May 2012

No 129 May 2012 Oman’s Best Automotive Resource OMR 0.500 AED 5.00 QR 5.00

Visit us online at

www.automanweb.com

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GC-AUTOMAN-230x300.pdf 1 4/25/12 6:43 PM

A technology showcase or benchmark performer?

Nancy Ajram

launches new

Nissan Micra

in Dubai

2012MERCEDES-

BENZ M-CLASS

REFINED INSIDE

OUT

2012 PEUGEOT

508 FRENCH DESIGN

MASTERPIECE

2012 TOYOTA

CAMRY SESPORTY SIDE OF THE

BESTSELLER

Automan Omn 460x300 E F.indd 1 4/17/12 3:39 PM

Automan Omn 460x300 E F.indd 1 4/17/12 3:39 PM

22 23

SPOTLIGHT

Who would have imagined that Ferrari would go all the way and create a model with all the trappings for the Chinese market?

Subaru’s concept teaser kept people guessing till the last minute!

Chrysler Group has officially re-entered China and the Viaggio is a Dodge Dart derived China specific model

Mercedes-Benz now focuses on small A- and B-Class models for BRIC markets with some aggressive styling and engineering

Porsche has upped its gen II 2013 Cayenne GTS not only in the powertrain department but also in features

Audi presented the RS badged Q3 concept at China

Jeep is also looking at traditional Chinese inspiration in it’s line-up

Chery Automobils is upping the domestic game with impressive concepts

Lamborghini’s ultimate super athlete contender in the SAV segment. The Lamborghini Urus Concept promises to completely redefine dynamics and design in this category. The Urus combines unique design, a fascinating interior and outstanding performance with versatility and everyday usability, says Lamborghini.

JUSTAMATTER OF TIMEThat China is the most promising market in the world was evident at the 2012 Beijing Motor Show. Domestic and international players rubbed shoulders with each other to get attention with an array of concepts, global unveils and adaptations. This is just the beginning...

24 25

SPOTLIGHT

Mainstream product cars were more talked about at this year’s auto show than the usual list of wild concepts and far-off exotics. While flashy luxury and sports models dominated the first press day, it was family vehicles and pickups that were the highlight on day two.

It’s no secret that in the automotive show business in North America, the New York International Auto Show which comes after the Detroit show in January competes head-on for second place with Chicago and Los Angeles. But this year, the focus on the recovery of the American auto market and it seems that automakers have decided to use whichever platform is available, to its fullest capacities. Such a move has ensured that smaller shows such as New York show becomes an important focal point for carmakers to offer first glimpses of some new models or concepts. The show attracted almost every player in the business and Automan takes a look at the important cars unveiled at the show.

BMW showcased some updated models such as the 2013 X6 coupe-crossover for the first time, but the carmaker’s real focus was on promoting its ‘M’ badge. We know that the M6 coupe was unveiled in Geneva, the drop-top version of the big, M-tuned two-door made it debut in New York. Just like the previous-generation model, the new M6 twins share nearly all of their components with the four-door M5. As such, the 2012 BMW M6 convertible boasts the same 560-hp, 500-lb-ft twin-turbo 4.4-liter V-8 as its fixed-roof siblings. The M6’s powerplant is 10 per cent more powerful and also 30 per cent more efficient than the previous 5.0-litre V-10 and is mated to seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.

Audi filled their stands quite cleverly with older “A” badged siblings and models like the R8 GT Spyder, TT RS, RS5, S8 and A4 allroad quattro.The new S6 and S7 were conspicuously missing!

BMW

Audi

A little heart of gold

You would think that a car

of the size and demeanour of the A6 needed a large engine. What would you make of its 2.0-litre unit then? We

put the small 4-pot through its paces

FIRST DRIVE

46 47

Author: Raj Warrior Photography: Raj Warrior

EDITORIAL NOMINEE

AUDI A6 2.0 TFSI

PREMIUM CAR2012

A deceptive car and fun F1 track test it on: Lamborghini’s stealth bomber, the Aventator isn’t just about looks or composite technology application. 32

22 24 40

in this issue

Camry gets the Sporting edge

On top of a great product upgrade, the Camry now comes with a

sporty edition. We check out the end

product

FIRST DRIVE

46 47

Author: Raj Warrior Photography: Raj Warrior

EDITORIAL NOMINEE

TOYOTA CAMRY SE

MID-SIZE CAR2012

Whether it was the high cost of the Yen or the Japanese disaster year with the tsunami and nuclear issue, Toyota were left scrambling last year.

However, outside the public gaze the company has been battling on many fronts from a few years – with an almost vindictive and ill-informed campaign against its legendary reliability and engineering excellence being waged on behalf of the ‘consumer’ by the US authorities. Now the brand has the opportunity to take a breather, regroup and grow. And all this has been brought about by the brand’s new strategy that is so keenly product and process oriented.

The new Camry was the first vehicle to come out of the restructuring of the brand’s focus under the watchful gaze of Akio Toyoda. There was no longer a need to get huge production numbers for the sake of volume. The product had to be right the first time and it was this clear message in the product that won it our Automan Car of the Year in the mid-size car segment in 2011. Now we had the SE variant of the car and this version is the brand’s attempt to put a sporting flavour on the Camry.

Essentially the platform and the model remain the same. The current generation of the Camry is called the XV50 platform, which was a major revamp on the previous XV40. Superbly upgraded interiors and some major sheetmetal modifications are a signature of the new platform as much as the new steering feel and performance characteristics.

The new sheet metal has brought with it striking good looks even on the normal sedan. When you take the sporty SE variant, you get the car with the sports body kit. This means that the headlights remain the same but almost every other part of the front fascia now gets an edgy quality to it. It is almost as if the Toyota badge and the number plate just below it are the centre of a very busy area. The lower airdam is hogged by large black inserts, with rising horizontal slats and the area just below the number plate

When a product rescues

a marque

Peugeot needed a car like the 508 for sometime now in the GCC region.

After all, how many hatchbacks can they sell? We test the 508 and assess whether the marque has

met its new mark.

FIRST DRIVE

52 53

Author: Raj Warrior Photography: Raj Warrior

EDITORIAL NOMINEE

PEUGEOT 508

MID-SIZE CAR2012

74

PREVIEW

75

Lamborghini Aventador J concept

To create the striking

open top Aventador J, Lamborghini didn’t just remove the roof and windscreen from the donor

Aventador. Engineers have put in all what they have learnt in advanced composite

construction in this car so far

News06 AMG Performance Tour in Abu Dhabi 08 Regional and local car launches, events and automotive news

BraNdwatch14 Jaguar confirms F-Type, Nissan plans new hatchback 16 Rolls-Royce looking at hybid cars17 Future Mazdas to use Takeri design

spotlight22 Beijing motor show curtain raiser

24 Highlights from the New York motor

show

cover story32 Stealth Bomber Lamborghini Aventador 40 Setting frugal standards in a mid-sized sedan -- Audi A6

road tests52 Turbo rules in the swanky Peugeot 508

46 Sporting Genius – Toyota Camry SE

previews70 Hyundai Santa Fe

72 Porsche Cayenne GTS Gen II 74 Lamborghini J concept

tech talK70 Understanding fuel injection

Motorsports72 Formula 1 race reports from Bahrain/

Shanghai 74 WRC in Portugal 78 MotoGP

iNterview80 Craig Hardie, CEO, Zawawi Trading

chicaNe80 Raj gets nostalgic after Thailand visit

Visit our website for daily updates!

www.automanweb.com

NEXT ISSUE

SUV & PIck UP SPEcIal!

46 52 74

As usual this month offers one of the most concentrated doses of information about

all things automotive. Somehow it seems to be a habit with us - that each succeeding

issue brings with it a bigger and better content base.

Consider that at one time Oman was considered an automotive backwater when

compared to the rest of the region, but this month has shown that we are quite abreast

with all things automotive. Over the past few weeks, the regional launches of cars as

diverse as the Mercedes-Benz M-class, the Honda CR-V and the Nissan Micra were held

in Dubai to be followed in quick succession with the launch of the car in Oman. The

pace seems to have picked up substantially as demand from the car buyer precipitates

quick action from the sellers.

Another focus on Oman was demonstrated in the middle of the month by Bentley

chosing the Sultanate as the destination for the regional media and customer event for

the new V8 engine in the Continental GT. The car with the smaller yet equally potent

powerhouse was showcased to its best on the open roads around Muscat and one can

only hope that more such events take place around here.

This issue is dominated by the presence of the Aventador. Admittedly a bit late on the

calendar, this is still the first test drive carried in the Sultanate and it is perhaps the

best chance for most car lovers to find out about the car’s abilities. Our test team were

definitely impressed by the evolution of Lamborghini’s top of the line car from the brute

force of the Murcielago.

In addition we still have a good focus on the latest motorshows, with a detailed look at

New York and its very America specific launches of the new Avalon, 2013 Altima, the

new Impala and Lincoln’s MKZ.

Of course we also have a clutch of test drives from within the Sultanate, including one

of the most honest looks you will ever get of the Peugeot 508 and the Audi A6 2.0 TFSI

alongwith a buyer based look at the Camry’s SE variant. Whichever way you look at it

the issue is brimming with information.

As usual, we look forward to your input on all things automotive, especially about the

contents of Automan. Let us know what you would like to see added to these pages

and the cars you would like to see tested.

editor-in-chiefMohammad Al taie

AL roYA PreSS & PUBLiShinGPo Box: 343, Postal code 118Al harthy complexSultanate of oman

email: [email protected]: www.automanweb.com

editorial office:tel: +968 24479888 extn 300, fax: +968 24479889circulation office:tel: +968 2456 2360, fax: +968 2456 2194

PUBLiSherhatim Al taie [email protected]

editor & GMraj Warrior [email protected]

deSiGnSawsan Al Muharbi [email protected]

heAd of MArketinGMaged Aziz [email protected]

[email protected]

finAnce & AdMinAbraham daniel [email protected] Mol [email protected]

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© 2012All editorial content of Automan in the magazine and its website is copyrighted and may not be reproduced in any form without the written consent of the manage-ment of AL roYA PreSS & PUBLiShinG

Automan accepts unsolicited exclusive editorial material, but reserves the right to publish any such material. once published, the copyright for any such material will vest with AL roYA PreSS & PUBLiShinG

88

OMAN & REGIONAL NEws}

Mercedes-AMG’s Affalterbach division is a regular visitor at Abu Dhabi’s Formula One circuit and once again it made its horse power and torque presence felt at the annual white-knuckle test drive experience. The key punters in this year’s edition were the newly launched trio of the E 63 AMG, SLK 55 AMG and ML 63 AMG along with other team members including the C 63 AMG, C 63 AMG Coupé, CLS 63 AMG, SLS AMG, and SLS AMG GT3.As an evening-night programme taking place under lights, participants had a chance at the wheel whilst being advised by top track experts and racers to command the full power, poise and pace of AMG in an arena of adrenalin fuelled activities.Fully demonstrating the tremendous capabilities of the new-born beasts, a ‘Performance Parcours’ area provided an opportunity to learn

the techniques of handling in extreme conditions. A one-on-one ML 63 AMG drag-race and braking showdown pushed drivers to the limit, whilst SLS AMG GT3 ‘taxi rides’ allowed the brave to suit up in full racing kit for mind-warping hot laps with professional AMG drivers.Frank Bernthaler, Director, Sales and Marketing, Mercedes-Benz Cars Middle East & Levant, said: “Featuring not one, not two, but three new models for the Middle East, this year’s AMG Performance Tour is one of the most immersive test drive events we have held for our loyal customers and partners in the region. Now in its fifth year, the 2012 inception of the tour race-starts our Year of the AMG strategy by putting our most valued drivers in the driving seats of these incredible precision machines, that with a roar of the accelerator can transform comfort and luxury to heart-pounding, thrill-seeking joy in an instant.”

brea

king

news

AMG has inaugurated its first dedicated dealership in Beijing, China. Situated at the high-end Sanlitun Village shopping mall in northern Beijing, the AMG Performance Center is unique from any of the other 195 AMG dealerships already operating in 18 countries around the world in that it is a stand-alone shop, not a corner of an existing Mercedes-Benz showroom. It encompasses 381 square meters of floor space on two levels, which Daimler chose as the location to unveil the new G63 AMG.

1010

REGIONAL NEws

Nissan Middle East launched the Micra, their best-selling small hatchback at a high-octane evening at the Armani Hotel in the

Burj Khalifa Dubai. The star of the evening was joined by another star, Arabic singer and idol Nancy Ajram who is the brand ambassador for the car.

The made in India Micra is a 1.5-litre hatchback with a choice of 5-speed manual transmission or 4-speed automatic transmission and standard features like key free entry and engine stop/start button as well as power folding mirrors. The car gets two airbags, ABS and a choice of ten colours.

Nancy Ajram told the assembled press that she owned a silver colour Micra and went on to extol its virtues in city driving. After that she regaled the audience with some of her popular songs.

This is the first time that the Micra is being offered in the Middle East as part of Nissan’s intention to make the car a global model. The third generation of the car, it has already been selling a quick pace in traditional markets like the UK and Europe as well as in new markets like India. This car is produced along with the new Sunny at the Indian plant near Chennai.

“The Nissan Micra adds new strength to our extensive line-up in the Middle East,” said Syed Ahmed, General Manager, Marketing, Nissan Middle East. “We now boast one of the richest choices of compact sedans and hatchbacks in the competitive small car segment. We are confident that Micra will strike a powerful chord with the young and trendy youth of the Middle East.”

Nissan has a new product offensive under way, with a new or upgraded model being launched in the region every six weeks for the whole of this year.

The day after the launch we were part of a press group that drove the car through the streets of Dubai. Quite unlike the usual non-urban routes preferred for most test drives, the Micra was taken through some of the usual roads that it would be used on.

The small car is typified by a rather intelligent look at utility as well as comfort in the interiors. It can accommodate five adults inside while still having a rather generous rear storage. The car comes standard with features like key-free entry and a stop/start button as made famous on the Altima and electric power steering and higher grades get features like auto wipers and auto headlamps as well as folding outside mirror.

The big news is of course that the car gets the largest engine it ever had in the HR15DE 1.5-litre unit that powers the Sunny and generates 99HP. This is available with a 5-speed manual transmission or 4-speed automatic.

The car’s platform has certainly undergone a transformation in that it is tight and spacious with very good NVH as well as a firm steering feel. The engine feels far better in the Micra than the heavier Sunny and you can use the manual’s third gear to trundle along in traffic. Seat support is suitable for the class and could be sportier. Cabin plastics and features are again clearly targeted at a price segment.

The rear seat folds flat to increase cargo volume and can also be flipped over to maximise the storage area. Interestingly the 60:40 split can be handled seperately in the first mode to do an either/or with a rear passenger.

Targeted as it is against the Toyota Yaris, the Sirion and the Mazda 2 hatchback, the Micra does have a good price point to operate from. The question will be how it features against the Thailand sourced Honda Brio as well as with the Korean hatches.

Micra launched by Nancy Ajram

1111

The all-new India built Nissan Micra

makes its entry into the GCC market for the first time in 2012. In Oman, Suhail Bahwan Automobiles (SBA)

unveiled the compact hatchback at its showroom in Qurm last month. Mechanically based on on a shortened Sunny sub-compact platform, the Micra

hatchback comes only in 5-door form, with a 99hp 1.5-litre 4-cylinder engine mated to a 4-speed automatic, although a 5-speed manual is also available in the most basic

model.The trendy car features standalone design and is offered in eye-catching colours, host user-

friendly equipment and safety features like dual airbags. The is being offering in the Middle East markets in five trims and in Oman it its priced at RO4,930 onwards depending on the trim level chosen.

The cars are well kitted and the base model gets 14in steel wheels, folding rear bench seat, rear fog lamp, intermittent front and rear wipers, basic CD/MP3 stereo with AUX port, trip computer, manual a/c, power steering with tilt adjustment, alarm and fabric upholstery. There are four further trim levels,

progressively adding features such two or four power windows, split-folding rear seat with three headrests, 15-inch alloy wheels, chrome exterior trim, auto headlights, remote locks or smart keyless entry with starter button, auto wipers, front fog lamps, tachometer, height-adjustable driver’s seat with centre armrest, rear

window defroster, 12V power outlet, and sunvisors with vanity mirrors. Optional accessories include a chrome grille, body kit, chrome exhaust tip, rear spoiler, mirror-mounted indicators, mud guards and

floor mats. Standard safety features include ABS with EBD, brake assist, dual front airbags, and 3-point seatbelts for all five seats.

Ahmed Suhail Bahwan, chairman, SBA, said, “In the short period of seven years since inception, Suhail Bahwan Automobiles has carved out a niche for itself in the

automobile market in the Sultanate. Driven by customer-centric philosophy, we have been continuously offering new products and value-added services

to our customers. The introduction of the new Nissan Micra follows the Sunny which was launched in March is a

testimony to this fact.”

Nissan Micra arrives in

Oman showrooms

1212

REGIONAL NEws

New CR-V launches in the regionHonda takes the product initiative with the new redesigned CR-V, complete with real-time AWD and stylish new looks

The middle of April saw the new Honda CR-V being launched in a glittering

ceremony in Dubai by the regional office. The SUV is set to be available throughout the region in three different grades – LX, EX and EX with leather.

Speaking at the launch, Shunichi Uchida director of Honda Motor Company’s Middle East office stressed the importance of being market oriented announcing the introduction of the R&D function in the regional office as well as working to ensure a stable price regime that is not affected by foreign exchange fluctuations. “To do so the Accord production was transferred to the USA and now the CR-V will also be sourced from the USA for the MY12 onwards.”

Also present at the occasion was Manabu Nishimae, who is incharge of operations for Europe, CIS countries, the Middle and Near East and Africa. He pointed out that the CR-V was a truly global product in Honda’s scheme with production bases in 10 different countries and volumes of half a million units, with cumulative sales of 5 million till last year. He added, “The all new CR-V was launched in USA on 15th December, and achieved all time record sales in January and Fenruary. In March too the CR-V sold more than 30,000 units which is the best ever result in the USA.”

