Autoesque

Today has certainly been the day for new World Rally Championship cars. Not only were the Citroen DS3 WRC and Ford Fiesta RS WRC unveiled, but also the Mini Countryman WRC got its debut at the Paris Motor Show. The car has been developed in partnership with Prodrive, no strangers to WRC success. Like the DS3 and Fiesta, Mini’s entry uses a 1.6 turbocharged engine, in accordance with the new FIA regulations for 2011. Developed by BMW Motorsport, it will transmit its power via an Xtrac six-speed sequential gearbox. Mini has confirmed that it’ll be entering six out of the thirteen scheduled WRC rounds in 2011 , before going on to campaign the full season in 2012. Prodrive will also be building customer cars for independent teams to use. As expected, Kris Meeke has been named as the first driver who will compete for Prodrive in the Mini Countryman WRC. Meeke, from Northern Ireland, is the current Intercontinental Rally Challenge champion. It’s rumoured that he could be joined a...

Hot on the heels of the Ford Fiesta RS WRC , Citroën has also today unveiled its 2011 World Rally Championship contender. The DS3 WRC will have a huge reputation to live up to, seeing as its Xsara and C4 predecessors secured six driver’s titles (all with Sébastien Loeb at the wheel, and all won over consecutive years) and five constructor’s championships. And it looks very likely that Loeb and Citroën will be accomplishing both feats again this year, too. In developing the new car, Citroën Racing has had to comply with the new 2011 FIA WRC regulations. The biggest change is the shift from 2.0 litre to 1.6 litre turbocharged engines but, with an eye on costs, components such as semi-automatic gearboxes and centre differentials are now banned, while others have to comply with strict cost and weight criteria. The direct injection engines used in the DS3 WRC have been tuned to produce around 295 bhp (220 kW / 300 PS) and, under the revised rules, each one will be expected to last ...

Ford has unveiled the Fiesta RS WRC, the car that it’ll be entering in next year’s World Rally Championship . Designed to comply with new regulations that come into force in 2011, power will come from a 1.6 litre turbo engine instead of a 2.0 litre unit as used by today’s WRC cars. Like the Focus RS WRC that it replaces, the Fiesta RS WRC has been built by Ford of Europe and its partner M-Sport, which is run by BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team director Malcolm Wilson. The car’s EcoBoost engine, which features direct petrol injection, was also developed by Ford and M-Sport, together with some input from French tuner Pipo Moteur. This year’s driver line-up of Mikko Hirvonen and Jari-Matti Latvala is set to continue unchanged, and both will get an opportunity to drive the Fiesta RS WRC during its first major test session. That’s due to take place on gravel roads in Spain at the beginning of October.

For the fourth time in five years, Aston Martin has been named the UK’s coolest brand in the CoolBrands survey. The 2010/11 poll, which sought the opinions of members of the public as well as a panel of experts, placed the British car maker ahead of brands such as BlackBerry, Google and Dom Perignon. The other automotive companies that made it into the top twenty were Harley-Davidson (6th), Ferrari (9th) and Mini (16th). Speaking of the award, Aston Martin CEO, Dr Ulrich Bez said, “Once you can define precisely why a brand is cool, then it no longer has the magic that earns it that label. There has to be an element of mystique, something that eludes definition. In order for a brand to have that quality, it needs people behind it with a passionate, creative vision who care for and nurture it.” Quite right too. Let’s see if Aston Martin can retain the title after the Cygnet arrives. The 2010/11 CoolBrands Top 20: Aston Martin (Automotive - Cars) iPhone (Technology - Telecommu...

Audi is to unveil the hot(ish) version of its A1 supermini at the Paris Motor Show. But, contrary to normal convention, it won’t be called S1. Instead, it’ll have the long and inelegant title of Audi A1 1.4 TFSI, because there’s no quattro all-wheel drive system to warrant the ‘S’ prefix. Its 1.4 litre turbocharged and supercharged engine, seven-speed dual clutch gearbox and underpinnings are all shared with the Volkswagen Polo GTI, Skoda Fabia vRS and Seat Ibiza SC Cupra . However, Audi obviously felt the need to differentiate the ‘premium’ version of the quartet, so the A1 gets a superficial power increase from 176 bhp (132 kW / 180 PS) to 182 bhp (136 kW / 185 PS). Not that those few extra horsepower make any difference. The 0-62 mph (100 km/h) time of 6.9 seconds is exactly the same as the Polo GTI’s, for example, while a top speed of 141 mph (227 km/h) is actually 1 mph slower than the Volkswagen can manage. At least the combined cycle fuel economy of 47.9 mpg (5.9 l/100km) a...

