Autoesque

The 2011 British Touring Car Championship is now already midway through its season. So far, it has been rather dominated by the contentious issue of performance parity between the turbocharged and normally-aspirated cars, although another boost reduction introduced for the most recent round at Croft seems to have helped a lot. That said, the championship table remains dominated by cars running NGTC engines, with sixth-place Jason Plato in his Chevrolet Cruze seemingly the only non-turbo entrant with any realistic prospect of taking the title. Chevrolet Cruze Super 2000 The series now takes its long summer break, with the next event taking place at Snetterton on 7th August. 2011 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship: Standings After Five Rounds Pos. Driver Team Car Points 1 Matt Neal Honda Racing Team Honda Civic 140 2 Mat Jackson Airwaves Racing Ford Focus 131 3 Gordon Shedden Honda Racing Team Honda Civic 120 4 Andrew Jordan ...

Toyota has launched a revised Corolla Altis saloon for the Indian market. Although the exterior alterations are subtle - they comprise a new grille, headlights, rear bumper and LED rear lights - the big change is a new petrol engine. Known as the 2ZR Dual VVT-i, it has a capacity of 1,798 cc and produces 138 bhp (103 kW / 140 PS). Peak torque meanwhile is up to 173 Nm (127 lb/ft), which is available at 4,000 rpm. The transmissions have been upgraded too, with the previous four-speed automatic and five-speed manual gearboxes being swapped for a seven-speed Super CVT-i automatic and a six-speed manual respectively. The 1,364 cc D-4D turbo diesel alternative continues unaltered with outputs of 86 bhp (65 kW / 88 PS) and 205 Nm (151 lb/ft) of torque. Connected to a six-speed manual gearbox, fuel economy is 60.5 mpg (4.7 l/100km / 21.45 km/l). Available in four specifications, all but the most basic ‘J’ models come as standard with driver and passenger airbags, keyless entry, an ...

The UK Department for Transport has launched a new Think! campaign in a bid to cut the number of motorcyclist deaths and serious injuries. But rather than just being aimed at bikers themselves, the main target audience is actually other drivers. That’s because 78% of riders that are killed or seriously injured are in collision with another vehicle, with 67% of those crashes occurring at junctions. Those government statistics, which are from 2009, clearly dispel the notion that most motorcycle fatalities are primarily speed-related with nobody else involved. Therefore, the focus of the campaign is to encourage drivers to look out for bikers, especially at junctions. Costing £1.2 million for 2011/12, it will include national radio advertising, sponsorship of drive-time radio shows and filling station forecourt adverts. Mike Penning MP, Road Safety Minister, commented: "Britain has some of the safest roads in the world but around nine motorcyclists were still killed on the...

Against a background of nervous suppliers, production stoppages and Chinese investment, Saab has announced a series of improvements to its 9-5 Saloon for 2012. As expected, it has also confirmed the introduction of the 9-5 SportWagon. A series of changes are being introduced to make the 9-5 more fuel efficient and environmentally friendly. All engines have been tweaked, and devices such as automatic stop-start and a gearshift indicator are now fitted. The headline result is that the Saloon equipped with the 157 bhp (118 kW / 160 PS) 2.0 litre TiD diesel engine and manual transmission now emits 125 g/km of CO2. Before, the figure was 139 g/km. Significantly, that means the Saab just betters the 129 g/km of the fleet managers’ favourite, the BMW 520d. However, it should be remembered that the 9-5 still has 23 bhp (17 kW / 24 PS) less than its German rival. Another important area which has received attention is the chassis, something that was criticised when the 9-5 was first launc...

Buick has confirmed some technical specifications for its forthcoming 2012 Regal GS - and the big news is that it’s going to have slightly more power than originally thought. When first announced in November last year, it was estimated that the 2.0 litre Ecotec turbocharged, four-cylinder, direct injection engine would produce 255 bhp (190 kW / 258 PS). However, the GS has now been SAE certified at 270 bhp (201 kW / 273 PS). Peak torque, which is achieved at 2,400 rpm, remains at the previous figure of 400 Nm (295 lb/ft). That’s plenty for a front-wheel drive car, and it adds up to a 0-60 mph (96 km/h) acceleration time of just 6.7 seconds. Anticipated Highway fuel economy is a fairly respectable 28 mpg US (33.6 mpg imperial / 8.4 l/100km), vindicating the decision to use a small capacity turbo engine rather than a normally aspirated six-cylinder unit. Anticipating that torque steer could be an issue, Buick has fitted the GS with its High Performance Strut front suspension sy...