In addition to the CR-V, the company also used the occasion to announce the launch of three new motorcycles built around a common mid concept platform, with the first of the three being unveiled as the “Integra” scooter. Powered by a 670cc twin engine, with strong torque characteristics and a dual clutch transmission with manual mode, the Integra is an oddly named yet

powerful scooter.After the launch Automan joined a select

batch of journalists in driving the CR-V out of Dubai till Fujairah where a night’s accommodation allowed us to drive the CR-V around the beautiful environs of the emirate.

The CR-V itself is a great new adaptation of the platform with a new, more powerful variation of the 2.4-litre DOHC 4-cylinder engine, which now produces 20 HP more than before at 188HP. This is at an elevated 7000rpm. Max torque is 22.4 kgM @ 4400 rpm. The engine has new features including throttle-by-wire and intelligent i-VTEC. This engine is mated to a 5-speed auto gearbox connected to what Honda calls a Real Time AWD that helps the CR-V better handle low-grip situations. We have seen this before in the CrossTour. As seen there too, we have the green ECON mode button that is used to maximise fuel-efficiency by dialling down power consumption from the air-conditioning and other controls.

The chassis sits on a 2,620mm wheelbase, with wider track, fully independent suspension and features like vehicle stability assist and a speed sensitive electric power steering. On the plus side the redesign sees a lower load height coupled with a second row of seats that can be folded flat, although this is achieved by profiling the squab to be almost featureless. The higher grades of the car get a 5” colour TFT display that integrates the multi-information display with audio, bluetooth and air-conditioning info.

In terms of performance the CR-V stays true to its breed as the city runabout that also features the ability to take the family on a weekend outing to the mountains.

1313

Exceedingly good NVH levels are coupled with a nicely balanced electric power steering and a responsive 5-speed gearbox that allows you to push the vehicle should you choose. Along with the nice response from the engine, the gearbox allows you to tune in pick-up to suit the drive.

It is really difficult to fault the CR-V in its new form. The styling is rakish and instantly appealing and the build quality is still very good. The only issue is the price point at which it now sells between RO 10,500 to 12,400/-. One wonders what the price would have been should the company have chosen to bring it out of Japan! However, knowing the sort of hardcore CR-V customers who will be willing to stay in the model by trading up to the new shape and the way in which all prices are going up, we don’t see this impacting sales of the car.

Honda’s exclusive distributor Omasco launched the 2012 new CR-V sports utility vehicle in Oman at the Crowne Plaza in Muscat signaling the rejuvenation of the brand in the Sultanate. Besides the new model introduction Omasco is focusing on ramping up its existing infrastructure with investments in showroom upgrades, additional service centres, showrooms and even a dedicated staff training programme. It’s no secret that along with other Japan-based brands, business in 2011 was severely hampered by the aftermath of Tsunami in Japan followed by disastrous flooding of Honda factories in Thailand which resulted in short supplies. “It is fair to say that 2011 was not a good year for Honda, the negative effects passed down to distributors. Over the next 6-12 months there will be a big change (in Honda), we are going to be investing in our own people, on training and recruitment,” said Simon Ellis, head of sales and marketing, Honda Sales.All new for 2012, the fourth-generation Honda CR-V embraces a sophisticated and bold styling direction, offers multiple technology firsts for Honda and increases fuel economy on all models. A dual overhead cam (DOHC), improved all-aluminium i-VTEC 185hp 2.4-litre four-cylinder with 16 valves and a high-volume intake manifold powers the car. All CR-V models are now equipped with an ECON button as part of the Eco Assist™ system which when activated alters the Drive-by-Wire throttle system response curve and it also alters the operation of the cruise control system and the air-conditioning system, allowing for slightly increased variances with the set speed or the set temperature in order to conserve fuel whenever possible. “Long established as the benchmark vehicle in its class in terms of quality, refinement and popularity, the 2012 CR-V is designed to continue to exceed customer expectations for entry-level SUVs. Major enhancements include improved car-like interior comfort, a smoother and quieter ride, and more innovative features,” said Ellis. Imported from US and depending on trim, the car’s price range begins at OMR10,350-OMR12,495.

Hyundai Motor Middle East has introduced the significantly redesigned 2013 Genesis Coupe to the Middle East. The Genesis Coupe made its international debut when it was unveiled in Detroit at the North American International Auto Show earlier this year. In keeping with impressive performance upgrades, the Genesis Coupe now sports more aggressive coupe styling, complemented by improved interior materials and design.Managing Director of Hyundai Middle East, Mr Tom Lee said: “The fluidic sculpture design lines are evident in the new Genesis Coupe as they are integrated into a new front bumper and bonnet,

giving a far sportier look than its previous form. The previous model it replaces won accolades all over the world so we have high hopes for the new version here in the Middle East.”

Bentley is on an overdrive worldwide with sales booming and Oman in the Middle East has a special place for the British luxury performance marque. The second generation 2011 Continental GT had its global

launch in Oman and last month the regional launch of the 500hp 4.0-litre biturbo Continental GT variant took place. Said Chris Buxton, Bentley’s regional director: “We are delighted to be in Oman once again for the launch of the V8 versions of the CGT and GTC. Both models are now important for the line-up and also for customers looking at performance without compromise. And the arrival of the new V8 Continental models fulfils Bentley’s environmental commitment to produce a new powertrain that delivers a 40 per cent improvement in fuel efficiency and CO2 emissions.” Buxton expects the sales split between the V8 and V12 range of the Continentals will be 50:50 in the region.

During the first week of April, Bridgestone’s tyre safety campaign came to Muscat with a display located at Muscat City Centre at Seeb. Part of the brand’s regional initiative to communicate the importance of tyres and the role that they play in the safety of the vehicle as well as the importance of regular maintenance and checks, the campaign was started last year and began its second round from Doha this year. The regional office sees this as part of their CSR initiatives and makes sure that people know the importance of selecting the right quality of tyre.“Too many people are still unaware of the impact that vehicle’ tyres can have on their safety while they’re at the wheel” said Mr. Takumi Kakara, Marketing Director of Bridgestone Middle East & Africa. “At Bridgestone we care about drivers and it is part of our commitment to promote awareness on tyre safety among all motorists. People visiting the Tyre Safety and Eco Station will have the opportunity to learn and practice how to properly check tyre air pressure, tread wear, and detect any signs of damage on tyres. We invite people to pass by, they’ll find out how easy it is to keep their families and friends safe when they drive, and also save moneyby reducing fuel consumption”.The stand had a special demonstration corner where Bridgestone staff taught visitors simple steps to enhance safety while driving on roads; drivers could practice how to check the proper tyre air pressure and tread wear to avoid the dangers of driving with underinflated/ overinflated and worn-out/damaged tyres.

1414

REGIONAL NEws

Mazda iMpresses OMan with the CX-5 CrOssOver sUv

refreshed hyUndai Genesis COUpe nOw in Me

GMC sales in the Middle east GrOwinG

Mini rOCks al ainsUCCessfUl reGiOnal laUnCh Of v8 Bentley COntinental Gt

in OMan

BridGestOne’s tyre safety CaMpaiGn COMes tO MUsCat

One of the key highlights of last month’s elaborate Towell Auto Show 2012 was the launch and unveil of the all new 2012 Mazda CX-5 SUV. The Mazda CX-5’s unique SKYACTIV powertrains deliver all the qualities that make a vehicle fun to drive and to own: more torque, better responsiveness and better fuel economy. The latest edition of Sustainable Zoom-Zoom, here is a vehicle that does precisely what the driver wants and reacts exactly as one would expect. In Oman, the CX-5 will be offered with a 158hp 2.0-litre 16 valve four cylinder engine with new six-speed automatic transmission. The new arrival will be offered in both 5 and 7 seat configurations depending on market in the region.Annurag Chawla, Head of Marketing and Communications, TAC said: “Already a celebrity of sorts, the Mazda CX-5 has been heralded as the first in a long line of Mazda motors to incorporate its latest SKYACTIV technology - a futuristic technology that gives higher fuel efficiency without compromising on performance. The CX-5 is not only a major stride forward for Mazda but also a compelling reason for die-hard SUV haters to reconsider whether fun and function can co-exist in one vehicle.”

GMC confirmed its popularity among Middle East automotive consumers by recording 44 percent sales growth in the first quarter of 2012. GMC sold 10,790 vehicles in the Middle East, which represented the brands’ highest first quarter sales period in the region since 2008 due to growing demand for its popular line-up of crossovers, SUVs and pickups. Sales were driven in first quarter by the recently launched GMC Terrain crossover, which achieved its highest ever sales month in March since its introduction in early 2011. The Yukon and Yukon XL full-size SUVs also recorded strong sales growth, up 38 percent and 25 percent respectively. The Acadia crossover registered a 22 per cent sales gain, while the Sierra full-size pickup achieved a 67 per cent year-over-year sales increase.

200 MINI aficionados were treated to a jam-packed programme of fun and MINI adventure at an exclusive gathering at the Jebel Hafeet Hotel, courtesy of Abu Dhabi Motors. Abu Dhabi Motors is enjoys ongoing success with the MINI brand and has recorded 39 per cent increase in sales during the first three months of this year.The day included test drives, competitions, face painting and a MINI accessories exhibition. Of course, the event wouldn’t be complete without a live music performance to create the perfect MINI atmosphere, with the hotel band taking to the stage. With over ten MINIs on display the event also served as a platform to showcase the latest additions to the MINI family: the MINI Roadster and MINI Coupé – as well as other models from the diverse range such as the MINI Countryman, MINI Cooper S and MINI Cabrio. The tour made its way down from Jebel Hafeet and around the city of Al Ain, visiting spots like Green Mubazzarah, Bawadi Mall and Hilton Road.

breaking newsHyundai Motors has hit a new level in customer service for the car industry, with the introduction of its comprehensive Premium Assurance Programme for its luxury cars throughout the Middle East region. Simon Lee, from Hyundai’s ME office officially inaugurated the premium lounge at Hyundai’s Wattayah showroom.

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Shortly after Jaguar announced that the production F-Type will be coming to market in mid-2013, in New York, Adrian Hallmark, Jaguar Global Brand Director share some of the finer points of the new sub-XK sports car. The F-Type is more or less the production version of the C-X16 concept that debuted at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, but instead of sticking to the concept’s coupe body style, the production F-Type will launch as a two-seat roadster. “C-X16 was a vision car with the intent to show off a new design language, and it’s easier to completely realize the full capacity of a new styling direction on a coupe body style rather than on a roadster,” Hallmark said. Meanwhile, Jaguar’s director of design, Ian Callum, added that there were no plans to offer a folding hardtop version of the F-Type roadster – it will use a standard soft top. A folding hardtop “would ruin the shape of the car,” Callum said.The F-Type will use a new powertrain family, possibly previewed by the supercharged 3.0-litre V6 and electric motor combination found under the hood of the C-X16 concept. Hallmark stated that in terms of driver involvement and performance, the F-Type “will

Remember Roland Hall – a high-profile Rolls-Royce collector who got Jason Castriota of Pininfarina to design a one-off car exotic -- the Hyperion? Produced by the special projects division of Pininfarina, the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe-based Hyperion incorporated specific requests for the car’s appearance and utility - including two compartments for small items such as hunting rifles, located in front of the windscreen. The car was on display at last year’s Dubai Motor Show and was rumored to be up for sale off and on since then. But recently the car was spotted in showroom in Abu Dhabi where it is for sale at an undisclosed price. Previous reports put its MSRP at around US$6mn.

1616

INtERNAtIONAL NEws

JaGUar COnfirMs f-type COUpe OffiCially

hyperiOn in Uae fOr sale?

automan’s take

We are pretty sure that Jaguar certainly won’t limit its planning to just a convertible. If you get

the engineering of a convertible right, it’s relatively easy to do a coupe.

start where the XKR-S finishes, even with less power.” In other words, the F-Type will be more of a focused sports car rather than a luxury GT. The F-Type will be priced below the XK but above competitors like the Porsche Boxster/Cayman, BMW Z4 and Mercedes-Benz SLK.

automan’s take

Named for a Titan in Greek mythology, the Pininfarina-etched Hyperion from 2008 was designed to evoke memories of cars from the 1930s with its long majestic bonnet, short rear overhang and low rooflines. The design changes needed to create the Hyperion included the removal of the rear seats and a shift in driving position, which is now 400mm further back in the Hyperion than in the stock Drophead. The bespoke one-off vehicle was actually up for sale on luxury goods website Jameslist.

The R8 e-tron, Audi’s electric-powered, two-seater zero-emissions supercar is scheduled to be launched later this year and the company has announced the car will feature “synthetic” engine noises. This has been done as a safety measure so that pedestrians can hear the nearly silent electric vehicle, the model will have a carefully crafted ‘engine noise’ that promises to be “well-rounded and harmonious.” The system will measure the electric motor’s rotational speed to determine which noises to produce. The sound is then played through a loudspeaker that is attached to the R8’s undercarriage.While creating the sound was rather complex, Dr. Ralf Kunkel said “Because we here at Audi are all automotive experts, we have a great advantage over sound specialists elsewhere. We know our vehicles inside and out, not to mention how they operate and behave.”

Nissan and UK Prime Minister David Cameron have announced an all-new midsized model will be produced in Sunderland Plant, UK in 2014. This follows the announcement at Geneva Motor Show that Sunderland will also produce a mainstream B-segment compact car based on the INVITATION concept from next year. Production capacity for the new model will be around 80,000 units triggering the need for Sunderland Plant to implement an additional shift. This will see both production lines operating ‘around the clock’ for the first time in the plant’s 26-year history, a move which will take manufacturing capacity beyond 550,000 units.

a CentUry fOr ranGe rOver evOqUe

nissan COnfirMs Uk-prOdUCtiOn fOr all-new hatChBaCk in 2014

aUdi e-trOn tO Get “synthetiC” enGine nOises

1717

breaking news

pOrsChe enGineerinG takes Over prOvinG GrOUnd in italy

This month, Porsche Engineering Group will be taking over responsibility for the Nardò Technical Center automotive proving ground in Apulia in southern Italy from Prototipo SpA. With more than 80 years experience in engineering services, the hundred per cent subsidiary of Porsche AG will be further optimising the test facilities and making them available to its clients for testing and trials purposes. Covering an area of more than 700 hectares, the test ground in the Province of Lecce comprises a 6.2 kilometre long handling circuit, a 12.5 kilometre long oval circuit and facilities for simulating different road surfaces and changeable weather conditions.“The Nardò proving ground with its high-speed and

vehicle handling circuit ideally complements our facilities in Weissach. With the systematic development of the company in Nardò as part of Strategy 2018, Porsche is proving to be a reliable employer and business partner in Apulia as well,” said Matthias Müller, President and CEO of Porsche AG. “With its rich array of facilities, from dynamic surfaces to acoustic and off-road sections coupled with the numerous workshops, our clients can continue to make extensive use of Nardò for their vehicle trials in the future as well,” said Malte Radmann, CEO of Porsche Engineering. Thanks to the mild climate, the Nardò proving ground can be used throughout the year in three shifts around the clock, seven days a week.

automan’s take

Nissan already produces more vehicles in Europe than any other Asian manufacturer and the model announced will bring world-class quality and leading technology to the heart of the European C-segment.

A panel of five highly respected world design experts decided on the shortlist, which was then voted on by each of the 66 World Car Jurors. The jurors are all highly respected, top-level automotive journalists and come from 25 separate countries.

Nissan’s Chief Creative Officer Shiro Nakamura has revealed some new details about a possibility of a new sports car in the future line-up. At the New York Motor Show, Nakamura said: “I much prefer smaller sports car[s].” He declined to comment on the possibility of a 200SX revival, but hinted “If there is a market, we will do it.” As for the 370Z, Nakamura said the company hasn’t decided if the next-generation model will have a smaller or larger displacement engine. Regardless, the car is expected to be significantly lighter than today’s model and will squarely aim at Toyota’s FT-86 and Subaru BRZ.

When it comes to awards, the Range Rover Evoque seems to be the hottest name in this list. The car, which won Automan’s award recently has now been crowned World Design Car of the Year 2012. The announcement was made at the 2012 New York International Auto Show. The Evoque’s awards tally has now crossed more than 100 global accolades. The award is testament to the Evoque’s groundbreaking and unique design and recognises the fact that the dynamic new Range Rover has created a new segment of the market to world-wide acclaim. Gerry McGovern, Land Rover Design Director said: “We are honoured that the Range Rover Evoque has been named 2012 World Design Car of the Year. This prestigious accolade recognises the overwhelmingly positive response that we have received to the Evoque’s bold and dramatic design. It is a car that truly resonates on an emotional level.” The Evoque was shortlisted from an original 46 nominations and beat off stiff competition from the two other finalists – the Citroen DS5 and the Volkswagen Up!

automan’s take

1818

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Hyundai Motor America CEO John Krafcik has confirmed that the all-new seven passenger 2013 Santa Fe will replace the bigger Veracruz model. “The Veracruz is going away as it ends production around November. Hyundai debuted the new Santa Fe at the New York International Auto Show in both five-passenger and seven-passenger configurations. The new design of the Santa Fe moves it into Hyundai’s stylized fluidic design theme, something that has been very successful with the compact Elantra and midsize Sonata.

hyUndai veraCrUz tO end prOdUCtiOn in q4

As custodians of the brand, Rolls-Royce motor car owners are a unique lot when it comes to protecting the interests of the iconic British marque. The idea of moving out and following the current trends in the motoring business – downsizing, electrification are so far no-go areas. “Customers tell us, do not mess with the 12-cylinder engine,” Rolls CEO Torsten Mueller-Oetvoes said at the recent New York auto show. Rolls-Royce has invested huge sums in developing alternative propulsion systems and has even tried its hand in promoting greener solutions with the all-electric Phantom 102EX which met with lukewarm response. While the electric roller had a

range of 200km and a top speed of 160km/h, Rolls Royce customers who drove this variant considered these statistics to be unacceptable, and the idea of a Rolls EV has since been dropped.But, the BMW-owned luxury carmaker isn’t completely giving up on building more efficient cars and thinks that it can still do a thing or two without sacrificing the 6.75-litre V12. “I can imagine something that combines electric and combustion engines, like a plug-in hybrid,” said Mueller-Oetvoes. “We do not yet have any plans in our hands, but it is something we are currently looking into.”