Both Smart and Mini will have electric scooter concepts at the Paris Motor Show. That’s either a huge coincidence, or they’ve been keeping a very close eye on each other’s activities. Of course it must be the former, for the benefit of the lawyers. Smart Smart’s offering is called the escooter which, like the Smart fortwo car, features a metal frame with interchangeable plastic body panels. Power comes from a 5 bhp (4 kW / 5 PS) rear hub-mounted motor, driven by a 48-volt lithium-ion battery pack. That’s enough to propel the escooter up to 28 mph (45 km/h), which is on a par with 50 cc petrol scooters and should be fine for most city centre trips. Tackling anything further afield might be a bit ambitious, although Smart reckons it’ll have a range of around 60 miles (100 km). Charging takes ‘within three to five hours’, which just sounds rather vague. Unlike the Econogo Yogo electric scooter , the escooter doesn’t have a removable battery, which makes recharging awkward unles...

Carrera, Turbo, Carrera 4S, GT2 RS, etc., etc. Coupé, Convertible and Targa. With seventeen models, representing just about every conceivable engine, body style and transmission permutation, nobody could accuse Porsche of not trying to offer a 911 to suit the tastes and wallets of every potential purchaser. But it appears that there were still some tiny niches being ignored, because now there are another three variants: Carrera GTS Coupé, Carrera GTS Cabriolet and Speedster. 911 Carrera GTS The role of the GTS is to satisfy those who clearly think that the Carrera S doesn’t have quite enough power, but the GT3 simply has too much. Hence the 3.8 litre flat six Porsche has specified for the GTS produces 402 bhp (300 kW / 408 PS), an output that ideally fills the narrow chasm between the 379 bhp (283 kW / 385 PS) of the Carrera S and the GT3’s 429 bhp (320 kW / 435 PS). Predictably, its performance slots neatly between those other two 911 models, too. The GTS Coupé gets from 0-62...

The original Fiat Doblò was notable for its ‘challenging’ looks, but that didn’t stop it winning the International Van of the Year award back in 2006. Now the same feat has been repeated by its successor, the recently launched all-new Doblò, which certainly seems to have had a bit more attention paid to its visual appeal. The decision to give the 2011 International Van of the Year title to the Doblò was made by a jury of 24 journalists, all from commercial vehicle publications in different countries. It achieved 128 points out of a possible 168, with the judges citing the wide range of body types and engine choices as particularly praiseworthy. Available in either Cargo panel van or Combi five-seater versions, both can be specified in either standard or Maxi long wheelbase configuration. There’s also a chassis cab in the Doblò range for third-party bodybuilders to adapt. Engine choice comprises a 93 bhp (70 kW / 95 PS) 1.4 litre petrol, together with three MultiJet diesels. Thes...

Up until now, buyers of the Maserati GranTurismo have been able to choose from either the standard model, with its 399 bhp (297 kW / 405 PS) 4.2 litre engine, or the ‘S’ version that gets a larger 4.7 litre V8 and 434 bhp (323 kW / 440 PS). Neither is exactly slow - even the less powerful option delivers a 0-62 mph (100 km/h) time of 5.2 seconds and a top speed of 177 mph (285 km/h) - and the GranTurismo is arguably one of the most handsome cars on sale today. But, as the name implies, both variants remain more luxury coupe than hardcore performance car. However, the latest addition to the range is designed to shift the character of the GranTurismo firmly towards the sports end of the spectrum. Named the MC Stradale, and taking inspiration from the Trofeo GranTurismo MC and GT4 race cars, it will be the fastest, lightest and most powerful new Maserati available when deliveries begin early next year. Like the ‘S’, it features a 4.7 litre engine, but output goes up to 443 bhp (331...

With the new Saab 9-5 getting so much attention of late its smaller sibling, the venerable 9-3, might have rather faded into the background pending its replacement in 2012. But Saab, under new owners Spyker Cars, isn’t ignoring its compact range. Realising that - in Europe at least - both fleet and private customers are demanding ever more economical small diesels, it has improved the 9-3 accordingly for the 2011 model year. There’s now a choice of three diesel engines, available with a power output of 128 bhp (95 kW / 130 PS), 157 bhp (117 kW / 160 PS) or 177 bhp (132 kW / 180 PS). And they have a lot in common with each other: all have a capacity of 1.9 litres, all now feature twin turbochargers and all produce exactly the same amount of CO2 and will go the same distance on a gallon of fuel. In the saloon, that means 62.8 mpg on the combined cycle (4.4 l/100km) and just 119 g/km of carbon dioxide. The figures for the SportWagon estate and convertible versions are slightly wor...

