Car Centres: May 2011

Monday, May 30, 2011

emerging electric mobility agenda, and it's Smart Forspeed concept for the 2011 Geneva auto show is no exception.
The Forspeed's rear wheels are propelled by a 30-kW (40-horsepower) electric motor, the same setup found in the Smart Fortwo ElectricDrive. Smart has included a so-called overboost function, which reportedly allows drivers to cue up an extra 7 horsepower for short blasts by pushing a button on the dashboard. Power is drawn from the same 16.5-kWh lithium-ion battery pack as in the Smart ED, giving the Forspeed a theoretical range of 81 miles to a single charge.
While the electric drivetrain is rooted in reality, the Forspeed's styling is not. Bearing some resemblance to the wild Crossblade concept and special-edition model from earlier this decade, the Forspeed does without a roof or windscreen. Shy of donning full-face helmets, occupants receive protection from the elements by means of a chopped wrap-around windscreen and -- unlike the Crossblade -- full door panels.
Like Smart's recent electric bike concepts, the ForSpeed's exterior lighting is LED-based. The lamps aren't traditional projector-style assemblies, however. Instead, designers placed LED pipes radiating from a body-colored center. The outermost rods change color to act as turn signals, and similar lighting placed around the exterior power port, help display the vehicle's charge status.
The Forspeed's safety cell wraps into the double-bubble roll bars, and then flows down into the cabin, where it serves as the car's center console. Designers trimmed the interior in a matching, matte white hue to match the exterior paint, but liberally applied green accents to hint at the eco-friendly properties of the car's drivetrain. A minimalist two-pod dashboard places a speedometer in front of the driver, and a smartphone-based nav system dead ahead of the passenger. According to Smart, the latter can be swiveled 90 degrees to let the driver view the map.
Although a small quantity of Crossblades were offered to the public, Daimler doesn't plan on pushing the Forspeed into even limited production. Even so, the brand says to expect some of the concept's design cues to be incorporated into future Smart product offerings.

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Saab Phoenix Concept

Saab Phoenix Concept

GENEVA -- Saab's Dutch chairman and CEO, Victor Muller, probably doesn't know and certainly doesn't care that to us, the Phoenix is a Pontiac compact from the '70s and '80s. He's named ex-Ferrari designer Jason Castriota's 9-3-sized concept hatchback coupe "Phoenix," a celebration of Saab's rising from the ashes of the GM sale. Company President Jan-Ake Jonsson called last week's celebration of the one-year anniversary of Saab's separation from General Motors "Independence Day."
The Phoenix seems too stylized to say much about Saab's design future under Castriota, whom Muller announced as his new chief designer, at last year's show. The Phoenix has much more surface tension than the Saab Aero concepts designed under GM. As good-looking as those Aeros were, they now look like the bubble-wrap the Phoenix came in. The car may be a bit busy, but it is gorgeous, and hints that if nothing else, Castriota plans to use early Saab raindrop shapes as a design theme. It has been designed as a 2+2 coupe. The tail, with its many LED taillamp bulbs, looks like something designed for Spyker. While there's no sign on the Saab stand of Muller's 9-2 design proposal, the Phoenix concept riffs off its raindrop shape. Castriota calls the design theme for a "sporty three-door hatch" the "aero-motional" aesthetic, and the inspiration for the 9-5 and 9-4x. The Phoenix has a 1.6-liter turbo four rated 200 horsepower, Saab's new "V" all-wheel-drive system developed with supplier American Axle, and a Google Android-based Icon infotainment system.
Muller has designated Phoenix as the name for Saab's flexible architecture, which debuts under the new 9-3 he promises for calendar 2012. The car started with GM's Epsilon platform, but Saab has made enough changes to call the platform its own, or Phoenix, and the new 9-3 "will show to you what an independent Saab organization can do."
Muller calls the coming Saabs, including the 9-5 SportKombi unveiled here, as "drivers cars" that will emphasize small-displacement, turbocharged engines. Muller has just sold his interest in, and Saab's connection to, Spyker, the independent sports carmaker that made it possible for Muller and his investors to buy Saab to Russian entrepreneur Viktor Antonov. Muller says he proposed the sale to Saab's board so the small sports carmaker could raise additional cash. If Muller and his board had held on to their interest in Spyker, he said, their shares would have been diluted to the point at which they would have lost control.
So automaker Muller has gone from being an automaker who made something like 300 cars in a full decade to an automaker who can build 80,000 per year. That's how many Saabs were sold worldwide in its first full year of independence. Eighty thousand per year, globally, would be total failure for most mainstream automakers. In its first year of independence, Saab has managed, one way or another, to stay out of the mainstream.