What’s in a name? It’s pretty obvious that automakers’ definition of the word ‘coupe’ these days is a far cry from the traditional meaning. (We do live in the world of the “four-door coupe,” after all.) That said, Car and Driver magazine has reported that MINI will call the company’s two-door Paceman Concept the Countryman Coupe once it hits production.While it’s true that both the Paceman Concept and most coupes have two doors, the vehicle is more of a CUV/hatchback/crossover and both vehicles wear the same nose front fascia, grille, headlights, mudguards and bonnet. The three-door Countryman will go on sale in 2013 as a 2014 model, and rumour has it that the production model will debut at the Paris Motor Show later this year. A few patent drawings have already made their way to the web, indicating the final version will be remarkably similar to the concept we’ve already seen.

rOlls-rOyCe May Opt fOr the plUG-in hyBrid rOUte

paCeMan renaMed COUntryMan COUpe in prOdUCtiOn GUise

automan’s take

automan’s take

In response to strict mileage and emissions regulations, auto manufacturers from all around the world have started to equip their cars with smaller engines without sacrificing on performance.If a Rolls Royce plug-in hybrid is given the green light for production, it won’t hit showrooms until the end of this decade at the very earliest. No technical details were given, but it would surely borrow bits and pieces of its drivetrain from the BMW parts bin.

The seven-passenger Veracruz was a new nameplate for Hyundai when it rolled out in 2007. It was quite popular in the Middle East but a slow seller in the US. Hyundai has found an innovative way around that problem with the Santa Fe which it considers as a golden nameplate. We agree, as it will also be more efficient producing a five- and seven-passenger Santa Fe than two different vehicles. From the B-pillar forward, there will only be minor differences between the two Santa Fe models.

1919

Famed Senior Vice President and Chief Styling Officer Wille G. has announced his retirement from Harley-Davidson effective April 30, 2012, after 49 years with the company. He is 78 years of age, and one of 13 executives who purchased the brand from AMF in 1981. According to Harley-Davidson, Wille G., grandson of company founder William A. Davidson, is leaving 19-year company veteran Ray Drea in charge of the styling department. Drea and Davidson are said to have collaborated on many milestone models. In other words, we wouldn’t expect sweeping changes to H-D’s overall design philosophy in Willie’s absence, for better or for worse. Willie G. will remain onboard as an ambassador at motorcycle rallies and events, and he’ll lead special design projects as Chief Styling Officer Emeritus.

The Mazda Takeri concept will “strongly influence” the 2014 Mazda6 that will be previewed at the Paris Motor Show later this year. The next Mazda6 will also follow the recently introduced Mazda CX-5 in the company’s line-up of SkyActiv vehicles. In spite of being branded as the 2014 model year, the 6 will actually go on sale during Q1 of 2013 and will feature the SkyActiv 2.0-litre engine that shifts through a six-speed auto or six-speed manual. Mazda says it is gunning to post class-leading fuel economy figures.

kia pOwers ahead

Mazda takeri desiGn tO inflUenCe fUtUre new MOdels alsO

willie G. tO retire frOM harley-davidsOn this MOnth

india’s Mahindra inaUGUrates researCh COMpleX

The Indian passenger and utility vehicle maker, Mahindra has launched its world class facility called the “Mahindra Research Valley” in Chennai. The world class R&D facility was inaugurated by His Excellency, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, Honourable Former President of India. The Mahindra Research Valley will be home to one of the most modern automobile and tractor R&D facilities in India and is perhaps one of its kind to house research activities of passengers and tractors under one roof. The Mahindra Research Valley facility is spread over 125 acres of area

which will be home to about 1,500 engineers initially with the number expected to grow to about 3000. Mahindra has spent close to US$13mn to setup the Mahindra Research Valley and will be having facilities like Engine Development Center (EDC), NVH facilities, a Fatigue Test Lab, alternative fuels, passenger safety and polymer technologies. Apart from these areas, R&D activities related to advanced propulsion systems – hydrogen, fuel cells, bio-diesels and hybrids will also be carried out at the Mahindra Research Valley.

And that is not all. Mahindra also claims that the engineers at the Mahindra Research Valley can pursue projects in areas of embedded systems, infotronics, artificial intelligence, mechatronics and advanced telematics also. The new Engine Development Centre (EDC) will be used to address various issues involved in the development of engines and also increased focus on designing, modifying, developing, calibrating and evaluating existing and new engines for various performance, reliability, durability, legislative and customer requirements.

automan’s take

Like the new Europe-only Cee’d hatch, which made it global debut at Geneva motor show, the jointly developed Cerato will be more spacious and refined than the model it replaces, but the biggest surprise will be inside.

No fewer than four redesigned models including next-generation Grand Carnival, Rondo and Soul models are xpected to hit the markets next year and it’s the redesigned Cerato small car that is responsible for this next wave of new Kia models.Fresh from adding four-door saloon and three-door hatchback versions of the sleek new five-door Rio hatch, Kia Middle East’s next major model release will be the facelifted Sorento crossover, which will arrive in Q3 or Q4 riding on the new monocoque platform that will also underpin the forthcoming Santa Fe from sister brand Hyundai.

automan’s take

We will also be looking to see if the new design language spawns a coupe, since the Takeri concept could make an equally beautiful two-door car. However, that isn’t expected to happen for at least a year after the sedan is introduced. But recent events at Mazda have made such long-distance predictions exceedingly difficult and it will be a shame for it not to happen.

2020

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Audi is maintaining growth courseThanks to some 346,100 vehicles delivered – an increase of 10.8 per cent – this past quarter was the best in company history. This strong start to the year was due in part to March figures: around 143,500 units delivered and a 14.1 percent rise in sales. Audi had never sold so many vehicles in a single month. Growth from January through March was fueled in particular by customers in the USA and China, where Audi achieved record sales, as well. The company likewise registered growth in Eastern Europe and in its domestic German market. “We kicked off 2012 very successfully and expect growth to continue in the months to come,” says Peter Schwarzenbauer, Member of the Board of Management for Marketing and Sales at AUDI AG. “Our new A3 will be rolled out from the second half of this year, and we have just introduced the new-generation A6L in China.” The luxury sedan’s long-wheelbase version leads its segment in China.

Audi just completed the best quarter ever in China – the company achieved growth of 40.5 per cent by selling 25,941 more new Audi models to Chinese customers than in the first quarter of 2011. Of the 31,505 vehicles delivered in March (+37 percent), the largest share was achieved by the locally produced A4L, A6L and Q5 models. 4,674 more people purchased the Audi SUV (+139.9 per cent), compared to March 2011. Moreover, China remains the most important market for the Audi A8, accounting for over 40 per cent of global sales of this luxury sedan.

BentleySales of Bentley cars in the US grew by 40per cent in the first quarter, reaching

450 units but that wasn’t enough for the US to retain its long-standing position as Bentley’s largest market, as 578 units sales in China in the same period shadowed the US

success. However, there’s cautious optimism as Christophe Georges, Bentley’s chief operating officer expects China’s crown to be temporary. “The Chinese and US markets are both strong. I don’t see (China’s lead) as

a permanent situation.”

General MotorsThe Chinese market’s appetite for luxury

cars seems insatiable, and General Motors is keen to meet the demand. It is reportedly working on producing three current and future Cadillac sedans in China. Just five years ago, in 2007, Cadillac had no sales in China. Last year, the brand sold some 30,000 vehicles in the Chinese market, despite punishing tariffs that the government places on imported cars.Cadillac will announce these intentions at the Beijing Auto Show and it is expected ultimately that Cadillac will build its ATS sport sedan, midsize CTS sedan, and executive XTS sedan in China. Presently, only one Cadillac model is currently built in China, the STS-based SLS executive sedan. It’s built by Shanghai General Motors, which is a long-standing joint venture between General Motors and SAIC Motor Corp. Cadillac sales hit 30,000 last year in China, which is a 72.8per cent increase from the year before. Moving production of Chinese-spec ATS, CTS, and XTS sedans to that market could greatly increase Cadillac’s market share in China

FordWhile GM and VW in particular have spent the last decade-plus building their brands

in China, but for most of that time Ford was largely focused elsewhere. Ford supremo Alan Mulally has worked hard to make up for lost time in the past few years, investing big in a major joint venture and building an elaborate production complex in Chongqing. But while the company has promised 15 new vehicles for China by 2015, current sales have been hit-or-miss. After solid results last year, Ford China’s sales were down 14 per cent in the first quarter versus the year-ago period.

China still hot market for car

makers

China’s rapid growth has declined steadily since 2010 as a slump in global demand battered its exporters and Beijing tightened lending and investment curbs to cool an

overheated economy and surging inflation. But for car makers, it still represents a lot of moolah and a significant percentage of the global success is attributed to China. Global giants GM and Volkswagen continue to lead China’s market with key joint ventures and massive presences in major metropolitan areas. Other global automakers, like Honda

and BMW are investing big and finding solid growth in the country. Automan has compiled some interesting facts.

automan’s takeAn uncontrolled slump could have global repercussions, hurting demand for oil, industrial components and consumer goods at a time when US and European growth are weak. While sales performance of most carmakers are upward, Ford’s future performance shouldn’t be undermined as its current line-up has proved to be solidly competitive in other markets, and we think it’s a matter of time when Ford catches up with the rest.

2121

GM Holden will continue manufacturing in Australia until at least 2022 after securing $275mn in government funding and committing to a billion-dollar program based on two all-new next-generation global vehicle architectures. Thrashed out over the past three months with the federal and South Australian and Victorian state governments, the deal secures the operations of Holden’s manufacturing plant at Elizabeth in South Australia for the next 10 years. However, the future of Holden’s Victorian-based engineering and design divisions – currently with more than 1000 employees – is less certain with the switch to globalised GM platforms.Holden chairman and managing director Mike Devereux recently confirmed to media that the locally developed Zeta large-car platform will not continue beyond the VF Commodore launched next year and that the company’s engineers and designers would be increasingly involved in international programs. For Commodore, the announcement of an all-new global platform could herald a shift to a smaller vehicle than the current large rear-drive range based on Zeta, which also underpins the Holden Ute, long-wheelbase Caprice sedan and high-performance iterations from Holden Special Vehicles. While details are scarce, Devereux would confirm only that the “two new Australian-made cars will be world-class” and “will be underpinned by global architectures from within General Motors and bring new fuel-saving, connectivity and safety technologies to Holden’s portfolio”.

GM’s Australian-arm Holden’s Zeta large-car architecture hasn’t completely been abandoned and it is still in General Motors’ global platform strategy. The catch is that its long-term future depends on maintaining sustainable volumes of Commodore-based exports from Australia.Zeta’s place within GM’s rapid rationalisation of vehicles worldwide has been defended by the recovering auto giant’s North America president – and former GM Holden chief – Mark Reuss, who was adamant it was a global platform despite its limited application. Reuss was promoted to run the reorganised parent company’s North American operations at the end of 2009, claimed he could not predict if the Commodore’s Zeta platform had

a long future. Reuss, who has championed the Commodore’s return to the North American market as a Chevrolet Camaro V8 performance car thinks the Zeta platform has been underutilized.

automan’s take

After months of labour turmoil at Toyota’s Altona plant – ranging from industrial action over a new work agreement and management decision to lay off almost 10 per cent of the workforce earlier this year after 2012 production forecasts were slashed from about 120,000 units to 95,000 [mainly due to a drop in exports to the Middle East], there’s a ray of hope -- the new AUS$300mn four-cylinder engine plant is now nearing completion at Altona and is seen as one of the keys to future manufacturing by Toyota in Australia. Meanwhile, management and labour unions need to sort out their differences for long-term survival.

tOyOta tO adOpt new desiGn and prOdUCt strateGy

zeta platfOrM still relevant despite hOlden’s GlOBal shift pOst-vf MOdel

In an effort to reduce costs and speed up development, Toyota has announced plans to create a new global architecture. In a major reforms policy, Toyota wants to cut the number of executives tied to the design review process to streamline decision making. The company says that with too many people involved, vehicles have been built by “eliminating negatives” instead of focusing on their strengths. Added cooperation between the automaker’s planning and design units may foster more innovative styling and better aerodynamics. More importantly, the platforms will be shared worldwide to reduce costs. There will also be more parts sharing which will reduce development time and increase profitability. The new global architecture will be launched with three front-wheel-drive platforms that should underpin nearly half of Toyota’s annual production. According to CEO Akio Toyoda, the revamped system will allow the company to design multiple models at the same time to reduce costs. The Toyota New Global Architecture will first be applied to front-wheel drive models.

The only spin-off from Holden’s $1 billion development of the Zeta platform has been the reborn Chevrolet Camaro, which uses a modified Commodore architecture known as Zeta II. Export markets such as Middle East are expected to play a bigger role in future despite the fact that Zeta was not a high-volume global platform like Delta II, Epsilon II and Super Epsilon II, which underpin GM’s small, mid-size and latest large car models respectively. Once touted as spawning a global range of Commodore-based rear-drive sedans, the conventional wisdom is that the Zeta platform was sidelined during GM’s descent into Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2009. Chevrolet-badged Caprices are exported in limited quantities to the Middle East and US, while a trickle of Caprice-based Buick Park Avenues are sent in CKD form to China. Interestingly, the Alpha architecture is tipped to be the base of the next, sixth-generation Camaro, further indicating that Zeta will be left out in the cold. The Alpha platform is a Detroit development of the cutdown Zeta chassis designed by Holden for the mid-size Torana TT36 concept shown in 2004.

automan’s take

Round-the-clock efforts by an army of Honda engineers and factory workers at the company’s flood-devastated Thai factory has ensured that production will be back on track by June, which is months earlier than predicted. The first fresh Thai-made CR-Vs and Civics are scheduled to arrive in markets late this from the Honda Automobile Thailand factory at Ayutthaya, outside Bangkok, which was swamped by up to 2.5 metres of water for 45 days in last year’s Thai floods.Shipments of Jazz, City and Accord will follow in June, although all Thai-made cars initially will come only in the three most popular colours – white, black and silver – to help speed production. Since October last year, the regularization of shipments will mark the end of a product draught for the local importer and dealers, many of whom lost 80 per cent of their sales volume overnight .When flood waters overwhelmed and poured

into the factory in October it badly ruined 80 per cent of the equipment, including high-tech production robots. Earlier, it was estimated that Honda’s key south-east Asian car-making hub would be out of action for up to 12 months. Asian Honda president and CEO Hiroshi Kobayashi said the plant had not just been swamped, but damaged by the pressure of the

incoming water, in a similar way to the tsunami damage seen in Japan after last year’s earthquakes.As part of major damage control, Honda flew in an army of Japanese engineers and production equipment suppliers who with the help of local factory workers had the factory up and running in just three months. Meanwhile, some of the production equipment in the refurbished factory was diverted from new factories in Indonesia and Japan to the mud-caked Thai plant.The two Honda Automobile Thailand production lines have resumed at 30 per cent capacity to ensure everything is in full working order again, but within three

weeks the plant should be back running at full capacity of 1000 vehicles a day. The six-month production shutdown since October had cost Honda an estimated 200,000 vehicles. It now had a backlog of about 60,000 orders, which should be cleared in two to three months, depending on the model.

Mercedes is in the midst of a major product expansion and media from Europe are reporting that the company will also revamp their naming nomenclature in view of the expanding line-up. According to Automobile Magazine, Mercedes will contunue with C, E and S-Class names for the mainstream sedans. We can also expect the SL, SLK, and SLS AMG to keep their current nomenclature. In the future, coupes and convertibles are slated to begin with the CL prefix. This means the company’s entry-level four-door coupe - which will be previewed by the Concept Style Coupe - will adopt the CLA name because it is a ‘coupe’ that is based on the A-Class. Likewise, the CLC name will be used on the next-generation C-Class coupe and convertible. Additionally, the E-Class coupe and convertible should adopt the CLE nomenclature. While the next-generation CL would logically become the CLS, it will reportedly be called the SLC to ensure the current CLS doesn’t have to be renamed. On the crossover side, the models are expected to adopt names derived from the G-Class. This gets a little tricky since there are so many models that aren’t based off car platforms but the A-Class crossover could be called the GLA while the GLK becomes the GLC.

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Saab’s trustees announced that the automaker’s remaining assets, including its assembly plant, are worth only about a third of what it owes to creditors. Only some preferential creditors will receive what they are owed when Saab begins to sell off its roughly $532mn in assets. Saab owes about $1.9bn, according to the automaker’s balance sheet.The biggest debt – around $388mn – is owed to Sweden, which pumped some money into Saab before the automaker closed its doors late last year. Another $107mn is owed to former Saab owner General Motors (not including an additional $388mn in preferential shares, which would only have been paid back if Saab’s assets exceeded its debt), while around

$89mn is owed to employees, reports the Associated Press. For its part, GM says that it won’t have to write off Saab’s debt because it set aside $100mn last year. Saab’s trustees said that employees won’t receive any payments unless they worked for Saab Automobile Powertrains, while the country of Sweden will receive some payments for securities in shares.Bids submittedParties interested in acquiring Saab’s assets as a whole – presumably also including the brand’s intellectual property rights – were allowed to submit bids in Sweden. According to TTELA.se, activity

among potential bidders was “high,” although the only known bidders include India’s Mahindra, a Japanese-Chinese consortium and Youngman, the Chinese Lotus importer that GM blocked from taking a stake in Saab late last year.

flOOd niGhtMare in thailand ends fOr hOnda

what’s in a naMe?

3:1 is liaBility:asset ratiO Of saaB

automan’s take

automan’s take

Despite the devastation to the Honda plant and its suppliers in Thailand, Honda had never seriously considered shutting the factory and rebuilding elsewhere, because the cost and delay would have been prohibitive.

automan’s take

Every bidder that has placed an offer to purchase Saab wants to restart vehicle production at the bankrupt Swedish company’s assembly plant in Trollhattan. Indian manufacturer Mahindra & Mahindra is the only company that has publically confirmed its bid for Saab, while reports claim an alliance from China and Japan put forward plans to produce electric cars at the disused plant in Sweden. The administrators hope to make a decision on the brand’s future before June.

A bit confusing and what’s not clear is whether the ‘baby SLS’ could revive the SLR nameplate eventually.