Fiat has released the first details and images of the North American specification 500. The tiny city car will be available in Pop, Lounge and Sport trim levels, and is distinguished from the European version by its more aggressive front and rear bumpers, bigger grille and flared sills. Another unique feature is the engine. Fiat has decided to use the 1.4 MultiAir unit currently found in models such as the Fiat Punto Evo and Alfa Romeo MiTo. Perhaps it felt that using the forthcoming two-cylinder TwinAir in the American 500 would have been too much for markets there to take? There’s no word yet on what power output the MultiAir will have, although in its current applications it comes with either 103 bhp (77 kW / 105 PS), 133 bhp (99 kW / 135 PS) or 167 bhp (125 kW / 170 PS). Similarly, prices have yet to be confirmed, but hopefully both details will have been sorted out by the time the order book for the 500 hatch opens later this year. For convertible fans, the 500C is due ...

Aprilia has released the first image of its new Dorsoduro 1200 supermoto. Power will come courtesy of an all-new 90 degree V-twin, which is said to have 128 bhp (95 kW / 130 PS) and 115 Nm of torque. It features ‘Ride By Wire’, which gives the rider a choice of three engine management maps - Sport, Touring and Rain. The Dorsoduro 1200 will be available with ATC (Aprilia Traction Control) and two-channel ABS, both of which can be individually deactivated. There’s no word on pricing yet but, to help whet the appetite, Aprilia has also produced a short launch video .

The UK’s Office of Fair Trading has launched an investigation into suspected price fixing by truck manufacturers. As part of its enquiries, which are taking place under the Enterprise Act 2002 and the Competition Act 1998, the OFT earlier this week invited itself to the offices of Mercedes-Benz UK in Tongwell, Milton Keynes. Following the raid, one person was arrested but later bailed. The Enterprise Act is a serious piece of legislation - breaches can result in criminal charges, with the possibility that individuals can be jailed for up to five years, and the company fined up to 10% of its global turnover. A spokesman for Mercedes-Benz has said that the company "… is fully co-operating with the investigation which may take many months or more to complete." Meanwhile, rival firms Scania, MAN and Volvo Trucks / Renault Trucks have confirmed that they have already received letters from the OFT notifying them of the investigation and requesting information. Iveco and DA...

Kawasaki has announced a sharper version of its middleweight Z750, the Z750R. Handling is one of the two areas that has received most attention, with the ‘R’ getting new adjustable 41 mm upside-down front forks, a revised aluminium swing arm and a remote reservoir piggy-back rear shock. The other is the brakes. As well as thicker 300 mm petal discs and radial-mounted four piston calipers, the bike is fitted with steel braided brake lines for improved feel. Visually, the main differences compared to the standard Z750 are a redesigned cowl, two-tone paint and special ‘R’ instruments. One thing that remains unchanged though is the 748 cc engine, which still produces 104 bhp (77 kW / 106 PS). Prices have yet to be confirmed, but the Z750R - which will be sold alongside the existing Z750 - is due to make its UK debut at the Carole Nash Motorcycle Live event at the NEC in November.

At the same meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council that ratified the 2011 Formula 1 calendar , the dates for the 2011 World Touring Car Championship were also agreed. The big changes are that the Belgian race at Zolder disappears, while the Portuguese and Japanese rounds move to Porto and Suzuka respectively. New venues are Buenos Aires in Argentina and a yet to be confirmed Chinese circuit. A Mexican round has failed to reappear on the schedule, following the enforced cancellation of this year’s event at Puebla due to security fears in the region. The WMSC also confirmed that next season 1.6 litre turbo cars will be eligible to compete alongside the existing Super 2000 and Diesel 2000 cars. 2011 WTCC calendar Date Race 20 March Curitiba, Brazil 03 April Buenos Aires, Argentina 15 May Monza, Italy 05 June Marrakech, Morocco 19 June Brno, Czech Republic 03 July Porto, Portugal 17 July Brands Hatch, Great Britain 31 July Oschersleben, Ger...

The United States is going to get the Audi TT RS, after all. Audi of America will begin importing the hottest TT at around this time next year, albeit only in coupe form. The decision was, apparently, partly influenced by a Facebook campaign to bring the car to the US, with Audi feeling that many of the 11,500 signatories to the petition were likely to be buyers. Not teenagers still years off getting a driving licence sitting in their bedrooms, then. Interestingly, it seems that the US spec TT RS will be more powerful than versions currently sold in other territories. That’s because the 2.5 litre TFSI five-cylinder engine is set to have an output of 360 bhp (268 kW / 365 PS), instead of the usual 335 bhp (250 kW / 340 PS). Whether that has much impact on performance remains to be seen as, despite the extra horsepower, the quoted 0-62 mph (100 km/h) acceleration time remains unchanged at 4.6 seconds. 360 bhp is a big leap compared to the most powerful TT already on sale across th...