last week that “we require to modify the regulations” and would “try to get rid of these (V-6) engines.”

There’s zero incentive for Mercedes-AMG Petronas to switch back, as the Silver Arrow has won all but 3 of the 18 races run this season, with the final race of the year happening in Abu Dhabi on November 23. Final month, the team clinched its initial-ever constructor’s championship and even taunted Ferrari outside the Italian team’s Maranello headquarters. The exact same engine powers 3 other F1 teams such as McLaren, Williams, and Force India, and Mercedes would extremely much like to see these contracts continue in order to pay off its substantial R&D bill.

Mercedes-Benz AMG 1.6-liter turbo V-6 F1 engine

The present season killed the naturally aspirated 2.4-liter V-8s that had been in location since 2006. Those engines wailed to 18,000 rpm and made 750 horsepower—or higher in short bursts thanks to the KERS technique. They were reportedly less expensive to create, too, which is why lower-spending budget teams like Caterham aren’t in enjoy with the newer engines, which can make only 600 horsepower and have 2 sophisticated electric motors that can boost horsepower to about 760 for 33 seconds on every single lap.

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Even Ferrari, facing gloomy final results on track, voiced the possibility in June that it may leave F1 for sports-auto racing since “nobody watches racing for the efficiency, come on.” Renault, the only other engine manufacturer, has voiced equivalent issues and could force F1, by way of a majority vote with Ferrari, to relax the rulebook on engine development beginning in 2016. Honda, even so, decided to return to F1 for 2015 after a 6-year absence because of the stricter fuel-efficient regulations, such as limiting fuel to roughly 35 gallons per vehicle in every race. Honda will replace Mercedes as the energy behind McLaren starting in March. Whatever happens, we hope F1 clears its throat and gets back to getting loud and proud.

Formula 1 Discusses Return to V-8s, Mercedes Says It Will Leave F1 If That Happens

This Mercedes Notion Gathers Solar and Wind Power Making use of Its Paint

Daimler is in attack mode in China. The company has invested $ 140 million in a new analysis and improvement center there, the heart of which is an advanced design studio that will be taken more than subsequent year by Hubert Lee, who at the moment heads the studio in Carlsbad, California.

With this investment, the organization aims to catch up with Audi and BMW, and the Vision G-Code concept vehicle is a symbol of this charge forward. At very first glance, the compact hatchback seems unspectacular its soft shape and subdued lines fit in effectively with Daimler’s current styling language as defined by the C- and S-classes. At 161.4 inches extended, 59.1 inches tall, and 74.8 inches wide, it is sized just like today’s popular compact crossovers.

Standing on 21-inch wheels with carbon-fiber spokes, the G-Code is fitted with an electrically powered roof rack and LED headlights that extend and move like the lens of a compact camera when activated. The daytime running lights mimic the shape of a “G” like on the 2012 Ener-G-Force idea, but inverted.

It may look like it would match correct into today’s site visitors, but the G-Code is far more visionary than you might think. The front is dominated by a fake “grille” that makes use of lighting effects to inform bystanders about which mode of propulsion is presently in use. It is supposed to remind us of the starship Enterprise’s “warp drive,” says Daimler. Even so, Daimler’s notion is powered by a front-mounted hydrogen-fueled internal-combustion engine and a rear electric motor.

At standstill, the grille is lighted blue. When driven on electrical energy only, the blue light moves inwards, and in hybrid mode, the color turns purple. In Hybrid Sport mode, the illumination is bright red, and the “stars” move outwards. It’s not a warp drive, and it is about as realistic. Daimler hastens to assure us that no hydrogen IC engine is close to series production.

The G-Code can take in power by means of the most curious techniques. The paint doesn’t only function like a solar cell, it can also make use of wind energy. And the power from the movements of the hydraulic chassis can be harnessed as effectively.

The interior is probably even a lot more futuristic. You enter through normal front and “suicide” rear doors—there is no B-pillar—that can be activated by a smartphone after ensconced, the entire dashboard moves into place, the steering wheel unfolds, and the air vents magically seem. A lot of smartphone functions can be displayed on the dash.

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Daimler speaks of “quite fantastical aspects” of the G-Code, and talks about how it introduces suggestions that even “our grandchildren may possibly take into account state of the art.” Let’s hope the refreshingly unaggressive aesthetic makes it into series production before that.

This Mercedes Notion Gathers Solar and Wind Power Making use of Its Paint

Cost Verify: Mercedes Rates All-New 2015 C-class Sedan, GLA-class Crossover

Mercedes-Benz is smack in the middle of a item offensive, and we now know how considerably 2 of its upcoming weapons—the all-new 2015 C-class sedan and GLA-class modest crossover—will expense.