A future version of Infiniti G IPL could offer as much as 530 horsepower, thanks to the warming up platform-sharing relationship between Daimler AG and the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz brand is now expected to provide the underpinnings for the Euro-Asian alliance’s next-generation Infiniti G cars. Infiniti will use the next-generation Mercedes-Benz C-Class platform. This means that the new Infiniti model will be slightly larger than the current Infiniti G, and will be offered with more body and powertrain variations.

Variants expected will include a coupe and a sedan, while powertrain options are likely to offer buyers a hybrid and possibly a diesel for Europe.

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Back in 2010, the small Dutch producer of exotic GTs bought an ailing Saab from General Motors and proceeded to focus all its energies on keeping it afloat. And as if to reflect that sh i f t in focus, changed its name to Swedish Automobile NV – or SWAN for short.

brea

king

news There have been plenty of rumours

regarding the fate of Lotus and its relationship with its longtime parent company, Proton. Speculators are saying that Dany Bahar has been axed as CEO and that the company is undergoing bankruptcy protection. Also its involvement in Formula One is also about to close. The PR team at Lotus finds itself is hard at work in clearing these rumours and has released a set of unprecedented details for all. Having sold most of its stake in its team to Genii Capital, Renault reverted to an engine supplier role the year before last, and Group Lotus stepped in as title sponsor, which is an interesting relationship for an automaker to have with an F1 team that it does not own or run itself – and not dissimilar to the sponsorship arrangement Infiniti has with Red Bull Racing. The deal has Lotus holding branding rights, merchandising license and title sponsorship with the team. As part of the arrangement, however, Proton granted Genii a $48mn loan against which Genii leveraged the team’s entire assets. So in addition to the 10 per cent of the team which Proton has the right to buy at any time, it could take another 10 per cent if Genii defaulted on the repayment of its loan. But if Genii proves incapable of paying back Proton altogether, the Malaysian automaker could find itself in entire possession of a leading F1 team. The takeover of Proton by DRB-HICOM comes at a time when Proton says it is fully committed to its five year business plan to create jobs and to expand the factory and business. With the takeover process the funding has been restricted it seems that DRB-HICOM is taking time to understand what to do with the business. DRB-HICOM is currently in the middle of due diligence of Group Lotus.

fOUrth GeneratiOn ranGe rOver Based On d4U platfOrM

neXt infiniti G-Cars tO Use MerCedes platfOrM

lOtUs reveals terMs Of Genii-prOtOn deal On fB while

swedish aUtOMOBile reverts BaCk tO spyker naMe

Land Rover has not given the Range Rover any significant update in ten years now and the next generation model is going to be launched later this year. The current generation Range Rover (codenamed L322) is in its third generation.Now, we have got some world exclusive news about the fourth generation Range Rover. We all know that the current Range Rover was developed during the BMW Group ownership of Land Rover during the period 1995 to 2001. The new model is being developed under Tata Motors, which believes heavily in platform sharing for cost reduction. The next generation Range Rover has been codenamed L405 and will be based on an all-new platform internally coded as D4u.Land Rover has developed the D4u platform and it will be used it in at least six other vehicles. As with the global trend this highly flexibly new platform will help in substantial savings. Toyota has its IMV and Volkswagen is pursuing new models on the new MQB platform.

The D4u platform based car will be lighter and will combine the use of high tensile steel and aluminium in its monocoque architecture. The car will be 25 mm longer than the current Range Rover and the incoming 2013 Range Rover is expected to shed at least 500kg [when compared to the current model, which tips the scale at 2500kgs]. The wheelbase is also changed and the D4u platform will allow engineers to push the wheels to the extremities of the vehicle, resulting in significant increase in interior room and better handling on road.The new Range Rover is not only lighter but will also get more fuel efficient engines. Land Rover has kept lower fuel consumption and lower CO2 emissions as their prime target with the new engines. The engines

on offer will include an updated 4.4-litre V8 diesel, 5.0-litre V8 petrol (including a supercharged version) with increase in power. A V6 petrol will also be offered in the Range Rover. Land Rover is also working on a V6 diesel engine for the Range Rover, which will give it stellar economy. A hybrid is also on the cards for an early 2014 launch.Sources also indicate that the design and profile of the fourth generation Range Rover will be carried over. The 2013 Range Rover will be slightly wider and longer with the head and tail lights getting influenced from the Evoque. The interiors too will remain more or less the same with slight changes/tweaks being made to the dashboard. The design of the exteriors has been freezed as we speak, but the interior is yet to be finalized. A long wheel base version of the Range Rover is being worked upon for the Chinese market similar to the Jaguar XJ is offered in XJL trim in that market.

automan’s take

Flexible platform engineering seems to be the formula automakers are looking as they move forward with replacement models and new derivatives. While this arrangement helps reduce development costs, the challenge for the engineers is to make the platform lighter and the body with more torsional stiffness for better handling and safety.

MilestOneland rOver disCOvery reaChes BeiJinG

While blaming another UK-based carmaker for spreading rumours, what Lotus plans to do with if it no longer owned Group Lotus is a more important issue at hand to tackle.

automan’s take

Now that Saab has gone bankrupt, however, the Dutch holding company has officially changed its name back to Spyker. Just what that means, however, when the cars are built in the UK by CPP and the sportscar business was sold last year to North Street Capital, remains to be seen.

automan’s take

While, the 1,000,000th Land Rover Discovery rolled out from the carmakers’ Solihull manufacturing plant near Birmingham in the UK in March, the 1,000,000th milestone vehicle becomes an integral part of the brand’s ‘Journey of Discovery’ from its birthplace in Birmingham to Beijing in China. The 50-day, 12,800km adventure by three Land Rover Discovery vehicles travelling through more than a dozen countries across Europe and Central Asia, culminating at the Beijing motor show on the dot as planned -- that is 23 April.

24

spotlight

Porsche has upped its gen II 2013 Cayenne GTS not only in the powertrain department but also in features

Audi presented the RS badged Q3 concept at China

justamatter of timeThat china is the most promising market in the world was evident at the 2012 Beijing Motor Show. Domestic and international players rubbed shoulders with each other to get attention with an array of concepts, global unveils and adaptations. This is just the beginning...

25

Who would have imagined that Ferrari would go all the way and create a model with all the trappings for the Chinese market?

Subaru’s concept teaser kept people guessing till the last minute!

Chrysler Group has officially re-entered China and the Viaggio is a Dodge Dart derived China specific model

Mercedes-Benz now focuses on small A- and B-Class models for BRIC markets with some aggressive styling and engineering

Jeep is also looking at traditional Chinese inspiration in it’s line-up

Chery Automobils is upping the domestic game with impressive concepts

Lamborghini’s ultimate super athlete contender in the SAV segment. The Lamborghini Urus Concept promises to completely redefine dynamics and design in this category. The Urus combines unique design, a fascinating interior and outstanding performance with versatility and everyday usability, says Lamborghini.

26

spotlight

27

Mainstream product cars were more talked about at this year’s auto show than the usual list of wild concepts and far-off exotics. While flashy luxury and sports models dominated the first press day, it was family vehicles and pickups that were the highlight on day two.

It’s no secret that in the automotive show business in North America, the New York International Auto Show which comes after the Detroit show in January competes head-on for second place with Chicago and Los Angeles. But this year, the focus on the recovery of the American auto market and it seems that automakers have decided to use whichever platform is available, to its fullest capacities. Such a move has ensured that smaller shows such as New York show becomes an important focal point for carmakers to offer first glimpses of some new models or concepts. The show attracted almost every player in the business and Automan takes a look at the important cars unveiled at the show.

BMW showcased some updated models such as the 2013 X6 coupe-crossover for the first time, but the carmaker’s real focus was on promoting its ‘M’ badge. We know that the M6 coupe was unveiled in Geneva, the drop-top version of the big, M-tuned two-door made it debut in New York. Just like the previous-generation model, the new M6 twins share nearly all of their components with the four-door M5. As such, the 2012 BMW M6 convertible boasts the same 560-hp, 500-lb-ft twin-turbo 4.4-liter V-8 as its fixed-roof siblings. The M6’s powerplant is 10 per cent more powerful and also 30 per cent more efficient than the previous 5.0-litre V-10 and is mated to seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.

Audi filled their stands quite cleverly with older “A” badged siblings and models like the R8 GT Spyder, TT RS, RS5, S8 and A4 allroad quattro.The new S6 and S7 were conspicuously missing!

BMW

Audi

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spotlight

Chevrolet

Bentley

Following their successful launch the Continental GT V8 and, making its public debut, Continental GTC V8 -- Bentley’s two new V8 models offer sensational

performance, outstanding efficiency and a soundtrack to thrill any driver. The third model in the line-up, the Mulsanne is a

pure example of the Grand Touring Bentley was showcased with Mulliner Driving

Specification, complete with sunroof and bottle cooler with hand-blown and hand-cut

lead crystal champagne flutes.

John Cafaro, director of North America passenger car exterior design said during

the unveil of the brand’s 2014 Impala: “Our design team was challenged to create a

new classic, but that didn’t mean relying on nostalgia. This is very much a contemporary

car, with design elements, craftsmanship and attention to detail that complement its advanced technology and performance.”

It’s clear that the brand is leaving no stone unturned as continues to reinvigorate its

line-up.

29

Honda & Acura

Dodge

Honda’s luxury brand is trying to become relevant again in the business with an array of new products. The production

ready RLX sport-sedan concept will replace Acura’s slow-selling RL. Meanwhile, the

Honda Accord-based Crosstour drops the Accord as a standalone model. A new

version of the Crosstour goes on sale this year.

Dodge surprised visitors and Viper aficionados with a trio of concepts and near production vehicles. The 2013 SRT

Viper made its official world debut and the introduction of the latest Viper also marks the beginning of a new sub brand, Street

and Racing Technology (SRT). SRT evolves from its performance and tuning roots into a standalone brand complete with its own

flagship products.The Viper, now in its fifth generation,

returns to the market with more power and performance, superior craftsmanship,

new technologies and more creature comforts. There are also three models being introduced, two for road use and one for racing. The road cars are the

Viper and Viper GTS. SRT is catering to both the traditional core Viper customer and the new customer who wants the same performance in a package with

more technology and premium creature comforts.

Besides the forthcoming production 184bhp Dodge Dart, there’s a Dodge Dart heading to the Global RallyCross series.

This race version gets a high output turbocharged 2.0-litre 4-cylinder engine

that pumps out incredible 600 bhp!

30

spotlight

Fisker

Infiniti

Nissan

Revealed as a design prototype at a special VIP preview event the night before the

2012 New York Auto Show press day, the Fisker Atlantic design prototype is a luxury four-door sporting sedan with a practical

interior. The Atlantic uses the latest second generation EVer (Electric Vehicle with

extended range) technology. It will offer all the benefits of electric drive while at the

same time eliminating the “range anxiety” experienced with an all-electric powertrain.Like the Karma sedan, the Fisker Atlantic is a plug-in series hybrid vehicle that allows

drivers to switch manually or automatically between electric and gasoline driving modes

and sustain the charge of its lithium ion batteries on the move.

Infiniti has confirmed that it will launch a new electric sedan in about two years. The LE Concept is based around Nissan Leaf running-gear, and is described as a production-intent design. Its all-electric powertrain consists of a 24 kWh lithium-ion battery which powers a motor rated at 134hp and 240 pound-feet of torque. Drive is sent to the front wheels via a

single-speed transmission and charging of the batteries can be done wirelessly via a

special induction coil.

The most important reveal [after a usual dose of teasers] for the Japanese brand was

the 2013 Altima. The current generation Altima, despite receiving relatively few

updates since its launch back in 2007, is not only Nissan’s best-selling model but

also a top-seller in the affordable mid-size sedan segment. This fifth-generation model introduction will attempt to continue that performance by offering several attributes not normally found in this segment such as advanced multimedia and connectivity

features and efficiency enhancing technologies.

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Land Rover

Lincoln

Mercedes-Benz

Land Rover officially marked 25 years of doing business in the US at the show. While still experimenting with designs and concepts [we just broke news of new platforms for 2014 with multiple

applications] NY saw another DC100 teaser officially described as the third version of the next-generation Defender. In seven

months, Land Rover has presented several creative concepts for this model, but has given no indication of when it’s going into

production. Also on show in New York was the Evoque Convertible Concept that debuted at Geneva. On the production model portfolio, Land Rover showed off

special editions including the Range Rover Sport Supercharged ‘Red’ and ‘Luxury’

editions.

Ford’s premium brand is finally getting its design DNA fine tuned. Although strikingly modern, the design in the show car, the

MKZ retains classic Lincoln design elements including a more refined interpretation of the split-wing grille, first seen on the 1938 Lincoln-Zephyr. Innovation and technology

will drive the new MKZ. Replacing the traditional mechanical transmission shift

lever is a contemporary five-button interface. The individual buttons of

Push Button Shift engage Park, Neutral, Reverse, and forward gears in two modes,

Drive and Sport.

Unveiled only slightly updated models at the show. One of these was the new

2013 GLK Class, which has been improved visually but also comes with a new GLK250

BlueTEC option.

32

spotlight

Hyundai

The Korean brand debuted new versions of its Santa Fe crossover-utility vehicle that will also replace the Veracruz after it goes out of

production.

Toyota & Lexus

After a rough year, Toyota bounces back with some aggressiveness. The carmaker unveiled a radically-designed showroom ready Avalon sedan.The new Avalon has been designed from the ground up to be significantly different than the one it replaces, and is the result of a North

American-focused design and engineering effort. Sporting a new design language

penned by stylists at Toyota’s Calty Design Research facilities in Southern California and Michigan, everything under the skin

engineered at the Toyota Technical Centre in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The new Avalon will be built alongside the Camry at the

automaker’s plant in Kentucky and Toyota has promised that it will be a drivers’ car

with three distinct drive modes: Normal, Eco and Sport.

www.automanweb.com

with Oman's only car magazine

Get

a quick turn-around and some great product launches later, GM’s signature chevrolet brand now brings in the eighth-generation Malibu to take the competition to the midsize leaders

34

Author : Raj Warrior | Author : Raj Warrior

{cOVER stORY}

34

Stealth force

editOrial nOMinee

laMBOrGhini aventadOr

perfOrManCe Car2012

{cOVER stORY}

35

editOrial nOMinee

ChevrOlet MaliBU

Mid-size Car2012

lamborghini claims that the aventador lP700-4 supercar is at least

two generations ahead of anything currently on the market. Is this

a genuine claim or just another PR stunt? automan decides at the

F1 Yas Marina track in abu Dhabi

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Like previous Lamborghinis, the Aventador name was chosen for its symbolic connection to the world of fighting bulls, sharing a name with

the legendary Aventador, a trophy-winning bull in the world of Spanish bullfighting. With the all-new 2012 Aventador LP700-4, Lamborghini says that it has rewritten another illustrious chapter for a befitting successor not only for the decade old Murcielago but also its mid-engined V12 models before it which represent the brand’s core heritage. In building this new car, the supercar maker had used all the tricks it has learnt from the race track, in composite materials, in engine design and in lightweight construction, safety and electronics. Never before has any super carmaker dared to incorporate such investments or innovations in a category of car that offers hyper-performance from its normally-aspirated engines and robitised transmissions at a time when most rivals are looking at downsizing displacement or cylinders and using forced feeding to boost power. We look at each department and dissect the car. Read on…

ConstructionIt had to be lightweight, strong and safe in order to meet the performance parameters. The car marginally bigger than the outgoing Murcielago and is 4,780mm long, 2,260mm wide and 1,700 mm high on a wheelbase of 2,700 mm and asymmetric track of 1,720 mm [front] and 1,700 mm [rear]. Lamborghini engineers designed a monocoque using patented technology like RTM (Resin Transfer Molding) in carbon fibre and extensively used aluminium in the chassis. As a result, the body is 150 per cent stiffer than the Murciélago and this is the first production application by Lamborghini in a car.

{cOVER stORY}

3737

EngineeringThe focal point definitely is the hyper performance all-new V12 which is mid-mounted. The reason for this it that Lamborghini engineers have taken a fresh look at the Bizzarrini-engineered original which has been around in its basic form since 1963 and modified it substantially. One of the engineering requirements was to allow the engine to rev more freely so that it can deliver its power more evenly across the rev-range. The new aluminium block engine (code named L539) is 40lb lighter and displaces 6.5-litre. It offers 690bhp at 8,250rpm and maximum torque of 509lb ft at 5,500rpm. Compared with the outgoing V12, the bore and stroke is 95 x 76.4mm, meaning that L539 is a short stroke unit compared with the old unit’s long stroke 88 x 89mm. Lamborghini claims a “clean sheet” design and the dry sump configuration is redesigned so the crankshaft has been moved almost three inches upwards in the crankcase so the engine can be mounted lower in the frame to improve weight distribution for better handling. The weight-to-power ratio stands at only 2.25kg per hp and 0-100 km/h acceleration takes just 2.9 seconds and top speed is 350 km/h. The car’s robotised seven-speed manual transmission is made by Italian specialists, Graziano. Also known as the ISR transmission (Independent Shifting Rods) this unit uses integral plumbing in the casing to actuate shifts. Carbon-fibre synchronizers help activate the latest electro-hydraulically controlled Haldex dual clutches almost simultaneously so that one shifting rod is disengaging one gear and the second is engaging another. This arrangement help fastens shift times by up to 50 per cent and Lamborghini claims that in “Corsa” mode, they can be as low as 50 milliseconds. Drive is to all four wheels. Asymmetric Pirellis offer the contacts to ground. All-wheel drive system is now by Haldex IV with electronic torque split. Meanwhile, in the electronics’ department, the all-new architecture is designed to treat the engine and gearbox electronics as one unit and has a capability of handling up to half a billion inputs per second and Lamborghini claims it is faster than the eGear set-ups. The suspension package in this car is F1 inspired. The centre mount pushrod spring and damper concept means that the shocks and spring aren’t connected to the wheel mounts within the upper and lower A-arms, but transversely mounted inboard to the body shell with pushrods and relay levers transmitting lateral forces from the wheel to the shocks and springs. Brakes used are carbon-fiber ceramic ventilated discs with six pot calipers.

Favourite detailThe real glass louvre over the engine, and the angular design.