Saab Phoenix Concept

Saab 9-5 SportCombi

Saab 9-5 SportCombi

Swedish automaker Saab went through a bit of a rough patch in 2009, but has since introduced two strong, new products as part of its resurgence. And it's just announced it will officially unveil another at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show in the form of the new 9-5 SportCombi.
We're rather impressed with Saab's new 9-5 sedan, having sampled a number of them in various trim levels and expect similar of the SportCombi. It features the same chassis setup with Saab's DriveSense adaptive chassis control that allows the driver to switch between three chassis settings -- comfort, intelligent, and sport. Intelligent mode is actually intelligent as it learns your driving style and adapts to it. Saab's torque-vectoring, XWD all-wheel-drive system is also available along with adaptive headlights, adaptive cruise control, push-button starting, tri-zone climate control, and a heads-up display.
The interior carries over from the 9-5 sedan as well, which means it'll feature the same soft-touch materials and well-appointed seats as the sedan. Overall, we found the interior a very nice place to sit, if a bit dreary in all black -- lighter parchment and gray leather colors are available as well to lighten the mood.
Powertrains are another carry over from the 9-5 sedan, with a choice of a 2.0-liter, turbocharged I-4 or a turbo, 2.8-liter V-6. Both engines are more than adequate for the sedan, but we actually found the I-4 more to our liking because of the availability of a precise six-speed manual transmission and the absence of some 800 extra pounds on the V-6 models. Front-wheel-drive is standard -- along with the manual -- with the I-4 with all-wheel-drive available as an option. Saab's excellent, XWD all-wheel-drive is standard on V-6 models as is a six-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters.
As you've probably noticed, the only real difference then between the sedan and SportCobmi is bodystyle. The SportCombi features the same Aero X-inspired front-end styling as the sedan, just with a wagon-profile, complete with Saab's signature wraparound rear windshield, for added versatility. Replacing the trunk with a true wagon-style rear hatch means that total cargo capacity is around 56 cubic feet with the seats down and 19 cubic feet with the seats up. The sedan's trunk will swallow roughly 18 cubic feet worth of gear. Additionally, Saab has installed what it calls a smart tailgate, which allows owners' to select how far the tailgate will open, saving the hatch from opening too far when inside a parking garage.
Unlike a number of other automakers -- BMW and Volvo notably -- that have pulled out of the U.S. wagon market, Saab is bringing the 9-5 SportCombi to the U.S. It will launch this August, but a spokesperson said in reduced trim levels and likely only the top-of-the-line Aero version. If this holds true, it will only be offered with the 2.8-liter, turbocharged V-6 and six-speed automatic transmission -- unfortunate as we'd love to be able to row our own gears in a 9-5 wagon. Look for pricing and full model selection to be announced closer to the car's on sale date.

Saab 9-5 SportCombi

2012 Saab 9-3

2012 Saab 9-3

2012 Saab 9-3

2012 Saab 9-3

An all-new Saab 9-3 is still several years away, but in the meantime, the newly independent Swedish automaker will unveil its revised 2012 9-3 line at the 2011 Geneva auto show.
What's new? Let's start underhood. Power continues to be provided by a turbocharged 2.0-liter I-4, but the General Motors-sourced engines receive variable valve timing, direct fuel injection, twin-scroll turbochargers, and E85 capability for the 2012 model year. Top-end Aero models are rated at 210 horsepower, but engines fitted to entry-level Turbo4 cars see their output dialed back to 163 horsepower. Both forms, however, can be paired with a six-speed manual or automatic transmission, and can be coupled with Saab's Haldex-sourced XWD all-wheel-drive system. We've been given no word yet on fuel economy ratings, but the outgoing 2.0-liter turbo had a combined EPA city/highway rating between 20 and 24 mpg, depending on transmission and drivetrain.
Outside of the engine compartment, the modest upgrades are sprinkled about the car to visually bring the 9-3 into line with the new 9-5 and 9-4x. Up front, the 2012 9-3 receives new trapezoidal lower air intakes, a larger Saab script logo, and blue-tinted headlamps. The rear end receives a script emblem in place of the company's traditional griffin logo, while sedan models receive a standard decklid spoiler across the board. 16-inch wheels are standard across the line, although XWD models do receive 17-inch rims. Buyers will have a choice of new optional 17- and 18-inch wheels, including some patterned after the 9-5's turbine design.

