Like their luxury cousins at Audi, Volkswagen is also focusing on shedding some weight from their future models. The German automaker is currently preparing a Golf with a bodyshell that’s 30% lighter than a standard five-door’s. The knowledge that the structural engineering teams learn from the SuperlightCar project will be directly applied to production models by 2012.
The Volkswagen design team had to use a melting pot full of different metals in order to achieve the strength and durability necessary for a road going vehicle, with all of the economical weight saving benefits. This project is being constructed from from a combination of steel, magnesium and aluminum. Volkswagen has built three of these different concepts in order to learn as much as possible: one made purely of steel, one with mixed materials but built to a low cost standard and one with more expensive mixed materials. The final high dollar version was able to cut the weight of the Mk5 Golf by as much as 41%. Not bad, 35 MPG here they come.
This economic crisis has hit the automobile industry quite hard, first Chrysler filed for bankruptcy and now GM is going through the Chapter 11 proceedings. The impact has also been felt overseas, with European manufacturers canceling everything that isn’t guaranteed to turn a profit. So long super cars, bye-bye baby SUVs. If you are not a viable option at the moment see you later. It is a shame that this has to happen, because now some truly amazing cars that could have been will be put on the back burner or get swept away into a dark closet somewhere never to see the light of day again.
Our friends over at CAR have compiled a list of over 40 vehicles that are currently on hold, with no guarantee of ever returning to the manufacturer’s list of future production cars anytime soon. They include cars like the speedster versions of the Audi TT and Porsche Boxster, also on hold is the German sports car maker’s Roxster crossover. An S-Class coupe would have been an interesting luxury limousine to see sitting in a booth at an auto show, although we’re not sure if Volkswagen really needs a replacement for the Phaeton. There are two cars on the list that made us shed a tear. The first being the retro restyled BMW M1 super car and the other being a GT1 version of Porsche’s fabulous 911. Oh, when will this damn crisis be over?
Full list after the jump.
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There has been a lot of talk about high performance European automakers coming up with new solutions in order to meet the continent’s emissions requirements for 2012. Manufacturers like Ferrari and Lamborghini have their own ways of cutting C02 output with experimental hybrid propulsion systems.
Continued after the jump.
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Besides the recent flood at Top Speed headquarters that showed just how far BMW owners will go for their cars, there was another flood on the internet. The internet rumor mill was discussing the future of BMW’s small car lineup. The 1-Series is now available in standard trim, as a cabriolet, an Active Hybrid, Sporthatch and SuperSports; offering something for every new car buyer, no matter what their motoring preference. That is not all, the German automaker will use their new compact platform to produce a series of new sports cars and crossovers. The new model lineup will consist of the BMW Z2 coupe, BMW X1 and X2, BMW 1-Series Gran Turismo and the BMW Y1.
We have all heard the rumors about BMW’s Z2, and the “X” clearly states what the X1 and X2 will be all about, but the big question is “Y”? This next generation 1-Series is said to “be the hybrid of an X with the aura of a Z model. [The Y] will be a two seater model, with the interior featuring materials such as neoprene and synthetic shark skin." BMW will have to come up with a pretty futuristic vehicle to match the name they have chosen for this unknown machine that will combine the usefulness of a crossover with the sporty soul of the roadster.
The English automaker Mini will officially add a fifth model to their lineup, after the forthcoming Mini crossover, this September at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The upcoming Mini Speedster will be a strictly two-seater and offer a much more attractive alternative to the Mini Cabriolet. The Mini Speedster will be offered with the standard engines that are offered in the Cooper’s lineup, but in keeping with the speed theme there will also be a 1.6 Liter turbocharged four cylinder making 208 HP, just like the unit found in the Mini Cooper JCW.
Speedsters are sportier versions of cabriolets; unlike roadsters they still have a convertible top, but going with the whole speed theme, they are shorter and much more minimalistic. The windshield on a speedster is usually raked further back than standard models, this makes the open air speedster look like it is at speed even when standing still. Behind the occupants, speedsters tend to have some sort of a double hump structure on the rear sill that helps the air flow over the occupant’s heads and give the profile a much more complete look. It is not necessary for a speedster to feature more aggressive bodywork, but that is the case with the new Mini.
With talks of a new S2000 hitting showrooms and despite the Japanese automaker’s release of the Ultimate Edition signaling the end of an era, there are still new car buyers looking for an affordable, attractive and exciting rear wheel drive coupe. Now this isn’t the best environment to be selling sports cars, but the Honda S2000 is such a great car that it would be criminal not to be able to buy one.
The other day Top Speed showed you a wild WRC inspired Subaru Impreza STI. Just like the aggressively sharp wedge shaped World Rally Blue hatchback this take on the future S2000 is equally as extreme. That is mainly because they were both designed by the same guy, he goes by the name Grid, but his real name is Lars Martensson. The Swedish artist is pretty handy with his 3D imaging software and is making quite a mark with these outlandish designs.
From the emblem in the middle of the grill to the headlights that slope back up over the hood, this concept looks like a scaled down Nissan GT-R. So Honda, even if you can’t justify manufacturing a fun to drive rear wheel drive roadster anymore, at least make this car a reality, wrap this virtual sheet metal around a high revving Honda engine with VTEC. A Definitive Edition concept would do just fine.
When it was first unveiled back in 2005, the Porsche RS Spyder made all other endurance racers take notice that the German automaker was getting back into prototype racing in a big way. The agile LMP2 RS Spyder went so far as to beat the bigger, more powerful LMP1 entrants of Audi and Peugeot at one of the toughest endurance races of all time, the 12 Hours of Sebring.
Now take this championship winning power plant and carbon composite chassis and envision a road going version, because Porsche has. Set to most likely keep the RS Spyder name, the future German sports car will be powered by a 3.4 Liter V8 that produces somewhere around 400 HP, even though in race trim the RS Spyder makes 480 HP. When the car does hit the public streets expect it to be much lighter than any of Porsches high-performance sports cars due to its carbon fiber monocoque construction inherited from the Le Mans prototype racer.
The more I write this article, the more it seems that the road going RS Spyder will be a replacement for the 612 HP Carrera GT super car that disappeared back in 2005.
BMW will unveil the production versions of their X1 crossover and 5-Series GT performance machine at the BMW Plant in Leipzig, Germany on June 23rd. Although most of the press materials for the 5 Series GT is already widely available, the car is awaiting an official debut.
The X1 CUV has most recently made a public appearance for a photo shoot. From what we could see, the production version is faithful to the concept from back in 2007.
Toyota called it the iQ and Vauxhall is calling it Trixx, although these two compacts look different they both serve the same purpose, navigating today’s overcrowded city streets. The Vauxhall is inspired by the 2004 Trixx Concept, complete with an electric motor and batteries based on the units originally used in the Opel Ampera. The front end of the Trixx also benefits from being heavily influenced by Opel’s hybrid electric concept vehicle.
The Vauxhall will have a range of about 90 miles between charges, making the Trixx even better suited for day to day around town driving. The car will make its official debut sometime in 2012.
Alfa Romeo is very busy preparing a replacement for their current 147 model. The Italian automaker has chosen the Milano name as the 147’s successor, in the honor of the Italian fashion capital, Milan. The car’s official debut will either be at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show or in 2010 at Geneva.
The new Milano will share its platform with the future Alfa 159 (or Giulia as it is more commonly known). The platform, called C-Evo, will be available in both front and four wheel drive layouts. With the 4WD version reserved for future GTA models.
Under the hood Alfa Romeo will use both four and six cylinder engines to power the Milano, making 120 and 265 HP respectively.
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