A dual cockpit design has become integral to the Chevy

A dual cockpit design has become integral to the Chevy

3838

AerodynamicsThe way the car has been designed, is uses aerodynamic elements in an integrated format in the body shell. The underbody is flat and the rear spoiler is driver deployable and controlled. At standstill, the spoiler is flush with the rear of the vehicle and on the move it has two positions - the approach angle of 4 degrees is optimized for high speed and assists directional stability at the very top end of the spectrum. The tilt of 11 degrees, on the other hand, delivers considerably greater downforce at mid-range speeds, helping to optimize handling and stability. The car’s electronic sensors and CPU uses dynamic parameters to calculate for itself the most appropriate tilt angle. The car weighs 1,622kg and axle weight bias front to rear is 43:57 per cent.

Svelte looks outsideWhether it’s bright metallic orange or stealthy matt black, the car’s design and stance is full of drama even when it’s at standstill. Low, squat and wide, there’s no arguing that this is the epitome of rear-engined supercars and its design and profile although is an extension of the Reventon concept, it does have a purpose in mind. A look at the details does reveal cues that marry form with function from several sources including aviation. I note also some late medieval themes in the spikes of Halbard axe in the front air dams and rear wings and the intersections of volumes in the large flap operated intakes. I specially liked the way designers have smartly integrated the industrial-size coolers on the sides with a rising body crease in the body and even the small design touches like the body colour edges to the massive lower air intakes and clever panel cuts complement the overall design. Safety equipment includes six front, thorax, head and knee airbags.

Modern cosy interiorsSitting low, inside there’s the usual supercar package of leather-bound supportive, comfortable and electrically adjustable bucket seats. The windscreen rake is very high and you almost feel like sitting inside a hot rod with storage areas and a rather unusual instrument binnacle. The analogue part of the instruments are now replaced by a digital representation of a rev counter and ancillary instruments round the side. The expressively-designed interior also offers hi-tech features ranging from the TFT cockpit display with two types of displays. The central console is pretty wide [somewhat like the Porsche Panamera] with busy controls and the stop/start push button.

the robotised transmission is a unique feature among road-going vehicles. in the aventador lp700-4, even in normal mode it guarantees smooth and fastest shifting time of only 50 milliseconds in corsa mode. as a driver you get an emotional shift feel, while the lightweight chassis with pushrod suspension delivers absolute handling precision and competition-level performance. however, as you move in sports mode, the shifting can be a bit jerky and noisy.

{cOVER stORY}

3939

Favourite driving detailsWe’ve driven the Murciélago and for its time it was a good performer, but not without some inherent flaws. When compared with the Aventador, it was a bit raw and a little less disciplined since it didn’t have the dial-in precision of the successor. The Aventador is not just an adrenalin pumping machine, it is a far more disciplined and allows a driver to push to the limits of his ability and more. The car’s AWD technology has moved on, and so has the car moved closer to perfection and encourages the driver to accelerate through tight curves at speeds.

4040

Driving impressionsDuring the brief, as expected we were advised not turn off the electronic stability program, so when my turn comes late in the day, I adhere to the safety instructions strictly. Although visibility is predictably poor in the Aventador, especially at the rear, that’s not a real issue when you consider the comfortable riding position in the car and get used to it. Remove the bomb-release red cover and just push the starter button. With a short whine of the starter motor, the naturally-aspirated free-revving V12 screams into life. The Aventador’s exhaust soundtrack is markedly different than the V10 Gallardo -- its whirring complete with a refined baffle blip. Engage gear electronically via push button [similar to Aston Martin’s with no gearshifter], release the brakes and we pulled out of the pits at 40km/h [maximum permitted] and gently joined onto the main circuit. One does feel a bit of over-stiffness in low-speed running, which I think is the pay-off for an “uncompromising” chassis which as I discovered later and several laps later has been tuned with ride quality in mind.

The new engine certainly delivers more performance and driveability, thanks to a more even power spread. But I am more interested in checking out the three transmission settings that are offered with appropriate adjustments to the torque transfer in the centre differential. I begin the first lap with Strada – here the gear changes are fast and smooth, like any sports car – I’d reckon would be good for day-to-day use and hence opt for the next option -- the Sport. In this mode, the car’s electronics allows you to play, but progressively. At the same time I also noted that in this setting the car is also highly sensitive to tyres and likes to be turned in gently and progressively. The Corsa is the most extreme and with a good reason. This setting is a violent experience in gear shifting – even the best engineers can’t anything about it in these robotized set-ups, so one has to live with it and it’s best suited for track day experience, in my opinion.

What I also noted in slow speed corners that the car is quite sensitive to entry speed and dynamic mode, so it is quite possible in the experienced hands to be able to understeer or oversteer depending on how the throttle inputs are played and in what mode the chassis and gear settings were in. Fast exit traction was sensational, and in both Sport and Corsa mode, it’s was reasonable to prompt the car into a bit of oversteer without scaring the driver nanny’s too much. In high speed corners, one does feel the huge lateral grip, and the car changes direction beautifully to the driver input and the feedback is always stable and planted.

We’ve tested many cars at Yas Marina and the northern loop is our all-time favourite. Straightline acceleration and speed achieved is as you’d expect with 691bhp on tap, but that excellent traction sort of misleads the driver into thinking it’s not actually that fast. And it is. In fact, you’ll need to take time to adjust to how mind-bendingly quick it is especially when you chance a glance on the speedo. This specific stretch till now my personal best was 252km/h and with the Aventador I broke it by touching 263km/h! Of course, you need immense slowing power from the brakes at this level and this is where the large ventilated brakes come in handy. Not only they are powerful and strong, there was no sign of fading before or after the test car was driven.

Although a race track isn’t always the best test of a road car, but the Aventador proved more than up to the task, lapping all day with scores of drivers and just demanding fuel and some tyre replacements.

automan’s take

Lamborghini’s latest baby answers several questions including the some of the complex ones especially when it comes to debating horsepower or torque, the typical argument being which is better? It’s been a never-ending debate among the critics and builders. Over-the-top thinking like this that made us fall in love with cars in the first place. The Aventador LP 700-4 is a petrolhead’s dreams made real and terms of pure supercar design, it doesn’t get better than this. Automobili Lamborghini has more than redefined the very pinnacle of the world super sports cars with a super formula that combines brutal power, outstanding lightweight engineering and jaw-dropping handling performance in a uniquely designed car that delivers an unparalleled driving experience.

{cOVER stORY}

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Engine construction Dimensions Performance

6,498 cc 60° V12Position: Mid-longitudinalaspiration: NaturalValvetrain: chain-Driven DOHc, 4 Valves per cylinder w/VVT fuel feed Sequential Injectioncompression 11.8:1Max power: 690.6 bhp @ 8250 rpmMax torque: 690Nm @ 5,500 rpmRedline 8,250rpmSpecific output: 106.28 bhp per litre

Body / frame carbon fiber panels over carbon fiber semi-Monocoque with aluminium front & rear subframesDrive: 4WDWheelsFront tyres: 255/35R19 PirelliRear tyres: 335/30R20 PirelliBrakesFront/rear: ventilated carbon-ceramic discs with 6-piston calipersSteering: rack & pinion with power assistSuspensionFront/rear: double wishbones with inboard dampers

Weight: 1,622 kgWeight distribution: F:R 43:57Wheelbase: 2,700 mmFront track: 1,720 mmRear track: 1,700 mmlength: 4,780 mmHeight: 1,136 mmTransmission: ISR Robotized 7-Speed aMT with double clutch

Top speed: 350 km/h0 - 100km/h: 2.9 secsFuel economyUrban cycle: 27.3 litre/100 kmExtra urban: 11.3 litre/100 kmEmission: 398 g/kmFuel tank capacity: 90 litres

Santa’agata Bolognese, Italycoachbuilder: automobili lamborghini

Built at

For punters looking for a stylish mid-engined v12 normally-aspirated supercar with an enviable heritage, there’s nothing close to the aventador

a little heart of gold

you would think that a car

of the size and demeanour of the a6 needed a large engine. what would you make of its 2.0-litre unit then? we

put the small 4-pot through its paces

fIRst dRIVE

42

Author: Raj Warrior Photography: Raj Warrior

43

editOrial nOMinee

aUdi a6 2.0 tfsi

preMiUM Car2012

Sharp styling, a plush ride and the unique silhouette would make you think that the A6 had a larger engine

fIRst dRIVE

44

The interiors still have their fair share of upmarket features like rear a/c vents and controls and the Audi MMI with the large slide out monitor. But as you can see the parking graphic is based on the sonic sensors and not on a camera, while the system does not get navigation.

Lighting and the control of light add ambience to the car. Rear seat comfort is good, although shades are manual.

This engine has an almost Dr Jekyll and Mr hyde nature to it. It may be a bit short in the cc’s but more than makes up for it with GDI and turbocharging

45

The Audi A6 in its new guise is targeted at the segment that the A8 traditionally used to look at – highly paid professionals

and rich go-getters who love to drive their own cars. We have tested the A6 before, albeit with a larger engine and the aluminium enriched body has enthralled our test team. Somehow it is the appeal of the silver metal that makes the Audi A6 seem that much sportier to begin with. Yes the basic structure still has lots of steel in it and that is essentially good because it means that the skeleton of the bodywork is stiff and shows great impact resistance. But one of the goals that the A6 engineers set out with was to ensure that the car was as light as possible, with aluminium and composite panels and structures, including aluminium doors.

So, the catchphrase could be tread lightly in the way the Typ 4G car has been constructed. The spaceframe is not aluminium but some of the main panels are. Somehow this connects with the fact that Audi would dare to put a 2.0-litre engine in this new iteration of the car.

This is on top of the fact that the A6 grew quite a bit, with a 76mm increase in the wheelbase to 2,912mm and a widening of the body by 18mm to 1974mm (excluding mirrors). The kerb weight is just 1565kgs, which is excellent for such a big car. And that is is the signature of the A6, trimmed down weight in unnecessary areas coupled with a focus on what’s just right for the customer.

The 2.0-litre engine that is used in the A6 is a TFSI unit from the combined Audi-VW stables. We have seen the wonders of TFSI before in iterations on the VW Passat and here too the technology shines. At the heart of the process is the combination of a high-pressure direct injection with an exhaust-driven turbocharger. This is important because wherever the F appears in the label it means that the high-pressure fuel feed happens at a level where the fuel droplets are completely atomised, making the mixture as close to perfect as possible. Surprisingly, despite the use of direct injection in the engine, the compression ratio has been kept at only 9.6, which means that in some configurations the engine will be able to generate much more power. The 180-odd horsepower already available on this engine comes through a nicely undersquare cylinder and that has a bore of 82.5mm against a stroke of 92.8mm. The torque is mainly a function of the turbo kicking in and it is the critical point at around 1500 rpm that we continuously watch out

when the flat torque curve really comes into play.

Interesting again is that fact that the front wheel drive automatic variants of the Audi A6 are mated with Audi’s ‘multitronic’ CVT unit.

Interesting b e c a u s e while the use of CVT’s is becoming more mainstream, we never really expected Audi to go that way. But this Cvt is again the stuff that great Audis are made of – it really doesn’t behave like a CVT at any stage and you never

would guess if you didn’t read the literature. Inside the cabin the paddle shift and quick changing +/- on the gearshift remains exactly like always.

Of course, the 2.0-litre is also there for a purpose and that is to serve as the entry level ‘value’ buy in the A6. So you get remote unlocking but no key free entry and the multi-info display limits itself to a non-navigation

unit. At this price bracket you could get a bit picky about what’s ordered in the car, but getting an A6 in any form south of RO 20,000 is in itself good. However, in general the interiors are skimped on – you get the same attention to detail as in the costlier variants and the same roominess and badging.

Most pleasing is that the 2.0-litre TFSI is a bit of a wolf in sheep’s clothing and

that is largely due to the presence of a good turbo over 1500 rpm. You never notice any turbo lag during acceleration, gearshifts (or should we say ratio selection) is smooth

though not like the DSG gearbox does it and the whole experience is altogether

satisfying as the car stays just under the speed limit because you choose to keep it there. If you get an open patch of highway and floor the engine, you would be hard pressed to figure out the engine – it feels like a 3.0-litre at least and the CVT is transparent

to your senses. However, you must remember that the CVT is plugged as an

eight-speed because of the choice of the gear ratios with a low of 2.436 to overdrive

in 4th to 8th gear, with a high of 0.381.Again, this generation of the A6 has also

tweaked a lot of its suspension components – with many more of them getting the weightloss treatment, thus reducing the unsprung weight

to give better road handling and feel. As with other Audis, the basic premise is to deliver a firm, flat ride and don’t let the luxury moniker fool you, there is very little washiness about the body’s response. It is almost as if the engineers were living on the zig-zags of the test track – the body responds so beautifully to the quick

left-rights on the wheel, steering feel is so direct and balanced and with just the right

sense of tightening up in the curves.This is one car you can blindly go and buy

as long as you are happy with the feature pack that is offered inside the car and in terms of value. For the engine is without doubt so right on the platform. At the end of a rather long weekend of testing, we hadn’t managed to make any inroads on the fuel gauge – even after pushing the engine to its limits.

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The 2012 audi a6 2.0 TFSI at a glanceWhat is it about?

Take a top-end luxury car and try to fit it into an affordable price bracket, with a small engine (that packs a wallop).

Categorise the car for me

C/D-segment, 5 seater, monocoque 4-door sedan in steel, aluminium and composite made by Audi in Germany.

How big is it?

4915mm long, 1874mm wide, 1455mm high on a wheelbase of 2912mm. Kerb weight is 1565 kgs and 65 litre fuel tank.

Under the hood

A sequential high-pressure direct-injecton Inline four-cylinder spark-ignition engine with exhaust turbocharger and intercooler, DOHC of 2.0-litre capacity generating 180HP between 4000-6000rpm and torque of 320Nm between 1500-3900rpm, mated with an 8-speed CVT multitronic.

Under the body

Five-link front suspension, double upper and lower wishbones, anti-roll bar, steel springs. Electric power assisted rack-and-pinion steering. Self-tracking trapezoidal-link axle with wishbone, anti-roll bar, steel springs in the rear. Electromechanical steering with speed-dependent power assistance.

How does it handle?

Take any Audi A6 and dial it down just a notch. The tracking is superb, completely FWD point and shoot, tight body recoil and firm ride. You really can’t put a foot wrong, especially if you use the paddle shifts or leave the gearlever in S.

Highlights

A6 styling, looks like a richer car, great fuel-efficient engine, roomy interiors, reasonable feature pack.

What competition does it have?

The Jaguar XF 3.0-litre, BMW smaller engined 5-series and the new CC from Volkswagen. But there are almost no apples to apples comparisons here.

And I would buy it for?

An Audi A6 below RO 20,000 for one.

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The 2012 audi a6 2.0 TFSI at a glance

on top of a great product upgrade, the camry now comes with a

sporty edition. we check out the end

product

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editOrial nOMinee

tOyOta CaMry se

Mid-size Car2012

camry gets the Sporting edge

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Author: Raj Warrior Photography: Raj Warrior

Whether it was the high cost of the Yen or the Japanese disaster year with the tsunami and nuclear issue, Toyota were left scrambling last year.

However, outside the public gaze the company has been battling on many fronts from a few years – with an almost vindictive and ill-informed campaign against its legendary reliability and engineering excellence being waged on behalf of the ‘consumer’ by the US authorities. Now the brand has the opportunity to take a breather, regroup and grow. And all this has been brought about by the brand’s new strategy that is so keenly product and process oriented.

The new Camry was the first vehicle to come out of the restructuring of the brand’s focus under the watchful gaze of Akio Toyoda. There was no longer a need to get huge production numbers for the sake of volume. The product had to be right the first time and it was this clear message in the product that won it our Automan Car of the Year in the mid-size car segment in 2011. Now we had the SE variant of the car and this version is the brand’s attempt to put a sporting flavour on the Camry.

Essentially the platform and the model remain the same. The current generation of the Camry is called the XV50 platform, which was a major revamp on the previous XV40. Superbly upgraded interiors and some major sheetmetal modifications are a signature of the new platform as much as the new steering feel and performance characteristics.

The new sheet metal has brought with it striking good looks even on the normal sedan. When you take the sporty SE variant, you get the car with the sports body kit. This means that the headlights remain the same but almost every other part of the front fascia now gets an edgy quality to it. It is almost as if the Toyota badge and the number plate just below it are the centre of a very busy area. The lower airdam is hogged by large black inserts, with rising horizontal slats and the area just below the number plate

The XV50 Camry platform retains shades of what the car used to look like around the C-pillar but largely it is a sharper, more dynamic profile

The SE gets really plush interiors with a hand-stitched feel to the dashboard and a nicely stacked centre console. Of course the rear has also been given a nice legroom and shoulder room

Engineers have managed to extract just a little bit more power and torque out of the engine using a remapped ECU

Sharp styling touches including bodykit, dedicated alloy wheels and

headlamps are nice

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Under the hood

Available with Toyota’s 2AR-FE I4 direct injection engine with 179hp and 232Nm and the 6-speed ECT-i automatic gearbox, with paddle shift changers.

and I would buy it for?

Good sporty looks, the new Camry platform, excellent NVH characteristics, exceptionally good handling and performance from a Toyota sedan and all the reliability and resale values.

What competition does it have?

Head on with the Altima at some levels, but really back to setting the benchmark. This is the Camry’s battle to lose.

Highlights

Striking bodykit and styling, very upmarket interiors, good steering feel, nice 6” colour display and streaming bluetooth. Its worth the extra money over its normal grades.

How does it handle?

Just a little bit sportier and rides a bit former than the normal Camry. Engine response seems peppier though you couldn’t actually find the 10 extra HP unless you hit the redline. The gearbox is a beauty.

How big is it?

4805mm long, 1820mm wide, 1470mm high on a wheelbase of 2775mm. Kerb weight is 1470 kgs and 70 litre fuel tank.

categorise the car for me

C-segment, 5 seater, monocoque 4-door sedan and made by Toyota at its facility in Altona, Australia.What is it about?

Bringing a sporty look and feel to the Camry and a younger customer to model.