Toyota has released the first details and images of its third generation Yaris supermini. The new car’s design comes as no surprise, as it’s essentially a re-badged version of the Japanese market Vitz that was launched at the end of last year. It was also previewed by the Yaris Hybrid Concept, as seen at the Geneva Motor Show in March. Like its predecessor, the new Yaris will be built at Valenciennes in France. Power will come from a choice of 1.0 litre VVT-i petrol, 1.33 litre dual VVT-i petrol or 1.4 litre D-4D diesel engines, but no performance or economy figures have been released. Similarly, equipment specifications are yet to be confirmed, except that Toyota is saying the majority of variants will come with the ‘Touch and Go’ multimedia system which features a 6.1” touch screen. UK sales of the new Toyota Yaris are due to begin this summer. Related posts: Top 10: Low insurance cars Toyota is top car brand

BMW has taken the wraps off its new M5 which, unsurprisingly, is virtually identical to the Concept M5 that was seen at April’s Shanghai motor show. As was revealed then, the 2012 F10 M5 gets a 4.4 litre twin-turbo V8 instead of the 5.0 litre normally-aspirated V10 unit that powered its E60 M5 predecessor. With Twin Scroll turbo technology and Valvetronic variable valve control, the new engine generates 552 bhp (412 kW / 560 PS). Peak torque is a substantial 680 Nm (502 lb/ft), which crucially is available from just 1,500 rpm. Although there have been rumours that North American variants might get a manual transmission, for now drive to the rear wheels is via a seven-speed M Double Clutch Transmission. This comes with various driver aids including low-speed assistance, traction-optimised automatic gear selection and launch control. The result of all that is a zero to 62 mph (100 km/h) time of 4.4 seconds. Top speed is limited to 155 mph (250 km/h), although this rises to 190...

To celebrate its 100th anniversary this year, Benelli has unveiled two TNT Century Racer special editions. The TNT899 Century Racer has an 898 cc three-cylinder engine that produces 118 bhp (88 kW / 120 PS) and 88 Nm (64 lb/ft) of peak torque. Upgrades from the standard bike include 50 mm diameter Marzocchi upside-down front forks and wavy brake discs with Brembo radial calipers. For those wanting more power there’s the TNT1130 Century Racer, which will be built on request. Its larger capacity engine still has three cylinders, but outputs are up to 127 bhp (95 kW / 129 PS) and 110 Nm (81 lb/ft). While also enjoying the chassis improvements of its smaller brother, it takes them one step further by having fully adjustable front and rear suspension. Distinguishing both versions of the Century Racer are an Alcantara seat cover, redesigned rear bodywork, dark green paint and a contrasting yellow finish for the cylinder head valve cover and rear spring.

BMW has announced the 2011 Frozen Black Edition M3 Coupe for the United States market. The Frozen Black Edition’s distinguishing feature is its matte black bodywork. Rather than using a vinyl wrap, the effect is achieved by the use of a special BMW Individual paint finish which involves spraying a silk matte clear coat over a metallic black base coat. BMW claims the result meets all of its durability and longevity standards, although it does take the precaution of providing owners with special care guidelines. Not that there will be many owners, as production of the Frozen Black Edition is to be strictly limited to just twenty examples - and BMW of North America is going to be keeping one of those, at least for now. Anyone wanting one of the remaining nineteen cars had better keep Thursday, 16th June 2011 free, because that’s the day on which the order line opens (and probably closes, too). The number is 1-800-245-4269, but BMW doesn’t want anyone calling before 11:30AM Eastern ...

Renault has announced the Mégane Renaultsport 265 Trophy, a car that it’s touting as a serious rival to the Volkswagen Golf R. As the name implies, the new arrival has had a modest power increase compared to the existing Mégane Renaultsport 250. Its 2.0 litre engine now produces 261 bhp (195 kW / 265 PS) and 360 Nm (265 lb/ft) of peak torque, courtesy of a revised air intake and a rise in turbo boost pressure from 2.3 to 2.5 bar. The effect on performance isn’t spectacular, though. Top speed rises from 156 mph (251 km/h) to 158 mph (254 km/h), while the Mégane’s zero to 62 mph (100 km/h) time falls from 6.1 to 6.0 seconds. Perhaps surprisingly there’s no adverse effect on efficiency, with average fuel consumption and CO2 emissions remaining at 34.4 mpg (8.2 l/100km) and 190 g/km respectively. By contrast, the all-wheel drive Golf R will ‘only’ hit 155 mph (250 km/h), but its 0-62 mph time of 5.7 seconds (or 5.5 seconds with the optional DSG transmission) comfortably surpasses th...

Up until just a few years ago, four or five speeds were considered sufficient for an automatic gearbox. But over time further ratios have gradually been added for extra responsiveness and economy, so that today eight-speeders aren’t that uncommon. Now, ZF has gone one better by announcing the world’s first nine-speed automatic transmission for cars. Dubbed the 9HP, it has been designed for front-wheel drive, transverse engine applications, although it can also be modified for all-wheel drive and hybrid powertrain vehicles. The main benefit of those extra gears is that they allow an engine to run at its most efficient speed more often, and consequently ZF is claiming that fuel savings of 16 per cent are possible compared to the current generation of six-speed automatic gearboxes. That’s a significant improvement, which should help to continue the growing trend for automatic cars to at least match their manual counterparts on economy. Because the 9HP has been designed to operate w...