2012 Saab 9-3

Rolls-Royce 102EX Concept

Rolls-Royce 102EX Concept

The EX moniker - and the red RR badging - has been used by Rolls-Royce to distinguish what the company calls "experimental" models since 1919. And while Henry Royce started his career as an electrical engineer and Charles Rolls spoke favorably of electric vehicles before his death in1910, there's never been a Rolls-Royce as experimental as this Phantom electric vehicle.
Rolls-Royce owners can easily afford to pay high gas guzzler taxes, aren't concerned about soaring fuel prices, and don't care whether London continues to exempt electric vehicles from its daily congestion charge. And in truth, with annual sales of less than 1000 vehicles the Phantom's contribution to global oil consumption and greenhouse gas emissions is an almost immeasurable fraction of that made by the 72 million cars and light trucks sold around the world last year.
But as the big, opulent Phantom is seen by some as a symbol of excess rather success, the 102EX is really more about symbolism than saving the planet. Ironically, an electric-powered Phantom makes a lot of sense, on several levels. First, the characteristics of an electric powertrain -- abundant low-end torque, plus unparalleled smoothness and silence -- have been the hallmarks of Rolls-Royce engines since the 1907 Silver Ghost. Second, most current Phantom owners don't actually drive their cars that far, averaging somewhere between 1000 and 2000 miles a year, according to Rolls-Royce communications director Richard Carter.

Rolls-Royce 102EX Concept

Rolls-Royce 102EX Concept

Renault Captur Concept

Renault Captur Concept

Renault Captur Concept

Renault has dropped initial renderings and information on its upcoming concept vehicle for the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, a sporty two-door crossover dubbed Captur. The automaker's CEO, Carlos Ghosn, claims that the boldly styled Captur is "ideal for a young couple to discover the world."
Range Rover's upcoming Evoque may be to blame for much of the two-door crossover craze, but the Captur takes styling elements to a whole new level. The 'butterfly' doors would look at home on a supercar concept, while the low, flat hood and arched front fenders are clearly borrowed from sports car design textbooks. A wrap-around windscreen almost recalls Hyundai's Veloster, but expect the space-age translucent interior that uses reconfigurable ropes to dictate the shape and size of the cargo area to be toned down, should the Captur make production. The wildest feature may be the roof, which is actually a removable hardtop. Yes, the Captur can be driven as a convertible. The Captur's framework is carbon fiber, and 22-inch wheels are fitted.
Power comes from Renault's Energy dCi 160 twin-turbo diesel engine concept, which the French automaker says produces 160 horsepower from its 1.6 liters and is connected to a dual-clutch EDC gearbox. Renault's RX2 differential, a self-locking mechanical unit, is fitted to the front-wheel-drive Captur to transfer more power to the wheel with most grip. Captur is also fitted with Renault's Visio-System, a front-facing camera that monitors road conditions to provide driver assistance functions. The Captur can seat up to four people, with two full-size rear seats that can be folded out from the interior side panels.

2012 Porsche Panamera S Hybrid

2012 Porsche Panamera S Hybrid

With automakers doing their best to showcase the most fuel efficient and powerful models they can come up with, it comes as little surprise that Porsche will be rolling out the 2012 Porsche Panamera S Hybrid the 2011 Geneva Motor Show.
Essentially employing the same powertrain found in the Cayenne S Hybrid, the Panamera S Hybrid will pair a 333-horsepower, supercharged 3.0-liter V-6 gasoline engine with a 47-horsepower electric motor. Power is routed through an eight-speed automatic transmission. Total combined power is 380 horsepower and 427 pound-feet of torque, which will reportedly push the Panamera from 0-60 mph in 5.7 seconds onto a top speed of 167 mph, according to Porsche.
EPA ratings are still forthcoming, but on the European combined test cycle, the Panamera S Hybrid is expected to achieve up to 35 mpg when rolling on low-resistance tires. A Porsche North America representative tells us the actual U.S. MPG numbers will likely ring in slightly higher.
The hybrid Panamera is slated to reach U.S. dealers later this year, and will sticker for $95,975 (including destination). Although that's roughly $5200 more than the base price for a V-8-powered Panamera S, Hybrid models are equipped with Porsche's adaptive damper system, a rear window wiper, and navigation as standard equipment.