Under the body

Front and rear tyres of 215 / 55 R17. Independent MacPherson strut suspension with stabilizer bar at the front and Independent dual link with stabilizer bar at the rear. Electric power assisted rack-and-pinion steering

The 2012 camry SE at a glance

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gets clearly defined. The fog lamps sit in the outer edges of this area in their own defined petals. There is symmetry and poetry in the way the sightlines then draw you upwards to the headlights and the pronounced hood. The grille is nicely sporty with the use of a black honeycomb matrix to offset the body colour around it. The only chrome visible is on the logo and a touch around the foglights. While the headlights retain their outer shape, the inner design is changed to provide a unique layout for the SE, with projector type low beams.

The profile is also better defined than on the normal car with the lower skirt drawing the sight along the length of the car. In case you eyes stray upwards then they get drawn by the rising shoulderline that leads off from just aft of the front wheel arches and crosses the body into the rear decklid and its lip spoiler. The specially styled 17” five split spoke alloy wheels fill the wheel arches and add the chrome offset along the side.

The strong colour choices available on the SE with its almost Lexus paint quality makes the SE stand out on the road.

In tune with the sports theme, the interiors get a host of features that keep the car in sync with its audience. From a key-free entry, engine Start/Stop button to ambient illumination with a blue theme in the footwell and the ultimate must-have of a meaty leather

clad steering wheel with paddle shift controls and nicely bolstered seats, you can’t really fault the Camry’s message. The dashboard is certainly upmarket, with the vertically themed console around a 6.1” touchscreen display that brings the newer range of features debuted by the Prado into the mainstream sedan. You get bluetooth and even streaming bluetooth audio or if you choose you can dock your iPod or USB device. The higher grade in this also gives a bluetooth voice recognition system that allows you to use Siri or her cousins to your benefit.

But the Camry SE’s sportiness is also a function of the specially adapted suspension that sits under the body. The ride height has been lowered and the springs and components have been tweaked, strengthened and modified to change the Camry XV50’s already good drive characteristics into something that keeps the sedan at the head of its class. Of course there isn’t much more that the brand could draw out of the 2.5-litre 2AR-FE I4 engine with its under square cylinders and direct injection, but they have. A retuned ECU draws 179hp, 10 over the normal and just a little more torque as well. The quick revving engine brings with it a power band that lets the car effortlessly accelerate and the insulation around the engine bay and underbody make it quite remote. The six-speed gearbox is smooth, allows an over-revving of the engine

in extreme cases, but holds the gears so nicely when coming downhill. You can actually use 3rd to 5th cogs without ever needing the overdrive ratios of the 6th, but in auto mode and with the engine’s new propensity to try to maximise every drop of fuel used, 6th is default cruise.

In all of this you should of course remember that you aren’t buying a sports sedan. For that we would recommend looking at the 3.5-litre power packs on the Aurion and Avalon. The SE is sporty, yet fulfils a need for the normal commute without stretching your budget into the new price bands where all these cars and their competition operate. Besides which, face it, you still have rock solid resale values and years of trouble free operation going for you. Choosing the SE is like buying a mod pack that is all thought out and strictly road legal.

the camry se’s sportiness is also a function of the specially adapted suspension that sits under the body

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YOUR CAR’S SEAL OF EXCELLENCE!

We are back for a second exciting year of testing and assessing Cars and SUVs in Oman for that elusive characteristic that makes them winners. As always, we only rank vehicles that we actually test drive!

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01 Small Car of the Year02 Mid-size Car of the Year03 Large Car of the Year04 Premium Car of the Year05 Luxury Car of the Year06 Hot Hatch of the Year07 Sports Car of the Year08 Performance Car of the Year09 Small SUV of the Year10 Mid-size SUV of the Year11 Large SUV of the Year12 Premium SUV of the Year13 Performance SUV of the Year14 Best debut Model in Oman15 Editor’s choice

When a product rescues

a marque

peugeot needed a car like the 508 for sometime now in the gcc region.

after all, how many hatchbacks can they sell? we test the 508 and assess whether the marque has

met its new mark.

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Author: Raj Warrior Photography: Raj Warrior

editOrial nOMinee

peUGeOt 508

Mid-size Car2012

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For a car market like the GCC a large sedan is a perfect fit. But that is hardly the case in some markets like France, where the station

wagon or combi tends to take the bulk of sales of large floorpan vehicles, while the hatchback rules in smaller footprints. Perhaps it is in the nature of things – but once you have a large floorpan, there is usually a good business case to spin off a sedan especially for export markets. For a company like Peugeot and to a certain degree with Citroen too, you could accuse them of being very France/Europe centric and if they get out of that the streets of North Africa were the spill-off area. Yes they are selling like hot cakes in China

now and if they get their act in place perhaps the rest of the BRIC countries could be their future battle ground, but one part of getting their act in place is putting forward the right product.

For Peugeot the 40x, 50x and 60x platform have been very central to their sedan and combi approach. The 608 is the car the French president is transported in, while the 407 was the largest of the Peugeot breed in Oman, selling till a few months back as the top of the line sedan from the brand. However, we were shown the 508 at the Dubai Motorshow last year and the announcement was that it would effectively be the brand’s flagship here, being designed with

the region in mind. Of course in the meantime the 408 has been launched, initially in China and with a very focussed thrust on the BRIC countries.

The 508 exhibits the best of the French brand’s typical engineering excellence along with some of their rather laissez-faire attitude towards customer needs. The balance somehow makes the car good enough to join the breed of French cars that we will remember a few decades later, usually with some interesting personal tales and some things that we all can laugh about. The 508 is set to be among that memorable breed.

The car is built on the PSA group’s platform

The engine may be only a 1.6-litre but it is the same turbocharged unit that

powers BMW and MINI cars. However the HUD is unique to the 508 even though

you spend time aligning yourself so that you can see it properly

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3, which is the basis for cars like the Citroen C5 as well. In markets like ours, the 508 is the direct replacement of the 407 and brings in a whole new set of technological features that set it apart even from other European models. The GCC and Levant area is expected to add to the sales from new growth areas. The problem that the company had was that the 407 was a technologically advanced platform for its time, so the follow up had to be really good to make

a difference.The 508 sits on a wheelbase of 2817mm,

which is longer than the 407’s but it has shorter overhangs so ends up with a similar length (though slightly longer) at 4792mm, The track has been widened as well so that the car presents a more forceful three-quarters view and a rather full bodied profile as well. The use of new manufacturing techniques is apparent in the attempt to reduce the weight of the car

without sacrificing on stiffness and handling. The weight of the car is 1430kgs which means it is spot on the ‘smaller’ 407’s weight. This is due to the greater use of aluminium and even some magnesium components as well as tailored high strength steel blanks elsewhere.

One outcome of the redesign of the ratios is that the rear passenger compartment has been given most of the length shaved off the front overhang. In comfort terms, the 508 is now

The 508 has upmarket interior features like a good large colour console, paddle shifters and nicely formed seats. While our test car

came with a normal sunroof, the car is also availble with a panoramic roof in the top spec.

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The 2012 Peugeot 508 at a glanceWhat is it about?

Replacing the 407, taking the brand into a higher segment and offering class leading features

Categorise the car for me

C-segment (M2 in internal parlance), 5 seater, monocoque 4-door sedan and made by Peugeot at the PSA facilities in France.

How big is it?

4813mm long (sedan), 1920mm wide with folded mirrors, 1456mm high on a wheelbase of 2817mm. Kerb weight is 1430 kgs and 72 litre fuel tank.

Under the hood

Available in the region only with a 1.6-litre EC6DT engine of 154HP and 240Nm of torque. Comes with 6-speed auto gearbox made by Aisin with manual select. Electro-hydraulic power-assisted rack and pinion steering.

Under the body

Front and rear tyres of 215 / 55 R17 or 235 / 45R18 or 235 / 40R19. All-new MacPherson type front suspension, multi-link rear. ESP, hill-assist.

How does it handle?

Class-leading point and shoot drive, understeers, firm suspension response, low road noise, light tail end and nice flexibility through the rev band. Almost no turbo lag, though you do tend to downshift a gear at times to stay ahead.

Highlights

Superb styling, very chic interiors, good steering feel, interesting multi info display and a nice feel of upmarket elegance, especially with the panoramic sunroof.

What competition does it have?

European C-segment in the Passat/CC and smaller engined C-segment sedans. A bit difficult to compare head-on except against its sister the C5.

And I would buy it for?

Style, good build quality, European origins, safety, handling and reliability. Upmarket interiors. The small but peppy engine and the outstanding quietness.

among cars like the Passat and Passat CC, while the rest of the cabin features keep up the image as well. Ranging from well-formed seats which have electric adjustment, memory functions and the possibility of ordering them in leather, to a full colour display on the centre console that offers navigation with infotainment systems as well as mastery over the phone connection. Passenger comfort in general is pretty much up to standards and if you take the car with the panoramic sunroof you also get a large lighted cabin for free.

In addition to all the other gizmos that the car comes stocked with, the heads up display (HUD) that sits just north of the steering wheel is a rather interesting if quirky addition. Its sole function is to show the speed in digital readout. Apparently it also shows the next action needed from the navigation system. But one wonders whether it couldn’t have been made simpler like everyone else’s that uses a polarised strip on the windshield to reflect characters being generated on the top of the dash. Here a prism and mirror actually have to be raised after you switch on the car and the readout is then in a position which requires you to adjust the seat height so that you can see it clearly. After use the entire assembly descends rather noisily into the dash. While on quirks, we welcome the privacy curtains that the rear cabin has, on both side windows and the rear. But if your passenger leaves the rear curtain up, you have to get down and put it down manually. Perhaps they should have opted for a more basic HUD or skipped it and given motorised rear curtains.

The 508 gets the EP6CDT 1.6-litre engine which has been co-developed with the BMW group. This variant of the engine has a twin-scroll blower with fixed geometry and continuously variable timing on the cams. Power output is 156PS while torque is a healthy 240Nm all the way from 1400 rpm to 4000 rpm. We have seen this engine before in the 308 as well as the RCZ, though here it seems very capable as a powerhouse for the sedan as it comes mated with the new generation of Aisin 6-speed automatic gearbox with paddle shift controls on the wheels and the ability to hit the standing 100kmph in 9.5 seconds. Handling is extremely good and the engine is responsive and matches the weight and acceleration characteristics of this sedan. Braking is also good, though hard braking does bring about a bit of chatter from the ABS.

Another plus point of the car over larger engined sedans is the deployment of adaptive lighting that turns with steering wheel input and is speed sensitive as well.

Other than the touches of quirkiness in feature selection, the 508, especially with its larger 18” wheels and panoramic roof with or without leather is a good choice for a car in the RO 10,000 and thereabouts price segment. You can get bigger cars of course for the price and even bigger engined cars, but what the 508 brings is a whole load of European sensibility, very chic French design cues and an extremely fuel-efficient and responsive engine and gearbox combination that can make you look beyond the usual into the territory of the Avant-garde.

Daily,Weekly,Monthly rentals.Get the

best rates!

The 2012 Peugeot 508 at a glance

spEcIAL fEAtuRE

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New M-class heralds year of sUV for Mercedes-BeNz

Author: Raj Warrior

61

The third-generation M-class was launched in the region last month and is now in Oman. Has Mercedes-Benz done enough to make this a winner in the premium SUV segment?

Author: Raj Warrior

It isn’t that often that you get an invitation to drive an SUV around the track at Dubai’s autodrome. And as for Mercedes-Benz, they

have never done it before. The problem is not with the brand per se – after all the SUV is better suited to a test drive on an off-road location that isn’t all sand. But the new M-class has engendered that sort of confidence in the brand and its regional Director for Sales & Marketing Frank Bernthaler., who pointed out that in many ways the SUV was now best explored on the track. Of course the third generation of the car is a completely new creature, even though it still carries some touches of the second generation car in its styling.

Beefier and more masculine along with strong styling touches that bring it more inline with the newer generation of Mercedes sedans, the M-class

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is also relevant to the new strategy for the short term. Frank says, “The luxury SUV segment is a market in which we have been making strong in-roads to date. Mercedes-Benz SUVs had a record year in 2011 and we plan to make a big an even bigger statement in 2012. With its strong features, powerful heart, intelligent technologies and masculine design, the all new M-Class epitomises our new approach and spearheads Mercedes-Benz ‘Year of the SUV’ sales strategy for the Middle East.”

The M-class has a lot going for it. The W166 platform began development in 2006 and it took only 5 years to come to market. It has a marginally longer wheelbase at 2,916mm and is longer, significantly wider and squatter than the second generation model. But that doesn’t

tell half the story. In the attempt to make the SUV closer to the E-class in looks and on-road performance, M-B has also made it a far more potent off-road vehicle than before.

Major new technologies that have migrated to the SUV are adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning and prevention and airmatic air suspension along with the first inclusion of the new generation of 7G-tronic automatic gearboxes.

The launch event itself saw the car being driven by a large gathering of journalists from around the region through the streets of Dubai and on the highways around it to congregate at the Dubai Autodrome, where groups of journos drove the ML 500 and ML 63 AMG around the track, while others drove both the

New 2012 Mercedes-Benz M-Class joins brand’s Oman’s line-up

The Wave’s Al Mouj golf course served as host for Mercedes Benz and Zawawi Trading

Company to introduce the extensive redesigned for 2012 M-Class models. The third

generation of the Mercedes-Benz M-Class sets new benchmarks in the SUV world with

its leading-edge automotive technology. The new M-Class boasts optimum energy

efficiency, leading standards of passive safety, outstanding ride comfort combined with

superb driving dynamics, as well as a completely revamped interior design offering

excellent ergonomics among its key strengths.

“When the vehicle was shown at the Dubai Motor Show last year we did a lot of

customer research there. Our customers told us that they also wanted a V8 engine,

so this is the benchmark moment for us.We are confident of the success of the new

models, which are a different size, more aggressive and will really compete with the

segment,” said Craig Hardie, CEO, automotive, at Zawawi Trading Company. Key

features of the M-Class range will be an upgraded engine, available in either 306hp for

the ML350, or 408hp in the ML500. A top of the line ML63 AMG variant is also available,

with the 5.5 litre V8 engine generating 525hp.The ML350 model will be available from

RO30,000, while ML500 will sell for RO38,000 in the Sultanate.

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the Ml 350With the six-cylinder 3.5-litre engine partnered with the 7G-tronic gearbox, the power offered is a healthy 306HP with 370Nm of torque. Electric power steering and standard adaptive damping on the steel spring suspension makes the tighter W166 platform a star performer on the handling slaloms – you can feel the body stay tighter on the predicted line and body roll and recoil is muted. Legroom in the rear has improved, while the driver interface is all new along the lines of current M-B sedans.

the Ml 63 aMgThe big daddy of the lot is powered by AMG’s 5.5-litre V8 with biturbo with 525HP and 700Nm of torque or with the performance package it will be rated at 557HP and 760Nm. As it is the AMG variants will be available only after a few months, so we should see a backlog in orders forming for the SUV. The performance characteristics of the AMG variants are definitely in the zone where they should beat the X5M in head to head comparisons, however that is something that we will have to confirm at a later date.

the Ml 500The upgraded V8 engine will no doubt be the volume seller in the segment as its 600Nm of torque is immediately apparent on the road. That’s not to say that you don’t appreciate the 408HP of power. The engine has a volume of 4,663cc and the upgraded output is a result of the new focus on EU6 norms as well as the use of direct injection. On top of the standard steel spring suspension the car is available with an option of airmatic air suspension as well.

outgoing model and the new one back to back through a handling zone and two ML500’s went through a drag race. Of course there was also the obligatory parking arrangement whereby M-B demonstrated the new found ability of the M-class to locate an open parking slot and to manoeuvre itself into the open slot, with the only input required from the driver being on the brake.

The Middle East will get three variants of the M-class in the 350, 500 and ML 63 AMG variants. The focus on the model is to present it as an upmarket SUV taking the battle straight against the X5. So it gets a sports package for the styling as standard along with touches like LED strip lighting along the headlight assembly and on the wrap-around taillight assembly in addition to the existing LED DRLs on the lower valance. GCC standard gets the Intelligent Light System. The M-B star is very prominent on the freshened grille set of against a background of horizontal slats backed by black louvres.Building up the platformUsing the term ‘upgrade as standard’ M-B are offering an interior that

matches or beats competition. Engine auto stop-start helps in keeping fuel-efficiency targets as new standard features like ILS, panoramic sunroof and lane departure warning take the car to top of its class, Higher grades get active lane departure prevention, adaptive cruise control with braking and high-speed mode and you can order the M-class with On&Off road package that adds underplates, a low-speed transfer case and the ability to maximise the airmatic suspension’s travel to increase ground clearance. The system gets a dial selectable six driving modes.

The higher grades are also available with active anti-roll bars that work to tighten handling characteristics.

We expect M-class to get a new breed of SUV owner into the fleet as there has been a significant price increase with a stated level of 64,000 dollars at entry point in the region. Of course the comparison with the older car is not strictly fair as a lot of new features come as standard along with far better handling and braking. As for Oman, the FTA with the US will allow imports without taxation.

Starting on pole position, Vettel fired his Red Bull cleanly from the line without being troubled by

the McLaren of Lewis Hamilton beside him. Starting on the ‘dirty’ side of the grid, neither Hamilton nor team-mate Jenson Button could do anything about Vettel, with Button suffering a dreadful start to slip from fourth to sixth.

The Ferrari of three-time Bahrain winner Fernando Alonso was one of the fastest off the line, vaulting from eighth to fifth. Behind him the concertina effect of cornering in a big group in the early laps caught out the 1Malaysia-entered Caterham of Heikki Kovalainen, whose strong qualifying performance was blunted in the midfield melee by a punctured rear tyre.

With Vettel on dominant form, pulling away from Hamilton at more than a second per lap, the men on the move were the Lotuses of Romain Grosjean and

Kimi Räikkönen, which started the race in seventh and eleventh place respectively. On lap 6 Grosjean passed Hamilton in front of the Main Grandstand for second place, while on the same lap Räikkönen, the 2007 world champion, passed Felipe Massa’s Ferrari, Button’s McLaren and Alonso’s Ferrari in quick succession.

By lap 8 several of the top drivers were finding that their tyres were burnt out, with Massa and Button first in, followed by Hamilton, Mark Webber in the second Red Bull and Fernando Alonso. McLaren’s race fortunes were decided in the pits with successive delays for both drivers at each stop costing them track position and places – and Button suffering first a rear tyre deflation and then a cracked exhaust in the closing stages.