The grid for 2011’s Le Mans 24 Hours will see an all-Audi front row. Both R18 TDI Audi Sport Team Joest entries managed to just better the times set by any of the Peugeots, surely their greatest rivals for the race. Indeed, the first seven spots are occupied by either an R18 TDI or a 908 , both of which are diesel-powered. That dominance would suggest that efforts by race organisers, the Automobile Club de l’Ouest, to equalise performance between petrol and diesel cars hasn’t been successful. 2011 24 Heures Du Mans - Qualification Pos. Race No. Team Drivers Car Class Time 1 2 Audi Sport Team Joest M. Fassler / A. Lotterer / B. Treluyer Audi R18 TDI LM P1 3:25.738 2 1 Audi Sport Team Joest T. Bernhard / R. Dumas / M. Rockenfeller Audi R18 TDI LM P1 3:25.799 3 9 Team Peugeot Total P. Lamy / S. Bourdais / S. Pagenaud Peugeot 908 LM P1 3:26.010 4 8 Peugeot Sport Total F. Montagny / S. Sarrazin / N. Minassian Peugeot 908 LM P1 3:26.156 ...

Škoda UK is to enter a highly-tuned Octavia vRS at August’s Bonneville Speed Week. Running in the 2.0 litre production car class, the aim is to hit 200 mph (322 km/h) across the salt flats. Remarkably, the car’s 2.0 TSI engine remains unaltered, although the standard turbocharger has been replaced with an upgraded Garret G05 item that can handle 28 psi of boost. Running on high octane race fuel, the result is an output of around 590 bhp (440 kW / 600 PS) - about three times that of the stock Octavia vRS. Various pieces of safety equipment have been installed, including fire extinguishers, a roll cage and a parachute. The rear brakes, however, are obviously redundant as they’re missing from the spec sheet. Other modifications are there solely to improve the Octavia’s aerodynamics, and therefore top speed. The ride height is lowered by 80 mm, disc wheel covers are fitted and anything extraneous such as the door mirrors has been thrown away. The 200 mph attempt is being made to c...

Mazda has unveiled the Freestyle cab for its all-new 2012 BT-50 pick-up. In a configuration that mimics the Mazda RX-8 coupé, the rear doors open backwards to reveal a 1,408 mm pillarless opening and four seats. For extra practicality, the backseat cushions can be removed to allow for cargo storage inside the cab. Naturally though most potential buyers will be interested in the 1,453 litres of external load space, which is 239 litres up on the BT-50 Dual Cab thanks to the Freestyle’s longer cargo box. The Mazda BT-50, which shares its underpinnings with the new Ford Ranger , is due to go on sale later this year. Public debut for the BT-50 Freestyle will be at the Australian International Motor Show, which takes place in Melbourne from the 1st to the 10th of July. Related post: 2011 Ford Ranger revealed

Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks has unveiled a unique concept to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the first Unimog, which rolled off the production line in Gaggenau on 3rd June 1951. Based on the current U 5000 model, the ‘60 Years Unimog’ has an open cab just like the original. The lurid green colour scheme is apparently inspired by the poison dart frog, while the Unimog’s trademark coil springs have been painted a contrasting shade of red. Aluminium trim on the exposed chassis and huge five-spoke ‘alu-rim’ wheels complete the visual effect. Unfortunately the ‘60 Years Unimog’ isn’t a prototype for a production model, but Bertrand Janssen from Daimler’s commercial vehicle department stated: "On no account did we work in an atmosphere where our ideas were divorced from reality. Here we have a vehicle which is puristic, but still clearly true to concept - with the claim that some of its details will turn up in coming product ranges in future. We continued to take up the most imp...

Mini has released the first details of its new Coupé, including some technical specs and images of a still half-camouflaged car. Mini Coupé Prototype. Scroll down for more images. A two-seater, the Mini Coupé has roughly the same wheelbase, width and overall length as the existing Mini Hatch, but its distinctive three-box body sits 29 millimetres lower for a suitably sporty stance. Of course, being a Mini, one of its strengths is going to have to be handling. To ensure it measures up, extra body stiffening has been added to give a more stable platform for the suspension to work with. Unsurprisingly, DSC stability control comes as standard across the range. Four variants will be available, all of which carry the Cooper name. Every one comes with a range of fuel-saving technologies including automatic stop / start, brake energy regeneration, electric power steering, gear shift indicator and intelligent ancillaries. There’s no entry-level ‘One’ specification for the Mini C...