With the CLA-class now occupying the bottom rung of the Benz ladder, the C-class no longer has to serve as the brand’s cost leader. Obtaining a littler brother also freed it up to turn out to be bigger and far more luxurious, and MSRPs are commensurately higher than before. For its component, Mercedes claims that far larger levels of common equipment imply that the cost hasn’t enhanced a lot at all. The C300 and C400 4MATIC models each go on sale at the end of August, although the rear-drive C300—the C400 won’t be available right here with RWD—will arrive in the 1st quarter of subsequent year. Here’s the breakdown:

2015 Mercedes-Benz C300 Sedan: $ 39,325, contains turbocharged 2.-liter 4-cylinder engine (241 hp, 273 lb-ft), 6-speed automatic, dual-zone automatic climate handle, Bluetooth telephone integration and audio streaming, push-button ignition, automatic headlamps, 6-inch show with central knob and touch-pad controls, energy tilt and telescope steering column, rain-sensing wipers, energy-folding side mirrors, MB-Tex faux-leather upholstery, aluminum interior trim, and far more.

2015 Mercedes-Benz C300 4MATIC Sedan: $ 41,325, contains all of the above plus all-wheel drive.

2015 Mercedes-Benz C400 4MATIC Sedan: $ 49,515, includes all of the above plus twin-turbo 3.-liter V-6 (329 hp, 354 lb-ft), 6-speed automatic, 4-piston fixed front brake calipers, Premium package (heated front seats, SiriusXM satellite radio, Burmester premium audio, LED headlamps, and proximity entry), and Sport package (open-pore matte-black ash wood interior trim, 18-inch AMG wheels, sport suspension, AMG physique kit, black headliner, sport seats, flat-bottom steering wheel, cross-drilled front brake rotors, aluminum pedal caps, AMG floor mats, and stitched MB-Tex dashboard cover).

2015 Mercedes-Benz C250 (Euro-spec)

C300 buyers will want to invest $ 2700 for the Premium pack and $ 2500 for the Sport bundle, even though they also have the choice of the Luxury package, which expenses $ 650 and brings distinctive 17-inch wheels, a comfort suspension, a 3-pointed-star hood ornament, wood interior trim, and the MB-Tex–lined dash.

Extracost choices for all C-classes consist of any paint colour other than basic white or black ($ 720), a Lighting package ($ 800 adaptive higher beams and dynamic headlamps), the Multimedia package ($ 2690 navigation, 10-gigabyte hard-drive storage, 74-inch higher-res screen, CD/DVD player, SD slot, SiriusXM Site visitors and Climate, and backup camera), and the fragrance diffuser as seen on the S-class ($ 350). Also on supply: Airmatic air springs ($ 1190), an Interior package ($ 2300 leather upholstery, ventilated seats, ambient lighting, illuminated doorsills, and power and memory passenger’s seat), the Driver Assistance pack ($ 2800 Distronic Plus automatic cruise manage with auto braking, active blind-spot and lane-maintaining assists, as well as Pre-Secure Plus rear-end collision protection, steering help, and Brake Assist Plus with cross-targeted traffic detection), and a package that bundles hands-free trunk access with a energy-closing trunklid ($ 250).

The 2014 C-class began with the rear-drive $ 36,725 C250 Sport and its 201-hp 1.8-liter turbo 4. The $ 40,325 C300 4MATIC utilized a 3.5-liter V-6 very good for 248 horsepower, while the $ 43,025 rear-wheel-drive C350 Sport topped the lineup with a 302-horse V-6. For competitive comparison, the 2015 BMW 3-series lineup starts at $ 33,700 for the 180-hp 320i. The far more directly comparable 3-series models—the 240-hp 328i and the 300-hp 335i—start at $ 38,350 and $ 44,450, respectively, with rear-wheel drive. All-wheel drive fees an further $ 2000.

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Mercedes also released pricing on the GLA250 and GLA45 AMG sans in-depth options data. Each the 208-hp GLA250 4MATIC and the 355-hp GLA45 AMG 4MATIC scoot onto our shores in September, and they’ll cost $ 34,225 and $ 49,225. The front-drive GLA250 will run $ 32,225 when it arrives early subsequent year. All use a turbocharged 2.-liter 4-cylinder engine and a 6-speed dual-clutch automatic. The CLA-class sedan—with which the GLA shares its platform and powertrain lineup—costs $ 1400 much less in simple guise and with 4MATIC it is just $ 850 less with the AMG treatment.

Cost Verify: Mercedes Rates All-New 2015 C-class Sedan, GLA-class Crossover

Value Verify: Mercedes Costs All-New 2015 C-class Sedan, GLA-class Crossover

Value Verify: Mercedes Costs All-New 2015 C-class Sedan, GLA-class Crossover