Last weekend’s winner in China, Nico Rosberg, was in robust form in his Mercedes, going wheel-

to-wheel with Alonso and Hamilton. Elsewhere there was a three-way battle between the Williams of Pastor Maldonado, the Sauber of Sergio Perez and the Force India of Paul di Resta, the latter diving past both his rivals before going on the attack against Massa’s Ferrari.

Vettel now found both Lotuses together behind him, with Räikkönen passing his team mate at the start of lap 24 and setting about reeling the German’s lead in with a swashbuckling charge.

With his tyres far fresher and the bit between his teeth, Räikkönen closed in over the next dozen laps and drew alongside Vettel at the start of lap 36. However the German chopped off that attack neatly and defended firmly to hold the Finn back, forcing the team to rely on its pit stop skill to stand a chance of passing.

The Red Bull and the Lotus pitted together on

Grand Prix came back to Bahrain after last year’s cancellation with a scintillating race that brought

victory for defending world champions, Sebastian Vettel and the

Red Bull Racing team.

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Vettel wins at troubled Bahrain Grand Prix

Lap 40, but slick pit work from the 2011 champions ensured that Vettel retained his lead. Meanwhile Räikkönen found his final set of tyres less racy than their predecessors, effectively ending the bout and handing Vettel the cushion he needed to seal the victory.

Grosjean completed Lotus’ celebrations with the final podium position, while behind him Mark Webber took fourth place for the fourth time this season, Rosberg took firfth ahead of di Resta, Alonso, Hamilton, Massa and a fine performance from Michael Schumacher, who started 22nd in his Mercedes and charged up to complete the top 10.

“I think it was an incredible race, extremely tough,” said a delighted Vettel. “ I can only say a big thank you to the team. They did an incredible job. The amount of work they had to do which we have given them because we were weren’t happy with the car… We got it right this weekend, I was very happy in qualifying and the race to be fair.”

Kimi Räikkönen was pleased with the strongest performance so far in his return to the sport, after two years competing in the World Rally Championship. “I think we gave ourselves a chance but I’m disappointed I didn’t manage to win it,” he said.

“I made a small mistake at the beginning, lost one place to Ferrari, and I had to get that place back. In the end we were not fast enough to win. I got one chance to get past Sebastian but I chose the wrong side. That was the only chance really.”

Vettel now goes to the top of the 2012 FIA World Championship standings, four points clear of Lewis Hamilton and five ahead of his team-mate Mark Webber. Red Bull sits nine points ahead of McLaren in the constructors’ championship – but with four winners from four races, the Bahrain Grand Prix proved how open the title race will be.

“It has been a fabulous weekend at the Bahrain International Circuit, and a real treat for the 28,000 fans who came to see Formula 1™ return to the Kingdom of Bahrain,” said BIC Chief Executive, Shaikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa.

“All of us congratulate Sebastian on his first Bahrain Grand Prix victory and a– and also to Lotus for giving him such a run for his money. For our staff, our marshals and the organizers of the Bahrain Motor Federation, the wait was worth the result and we all thank them for organizing such a fabulous weekend that does credit to us all.”

Williams have signed Susie Wolff (nee Stoddart) as a development driver. As well as sampling the team’s FW34, Wolff will attend several 2012 Grands Prix while also contesting her seventh season of DTM.“Susie is a talented, successful and highly professional racing driver who competes in one of the world’s most fiercely-contested racing series,” explained team principal Frank Williams. “Susie will join Williams as a development driver, in which capacity she will assist us with the development of our simulator and other technical challenges.“Susie will also undertake some aerodynamic testing of the FW34 and a full track test in the coming months. Susie will also attend a number of races with us. I should add that, as Susie is married to Toto Wolff, a Director of Williams, her appointment was carefully considered and then approved by the Board, with Toto recusing himself from the process.”Born in Scotland, Wolff began karting as a young girl before moving into single-seaters in 2011 with a drive in the Formula Renault series. Twice nominated for the prestigious Young Driver of the Year Award, she also enjoyed a spell in the British Formula Three championship before joining Germany’s DTM touring car series in 2006.

Ferrari have confirmed that Fernando Alonso will conduct the bulk of their programme at next week’s three-day multi-team test at Mugello, the Tuscan circuit owned by the Italian team. Alonso will drive on Tuesday and Thursday, with team mate Felipe Massa at the wheel on Wednesday.The Mugello session, which takes place on May 01-03, is the fourth and final test of the 2012 season, ignoring the traditional, three-day young driver test later in the year. It will also mark the first time since 2007 that multiple F1 teams have tested simultaneously at the 5.245 kilometre track.

Susie Wolff joins Williams as development driver

alonso to headline Ferrari’s ‘home’ test at Mugello

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The Shanghai race was a turning points of sorts both for young Rosberg and Team

Mercedes. For the team it was their first win since 1955, when the legendary Juan Manual Fangio won the Italian Grand Prix for them. For Rosberg, it was about time that the team got its act in place, handling issues including that of excessive tyre wear.

Both the silver arrows were top of the grid, but Michael Schumacher’s comeback doesn’t seem to be happening as a flawed wheel change during a pit-stop ended up in his retiring from the race. The team were fined for the incident. Rosberg lead Schumacher out of the start but a slow starting Kobayashi lost the advantage for Sauber and allowed Button and Raikkonen through into 3rd and 4th followed by the other McLaren of Hamilton and the other Sauber

driven by Perez.Schumacher retired on the 12th lap while

Mark Webber changed from his soft tyres to mediums allowing him to set up a few fastest lap segments. Race strategy was playing an increasingly important part and it was only Rosberg’s momentum and cleaned up set up of his car that saw him stay in the lead as second

position became increasingly contested. Button shot ahead of Vettel in the 52nd lap to be followed by his partner Hamilton a couple of laps later. Vettel was wearing down his medium compounds by staying on the tyres for too long and this allowed even Webber to overtake him on the same lap.

In one of the most exciting races, the later part of the race saw a lot of competition between a clutch of cars for the second place. At one stage it was difficult to keep track of the cars that were either slugging it out on the track or using race strategy and slipping into pits for a quick tyre change. Raikkonnen had the second spot for a brief period for Lotus but was tailed by the Red Bulls, McLarens, Force India and Ferrari cars. Finally it was tyre wear on the Lotus that allowed Vettel and Button to shoot ahead, with

Rosberg gets Maiden Victory at Shanghai

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MOtOR spORts

In a race that was dominated by strategy, Nico Rosberg won his first F1

GP at the right time for Mercedes

Mercedes are free to continue using their innovative ‘double DRS’ rear wing after stewards in Shanghai rejected a protest from rival team Lotus on Thursday evening regarding its legality.Mercedes’ rear wing has holes in its endplates which are exposed when the DRS is activated. Airflow entering the holes is channelled through the chassis to the front wing, where it is released to stall the wing, cutting downforce and boosting top speed in much the same way as the DRS itself does for the rear wing.Lotus had alleged that Mercedes’ car, which had already cleared scrutineering in China as it did in Australia and Malaysia, contravened Article 3.15 of the technical regulations, which outlaws driver-operated aerodynamic devices.However, the stewards unanimously dismissed the protest, ruling that Mercedes’ design is not activated by the driver, but as a consequence of the permitted DRS movement. They conceded that it does appear to alter the aerodynamic characteristics of the car by reducing drag, but declared this to be consistent with the intent of the regulations.Lotus are not expected to appeal the decision, thus clearing the way for any team to push ahead with implementing their own version of the Mercedes design.

Lotus are looking into the potential benefits of developing their own version of Mercedes’ ‘double DRS’ system, after their protest against the solution in China failed, effectively rubber-stamping it and similar designs as legal.However, Lotus insist it will not be a question of simply aping Mercedes’ system, which uses airflow channelled from the DRS rear wing to stall the front wing, but rather of exploring all the possibilities opened up by the stewards’ ruling.“We are at the point of making estimates of how big the gain might be and assessing the difficulty in actually realising that gain,” Lotus technical director James Allison told the team’s website. “It’s anyone’s guess how powerful any existing system is, but that’s not the issue; it’s how powerful we think we can make any system which we can develop now we know how the rules can be interpreted. There are systems like Mercedes has, but the interpretation allows other permutations too. So it could be an interesting time for developments in this area.”Mercedes’ clever design reaped significant rewards in China, helping Nico Rosberg to his maiden Formula One pole position and victory. Like Lotus, most teams - if they weren’t already - will inevitably now be investigating similar systems. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean they will adopt them.

their team mates slogging it out behind them in reverse order. Button then overtook Vettel to make it an alternating sequence and to set up the final run in.

Lotus didn’t have it all bad as Grosjean picked up some valuable points at sixth, followed in by Senna, Pastor Maldonado and Alonso and Kobayashi who had screwed up the start so badly managing to salvage the single point at 10th.

At this stage the world championship rankings were Hamilton 45, Button 43, Alonso 37 and constructors rankings were still good for McLaren at 88, Red Bull 64 and Ferrari 37.

FIa rejects lotus protest over Mercedes wing

lotus considering ‘double DRS’ options

lorenzo takes victory with Repsols on two and three

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But this elation was not to last long as post race technical checks of the Citroen DS3 driven by Hirvonen and co-driver Lehtinen lead to their exclusion. This handed victory to Mads Ostberg and Jonas Andersson who were second in their Adapta Ford Fiesta RS and also elevated the other Ford teams of Evgeny Novikov and Denis Giraudet to second and Factory team’s Petter Solberg and Chris Patterson to third place.

A report prepared by the FIA Technical Delegate issued to the event stewards stated the car’s clutch was “not in conformity with the Homologation Form A5733.” As a result the event stewards took the decision to exclude car No. 2 from the event classification. The report also stated “the turbo (turbine wheel) fitted to car No. 2 appears not to be in conformity”. However, a stewards’ decision on this matter has been delayed pending the outcome of further examination and reports.

Solberg slid into a ditch and retired from the lead during Friday’s second leg of this four-day event. After restarting with a 10 minute time penalty, the 37-year-old Norwegian won four consecutive speed tests on day three and two more on the final day as he charged up the order. The result means Solberg retains third in the drivers’ standings with nine rounds remaining.

Team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila finished 14th in their Fiesta RS WRC after an incident-packed weekend. The 26-year-old missed out on drivers’ points, but claimed two bonus points after finishing second in the final live TV Power Stage.

Heavy rain and fog turned the rally into one of attrition. Friday’s special stages in the hills near the Algarve base of Faro were transformed into a muddy mess, and simply staying on the road became a priority. Conditions were so bad that organisers cancelled half the day’s scheduled competition.

Ostberg and third-placed Evgeny Novikov both overcame

late d r a m a s to secure the next steps on the podium. Ostberg’s engine dropped onto three cylinders on Sunday morning, while Novikov’s Fiesta suffered a throttle problem on stage 20.

Fortunately, both cars were repaired to enable their respective drivers to finish, with Novikov securing his maiden podium and co-driver Denis Giraudet landing his first top-three since he navigated Thomas Radstrom to third place on the Safari Rally in 2002. Giraudet, 56, becomes the oldest co-driver to finish on the podium in the WRC.

“I was waiting for this moment for a long time so I am very happy with this result,” said the 21-year-old Novikov.

After having been notified of the decision to exclude the no.2 DS3 WRC from the Rally de Portugal, the Citroën Total World Rally Team had, within the one-hour deadline stipulated by the regulations, stated its intention to appeal against the decision at the FIA’s International Court of Appeal. The team then had a further 48 hours to either confirm its intention to appeal or decide against doing so.

As further analysis of the matter and discussions with experts did not uncover any new technical elements that might have been used to alter the harsh penalty handed out by the Stewards, Citroën decided not to pursue what would have been a long and costly procedure.

Yves Matton, Citroën Racing Team Principal: “We had stated our intention to appeal in order to give us time to analyse the matter in more detail. As regards the clutch, our supplier has sent us a letter of apology acknowledging the existence of a batch of parts which were different from those

o n t h e h o m o l o g a t i o n documentation. This letter confirms that it was never our intention to cheat. At the same time, this situation forces us to look again at our procedures, since these parts were not picked up during our own checks. On the second point identified by the scrutineers, the sole supplier of turbocompressors approved by the FIA for all manufacturers, has confirmed to us the plastic expansion of the wheel turbine. Additional analysis will undoubtedly confirm that this was due to wear on the part. We accept this harsh penalty but are determined to learn the lessons and ensure that we will be even better in future. We still lead both World Championships, but the gaps have been reduced. We now go into the upcoming rallies more determined than ever to get back to winning ways.”

Mikko Hirvonen: “Obviously, I am very disappointed but I am not annoyed. These things happen. You have to accept them when they do, learn the necessary lessons and go again. Citroën has done a lot for me in the last few months so I stand united with the team at this difficult time. We win together, and we lose together! This incident just makes me even more determined. I can’t wait to start the next rally and go racing again.”

Hirvonen takes Rally Portugal then gets excluded

Mikko Hirvonen took victory at Rally de Portugal with a flawless drive that saw him consistently ahead of the pack. Perhaps it could be laid at the door of

Sebastien Loeb who crashed out on the Thursday, allowing Hirvonen to take the lead on Friday and to maintain it to give him his 15th WRC title.

lorenzo takes victory with Repsols on two and three

Lorenzo took the lead from the start and

held off rival Casey Stoner for the first few laps

before conceding the lead and tucking into second.

The Mallorcan then played the waiting game, never

letting Stoner more than two seconds ahead. With

seven laps to go he started to close the distance as

Stoner’s pace dropped off, holding off a determined

Dani Pedrosa on his tail to take the lead. Lorenzo

crossed the line 0.852 seconds ahead of Pedrosa,

taking the lead in the 2012 Championship standings

with 25 points.

After months of preparation and three days of

hard work at the Losail International Circuit, the first

MotoGP race of the year finally got underway at 10pm

local time. The Repsol Honda Team were amongst

the favourites for the win, with Casey Stoner second

on the grid and Dani Pedrosa capable of making a

great start from the right of the third row. Both had

caught up with Yamaha riders Jorge Lorenzo and Ben

Spies at the first corner.

The Hondas took the inside line, before Lorenzo moved

in front on turn two. Pedrosa and Stoner followed him

through, and it was the latter who pushed in front of his

teammate before the end of lap one. He did the same on

the straight one lap later to Lorenzo, taking the lead and

signaling that

this could be another runaway win for the Australian.

Lorenzo and Pedrosa stuck behind him as he looked to

establish a gap.

The final third of the contest saw the reigning World

Champion drop his pace and his rivals catch up with five

laps to go. Both Repsol riders were trying to preserve

their tyres, but Pedrosa made the first move to get

past Lorenzo and attempt to catch his teammate.

Just a few corners later, Lorenzo returned the

favour and was this time able to overtake Stoner

as well. Pedrosa forced his way past the man with

the number 1 plate as well on the penultimate lap,

but it was just too late for him to reach Lorenzo. He

finished the race eight tenths of a second down on

the winner.Lorenzo said of his day, “What an amazing race!

I put everything I have, all my energy into the

track, this victory is because I never gave up, kept

pushing and trying. Casey was very strong at the

beginning and opened a gap. Fortunately for us he

struggled at the end and dropped his pace where

I could keep mine so I managed to pass him. I am

very grateful to Yamaha because they have made

a big step this winter on the YZR-M1.”

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MOtOR spORts -f1

Bridgestone to introduce new specification front tyre

Bridgestone will introduce a new specification front tyre for the MotoGP™ World Championship, giving the 21 riders taking part in this year’s competition access to the very latest in tyre technology.This new front tyre is the latest evolution of the 2012 specification MotoGP™ front tyre, and features a revised construction that further enhances rider feel and warm-up performance and was developed following analysis of performance data and rider feedback acquired in pre-season testing.Due to the overwhelmingly positive appraisal this new front tyre received when tested by riders, Bridgestone, after consultation with Dorna, the FIM and IRTA, has agreed to replace the current front tyre with the new 2012 specification front tyre from the Silverstone round while also making a limited number of the new front tyre available for the Jerez, Estoril, Le Mans and Catalunya rounds.Starting from Jerez, riders will be allocated two of the new specification front tyres to increase their total allocation for the race weekend to 11 front tyres. The new specification tyre will only be made available in the harder compound option, as the greater durability this option provides makes it better suited for race use. At Silverstone, when the new specification front tyre becomes the standard, the front tyre allocation will return to nine tyres.

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tech talk

Today’s car customer can be forgiven for thinking that petrol engines and fuel injection are a natural partnership. To know

more about what they mean for each other, you really need to know the fuel injector

After last month’s quick look at turbochargers and superchargers and the process of forced feed of air to the engine, we also need to look at another major part of the process that makes the engine more than a complicated pile of metal.

The two most common forms of internal combustion engines are fuelled by petrol and diesel. The basic differences between these two products of the distillation and cracking of petroleum is that petrol at a later stage in the process and is lighter than diesel, which in many ways resembles heavy or furnace oils. All internal combustion engines require that the fuel is mixed with air and the mix is then ignited in the chamber to release energy.

In the case of the petrol engine, the fuel-air mix needs a spark to fire the explosion, while diesel engines self-ignite the process under the high pressures that the compression stroke subjects the mixture to. But that is not half the story.

Petrol engines need to draw in the air and somehow mix the fuel in with air. Common sense will tell you that air (a gas) and petrol (a liquid) need to be mixed in some manner that allows the fuel to be evenly dispersed in the air. That’s where the carburettor made its entry into internal combustion engines more than a decade ago. The carburettor’s function was to serve as the point through which the air passed and picked up a stream of fine fuel particles fed into the air by a venturi tube. The principle under which this functions was spelt out by an Italian scientist named Giovanni Battista Venturi. All that is needed for this to function is a steady flow of air powered

by the suction generated by the cylinders as they descend after the exhaust stroke. This is called natural aspiration and we have seen in the last article that forced feed is supplanting natural aspiration as engine performance becomes more demanding. The same applies to the way in which the fuel is added into the air. Fuel injection, by its nature, is the forced feed of fuel. You need that in the rigourous high pressure operations of a diesel engine and by 1920 practically all diesel engines were fuel injected.

In petrol engines, the fuel injector came in a bit later. Swedish engineer Jonas Hesselman used it in his engine in 1925, but the Hesselman engine was essentially a hybrid – using spark ignition to ignite diesel or fuel oil under lower pressures. The first real use of fuel-injectors was in aviation engines leading into and during orld War II with the B-29 Superfortress even getting direct injection.

The earliest use of fuel injection in cars was famously by Alfa Romeo in their 6C 2500 for the 1940 Mille Miglia. Famously because this was also the advent of electronic fuel injection. Mainstream fuel injection was pioneered by Bosch and for many years remained mechanical in nature. While American car racing began to use fuel injection, it never really took off commercially because it was difficult to tune the injectors for low-speed and everyday use. The first commercially available electronic fuel injection system was introduced by Bendix.

The advantage of electronic systems is that the fuel injection can

UNDERSTANDINGFUEL INJECTION

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UNDERSTANDINGFUEL INJECTION

The latest generation of

mainstream car are mostly opting

for smaller engines paired with a

turbocharger or supercharger.

What’s the difference between the two? And why

should you consider switching to a

boosted engine?A view of a typical fuel injector with

the cutout shown below. On the facing page are the schematics for the electronic fuel injection and mechanical

fuel injection

Types of Fuel InjectionWhile EFI is now accepted as a standard in most cars, especially due to the carburettor being phased out by car manufacturers due to regulations and performance demands, there are so many variations that it is necessary to understand each type too.Single Point InjectionEssentially SPI substitutes the Carburettor directly by using the same point of injection into the throttle body and hence is commonly referred to as Throttle Body injection or EGI.Multi Point InjectionAs the name suggests, MPI injects the fuel into the airstream just upstream of each cylinder’s intake valve. This allows for precise metering for each cylinder. Most modern engines use sequential MPFI or MPI, which means that the fuel is injected at the exact time that it required before the intake valve opens or during the intake phase.Direct InjectionWhen fuel is injected directly into the cylinder the process is called direct injection. Most diesel engines are direct injection. Nowadays more petrol engines are becoming direct injection and are dubbed GDI or the equivalent. Direct injection has some inherent advantages over indirect injection which delivers the fuel into the mix outside the intake valve. Due to better dispersion and evenness of the mixture in the larger volume of the cylinder, the cylinder operates at a cooler temperature, which allows the engine to offer higher compression ratios and better performance. Also, by its nature, it is possible to control the exact time at which the fuel is introduced in the expansion and compression strokes to better fuel efficiency and avoid wastage. The use of piezoelectronic injectors allows for a high degree of control due to their speed, allowing multiple injection instances in every cycle.So the next time you come across the term being used ever so lightly in product catalogues, remember what it means – precise fuel delivery in your engine in such a way as to maximise fuel efficiency, power or both.

be varied to match the demands of the engine, allowing richer mixes for cold starts or peak

demand situations and leaner mixes in order to save fuel.

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When it arrives, the 2013

Hyundai Santa Fe will have its role clearly defined with a bit more of a

responsibilty. First, as a five-seater it has to maintain its own position in the segment and

its longer wheelbase variant with two extra seats will enter the slot that will be available after the

Veracruz product lifecycle ends

Hyundai Motors staged the world premiere of the all-new Santa Fe at the 2012 New York International

Auto Show. In its latest form, the popular D-segment SUV is re-styled inside and out, fitted with enhanced features and new technology, and powered by re-tuned engines with improved efficiency.

Unlike the new naming nomenclature

that Hyundai is practicing these days, the carmaker is retaining the name, Santa Fe, continuing the heritage of the car manufacturer’s well-established SUV model as it enters its third generation. The Hyundai Santa Fe has achieved worldwide cumulative sales of almost 2.56mn units since its year 2000 debut.

It is the first model to have its own

interpretation of the Fluidic Sculpture design language which has modernised the appearance of the Hyundai range in recent years.

In line with the full Hyundai product range, the latest Hyundai Santa Fe features the hexagonal-shaped grille, finished on Santa Fe in sophisticated dark chrome. Large, tear-drop headlights above the

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bumper are matched in shape by fog lights below. The deep, two-tone underbody offers generous ground clearance and the silver underbody panel visible at the front smoothes the vehicle’s aerodynamics and provides reassuring under-floor protection.

Two versions will be produced. While the five-seater will carry on with the outgoing model’s wheelbase, the LWB will be nearly four inches longer. The seating configuration in the Santa Fe carries over from the previous model, with two rows and room for five. The longer wheel base model gets a third row and can seat up to seven.

Dimensions aren’t the only differences between the two models. The Santa Fe Sport is powered exclusively by four-cylinder engines, including a 2.4-litre that makes an estimated 190hp and 2.0-litre turbocharged

inline-4 tuned to make 264hp. The base engine is expected to make an EPA rating of 33 miles per gallon Highway, which would make the Santa Fe the most fuel efficient of any crossover or SUV equipped with an automatic transmission.

The bigger Santa Fe gets a 3.3-litre V6 that makes 290hp, the same power plant used in the all-new Azera. EPA Highway fuel economy for the larger engine is expected to be 31 mpg. The only transmission option with all three engines is a 6-speed automatic. Front-wheel drive is standard, and all-wheel drive with torque vectoring is optional. While the designs of the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe and Santa Fe Sport are similar, there are subtle differences. The larger Santa Fe gets a different grille design, side window shape, side character lines and dual exhaust tips.

Hyundai has retained the car’s SUV heritage, but has also improved its on-road abilities. A front subframe, which supports the engine, transmission and suspension, is mounted using specially designed bushes to minimise unwanted noise and vibrations reaching the cabin, while allowing the steering to provide excellent feedback to the driver in all conditions.

In terms of passive safety, the New Generation Santa Fe is built using a lightweight, high-tensile steel and aluminium structure which provides excellent bodyshell rigidity and strength, protecting occupants in the event of a collision.

New Generation Santa Fe is fitted with seven airbags as standard, including driver, passenger, side, curtain and driver’s knee units, providing exceptional levels of safety to buyers across the range.

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The GTS builds on the Cayenne model’s reputation as the most sporting SUV, offering a more powerful 420 hp engine, increased dynamic power development and a tauter chassis with 24mm lower ride height and Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) as standard.

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As an uncompromising extension of the GTS concept, introduced into the SUV model line with the

predecessor model, the Porsche says the 2013 Cayenne GTS doesn’t merely occupy the gap between the Cayenne S and Cayenne Turbo anymore. It sees it as a model with its own distinctive character quintessentially developed for emotional sportiness.

China represents the fastest growing export market for Porsche and is the second largest after the USA and ahead of the domestic German market. And thus it comes as no surprise that 2013 Porsche Cayenne GTS, successor of the outgoing GTS was unveiled in Beijing last month.

The incoming car is mechanically based on the Cayenne S as it shares its naturally-aspirated V8 engine. However, the peak output has been bumped up by 20hp to 420hp. The other big change is that unlike the previous Cayenne GTS, which came with a manual transmission, the new

model comes with an eight-speed Tiptronic S automatic transmission and engine stop-start system. While the drive ratios remain unchanged, the gear changes are shorter, crisper and harder. All-wheel drive is still standard. Porsche has equipped the model with the Porsche Active Suspension Management System also.

With engineering enhancements, especially in the powertrain departments, it gives the 2013 Cayenne GTS more sporting character. The car will now sprint from a standing start to 100km/h in 5.7sec and is quite capable of posting a top speed of 260km/h. To aid handling and dynamics, the vehicle has been lowered by 24mm and received a lower final drive ratio.

From the exterior, there are some design cues such as high-gloss black trim, sporty side sills, wider wheel arches and the bonnet and front face of the Cayenne Turbo. Other details include 20in RS Spyder wheels with a unique offset, a sports exhaust system with matte black twin tailpipes, and two

new available colours: Peridot Metallic and Carmine Red.

Inside eight-way adjustable front sports seats with Alcantara accents are now exclusive to the GTS model and for the first time in the Cayenne, Porsche’s Sport Chrono package is now available. Porsche has also tweaked the engine intake sound into the cabin.

Porsche is confident that the 2013 Cayenne GTS will do well in China. The sports car manufacturer sold more than 24,000 vehicles in China last year, an increase of 65 per cent compared with 2010 and a new record for the company. Bernhard Maier, Member of the Executive Board Sales and Marketing of Porsche AG, said: “Porsche is therefore the market leader for sports cars in China. From the establishment of our subsidiary in 2008 up to today, we have sold 8,831 sports cars of the 911, Boxster and Cayman models in China. Last year we attained a segment share of 46 per cent.”

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pREVIEw

lamborghini aventador J concept

To create the one-off

striking open top Aventador J, Lamborghini didn’t just remove

the roof and windscreen from the donor Aventador. Engineers have put in all what

they have learnt in advanced composite construction in this car so far

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At Geneva earlier this year, Automobili Lamborghini presented what it referred as the most uncompromising

open super sports car of its entire history. Technically based on the Aventador, Automobili Lamborghini is carrying on its glorious brand tradition. The 1970 Jota, for instance, was the stuff of legends - a Lamborghini Miura with improved performance and virtually redesigned in every detail. It remained a one-off; although some owners subsequently had their Miuras modified to look like the Jota. The letter J isn’t a reference to Jota but is actually derived from the sporting rules of the FIA world motorsport organization. Its “Appendix J” defines the technical specification of race cars in the various

classes. The Lamborghini Aventador J is a radically open automobile - exterior and interior meld into each other. The designers and engineers in Sant’Agata Bolognese have not only dispensed entirely with the roof, but also with the front windshield. This requires that drivers of the Aventador J must have the right equipment for driving at top speeds higher than 300 Km/h.

The specialists at Lamborghini have developed an even more amazing version of carbon fibre material for the Aventador J. In its first automotive application, this carbon fibre fabric called “Carbonskin” is made of woven carbon fibres soaked with a very special epoxy resin that stabilizes the fibre structure and keeps the material soft. Like a hi-tech fabric, the carbon fibre mats fit

perfectly to every shape. In the Aventador J, the complete cockpit and parts of the seats are clad in this material and shimmer in matt carbon fibre black. It’s conceivable that in future there will be many potential applications for this freshly patented and extremely fine-looking material, even very high-end clothing.

The car uses the same 12-cylinder 700hp engine from the Aventador and its robotized gearbox. Till now, this creation will remain as an absolute one-off: a one-of-a-kind piece of art. We expect the best part of this car for its occupants should be engine’s accompanying exhaust note which will be even more audible and sound even more exhilarating on the move.

How has ZTC’s automotive division been doing during 2011 and into 2012?About 18 months ago, which was a couple of months after I arrived, we began planning on how to expand business and how to make Zawawi Mercedes-Benz one of the benchmarks for the brand in the region. As far as an organisation and operation and even from our process and our procedures we certainly had room to improve and in our after sales area we still do and in our sales area too. One of the first things we did in discussion and agreement with owners was to have the owners agreeing to support and invest in the brand to enable us to be the benchmark for Mercedes-Benz in the region as an operations, for ourselves and obviously for our customers.We are building at the moment a brand new commercial vehicle facility in Haima, which will service the centre of the country with a lot of our commercial vehicle customers including the MOD and PDO and so forth. We are also about to build a new facility for the passenger car business in Sohar to support that region of the country and our customers in that region and we have the Salalah and Muscat facilities. This will give us the premium brand in Oman and the largest network for our customers of both passenger car and commercial vehicles.We have also had a couple of really big milestones happening for us – we have passed globa;l dealer standards for passenger cars a year ago and now we have also passed it in our after-sales as well. We are one of only 5 dealers out of 17 in the Middle East and Levant region globally recognised as an after-sales organisation as far as process, procedures, personnel mix and so forth. We now are at world standard in our after-sales division and we needed to do that as we have a lot of customers over time who have a perception of our business and we are well and truly on the way to changing that. We must ask people to come and try us to see how it has changed.

You did mention your competition – both BMW and Audi have been making inroads into what was traditionally Mercedes-Benz territory. Are there any initiatives in place to grab back marketshare?I would disagree with your comment. Certainly we haven’t lost any marketshare to Audi and I think they are attacking the BMW brand more than us and with BMW if you compare our marketshare it is one of the strongest in the Middle East. I would say that as Mercedes-Benz Oman we are strong in our marketshare and we are one of the best performers in the region.

Of course one of the talking points is your stellar 50% plus growth over the first quarter of last year in YoY terms. Would you put it all down to the Arab spring of last year or is there real growth in the market?I certainly think there is real growth in the market. I think the market is strong, you are seeing results

from the investment the government is making. In our commercial vehicles business as well as our passenger car business we are seeing that and feeling that. We believe we are maintaining if not growing our market share on the back of some large deals we have managed to secure but more importantly our retail business, which is the core business for Mercedes-Benz, which was not upto regional standards has seen improvements. So we are able to sell more cars to the normal customer instead of the traditional government and contract business we have had in the past, which is for us

very very exciting and we would like to see this continue.

With Daimler launching market specific brands like BharatBenz in India and Auman in China in commercial vehicles, do you see some of these coming to our market in order to address a price sensitive segment?As you said BharatBenz starts production early next year and in the Indian market this is a very important move for Daimler. Obviously I am not part of Daimler so won’t comment other than to say that we are in discussions with them on how this could possibly come to the Middle East and how it could come to Oman in some form. Whether it is BharatBenz on some other form, how it could come. I can share with you that we have just completed signing with Daimler trucks North America. That means we can offer in Oman the Freightliner and Western Star products. These have over 36% of the NAFTA market and are huge truck brands and we are very that they will do very well in the market here. They are a very solid product powered by Mercedes-Benz engines or Detroit diesel engines and the pricing of the product will be very competitive due to the Free Trade agreement that Oman has with the United States.

On Mercedes-Benz Year of the SUV, is Zawawi Automotive doing anything special?We are hoping to have an SUV event in Oman in partnership with the regional office by the end of the year. We will have to see what happens between now and then. At the moment we obviously have

the brand new M-class, the new G-class coming, the new GL coming and the face-lifted GLK. So it will be a very active year for Mercedes-Benz and Zawawi Trading too.

At the same time there is a huge thrust on AMG this year with a dedicated showroom opening in China. Will something along those lines happen here in Oman?We are forecasting a 100% increase in AMG product sales in Oman this year. To achieve that we are bringing vehicles into the showroom that we would normally bring only on order. Now we are bringing in vehicles on stock, we will put them on display and the Oman customer is respecting that with the cars going as soon as we bring them in. We are getting confident in the AMG product, it is an excellent product but we weren’t sure how the market would take to it and we are happy that there seems to be a market and as we get confidence we’ll keep bringing more and more products in. The new G-wagen coming in as the G63 and G65, we have solid volumes in those cars and have managed to secure units for Oman and we have a long list of customers waiting to get their hands on these.

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Craig Hardie, CEO of Zawawi Trading’s automotive division speaks to Automan on the company’s

performance during 2011 and into 2012.

BEcOMING a BENcHMaRk FOR THE BRaND

fAcE tO fAcE

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Going to any country for the first time brings with it a fair share of surprises and broken misconceptions. As a child, our imminent return to India after spending a few years in England had me mouth my worries to my father, “what about all the snakes and elephants we’ll run into...?” Looking back I am sure he must have found it extremely funny, but then that is the stuff that most misconceptions are born of – the first snake I saw in the wild was here in Muscat a few decades later.

A recent visit to Thailand was almost the same – apparently every second person you speak to here in Oman thinks that Thailand is equal parts affordable speciality medical care and equally affordable Thai massage parlours, with every connotation between enervating and ecstasy in between. Add that to your little book of misconceptions to avoid.

To an Indian the association between the two countries pushes the realms of incredulity. Right from the glass and steel expanse of Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, to the road network and even the countryside, you can see India mirrored in the landscape. The only catch is that it is the India that could have been, clean, green, friendly and clearly focussed on economic progress. Despite all the political turmoil that the Thais have been through, development is keeping pace and you only have to look at the global dimensions of its locally focussed automotive sector to understand the magic.

We were in the country to drive the latest generation of Chevrolet Colorado pick-up trucks. Pick-up trucks dominate the local auto space, with between 50 to 55% marketshare and this manufacturing base has been used by many major brands to produce pick-up trucks for the global market. To name a few – Toyota, Isuzu, Ford, Mazda, Mitsubishi and Nissan. But we weren’t visiting factories here – we were driving through the greenery of the golden triangle bordering Burma and Laos and as you can expect, the countryside is very different from any city. There were the obligatory visits to elephant camps as well as idyllic locations for rest stops along the rivers. The floods that had hit Thailand months ago were by now a fast fading bad memory and the roads and infrastructure seem to have survived.

Driving in convoy is never considered fun by auto journalists and here we were in a convoy that averaged around 15 trucks. I repeatedly found myself in a truck that was diesel-powered and with a manual gearbox. And of course they were all right-hand drive to suit Thailand’s roads. So between staying in convoy, minding your position on the road and remembering to shift to compensate for the turbo-diesel engine, I was rather glad to have the convoy escorts. Traffic cops on a rather odd combination of Honda cop bikes – with a 400 Bros and three CBs, a 400, 750 and 1300 between them, were shepherding us through the city and countryside. Now I understand how VIPs around the world feel about being able to run red lights, have lesser mortals pull over to the side to let them through and to take turns where none are allowed. It is the magic of having these helmeted Judge Dredds scooting ahead of the convoy and treating you as if you were somehow a higher being than the other road users.

In all of this the normal Thai we passed didn’t look the least bit fazed. They must be used to the convoys of their politicians rushing through roads filled with pick-ups and step through bikes. Oddly enough, the one form of transport we expected on the road was hardly visible in the countryside – the Tuk-tuk. Let’s put that down to another misconception that needs to be cleared. In the meantime, I am practising the age-old Indian joining of hands in a ‘namaste’ welcome that somehow seems altogether different when the Thais do it and planning another visit to the country to see what other ideas can be changed.

Wearing Red and Yellow

Raj Warrior is editor of Automan and has been in the thick of the Automotive journalism field from the past 15 years.Want to comment or have your say? Email at [email protected]. Identify yourself or your message will be trashed and your id blocked

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