Ultra luxury brands beware, another one of your comrades is falling down the shame spiral and building a - gasp - SUV!
Sure that’s a little dramatic, but so are all of the people that are scoffing at the fact that Bentley has now confirmed a new SUV scheduled to hit their lineup sometime in 2015. If everyone remembers correctly, these are the same people that were horrified that Porsche decided to build the Cayenne and look how well that turned out for them. Now, with a 37% increase of sales in 2011 (to 7,003 vehicles sold), Bentley is looking to double this number by the time this new SUV comes out by making it "the world’s most luxurious 4x4" SUV and targeting growing SUV markets like the US and China. The "luxurious" title will also match the price; Bentley is stating that the starting price for their future SUV will be $140,000, making the $48,200 starting price of the Porsche Cayenne look like it belongs on a Kia Sportage.
So what constitutes the jumbo price tag? Other than the supposedly tremendous amount of luxury built into the future SUV, it has also been stated that it will be powered by the next generation W12 engine delivering up to 600 HP. For markets like Europe, Bentley will also offer a 6.0-liter V12 TDI engine with an output of about 500 HP.
Bentley is taking a big step with its improving sales by giving an SUV a chance to flourish. Does the world need a strong competitor for the Porsche Cayenne? Probably not, but that doesn’t mean that high-end customers with deep pockets won’t be writing out checks for a chance to wallow in the luxurious nature promised by Bentley.
Remember when Porsche released the Cayenne? Remember all the people in their Porsche owners club shirts sitting around and telling you about how this new SUV was a disgrace to the Porsche logo and that all the company should design and produce are 911 variants?
While they might have had a point, the Cayenne sold like bottled water and like this water in plastic, it’s completely pointless. People don’t need this much power from something that will be used to haul around families. Yet, it became the automaker’s best selling model, despite its looks.
Now, to put the owners club folks in the mental home, Porsche is created a smaller SUV, the Cajun. No, it’s not intended for people in New Orleans, but it is intended for people who found the Cayenne to be a bit too large and fancied something a bit more crossover like.
Porsche officially confirmed the small SUV in an official statement detailing their hopes for the vehicle: "Under the working name "Cajun", this efficient and sporty model will further expand the world’s most successful Porsche segment in the SUV sector. In addition to the new Cayenne, which has clearly consolidated its market position as the most successful sporty SUV in the premium segment, the "Cajun" will also have a very positive impact with its typical Porsche features such as light weight, ease of handling and agility. As an attractive entry model in the Porsche world, the "Cajun" will attract new and even younger customers to the premium brand along with the Boxster, the market leader in the segment of two-seater, mid-size sports cars."
UPDATE 06/07/2011: Looks like the Cajun may be getting its power from a powerful diesel engine from sister brand, Audi. According to Autocar, Porsche is planning on dropping Audi’s 3.0-liter V6 diesel producing 309 bhp and 479 lb-ft of torque into the small SUV. This news comes along with plans to build the Cajun on Audi’s Q5 platform which will end up saving a lot of money and will help bring the two brands closer together.
UPDATE 07/15/2011: AutoCar has posted today a series of images of the upcoming Cajun, that according to the British magazine are the first leaked in-house computer renderings of the upcoming baby Cayenne. As you can see from these renderings, the exterior of the Cajun is likely to draw heavily on 911 design cues, while part of the interior elements will be shared with the next-generation Boxster.
UPDATE 01/05/2012: Porsche has officially confirmed that the new Cajun will be offered on the North American market starting 2013. Next to it, Porsche will also be offering the Cayenne diesel and the Panamera GTS.
More details on the Porsche Cajun after the jump.
Full story
Mercedes is preparing to expand its line-up with a new model to be placed under the current CLS sedan. This future model - called the CLC but codenamed C117 - has been spotted again, this time during winter testing. The baby CLS model is expected to be unveiled in 2013 and will be offered in both standard and AMG versions.
The new Mercedes CLC-Class will be built on a longer version of the platform used for the new A- and B-Class models and will be offered in both front- and all-wheel-drive versions. The standard model will be powered by both petrol and diesel engines, with power ranging between 121 to 154 HP for the petrol versions and from 107 to 134 HP for the diesel variants. Both versions will be offered with either a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission or a six-speed manual. The CLC AMG will be offered with an all-wheel-drive configuration and a turbocharged engine that will deliver upwards of 300 - 340 HP.
Stay tuned as we uncover more details on the future Mercedes CLC-Class.
Lexus unveiled the fifth generation ES luxury sedan in 2006 and has battled it out with the Buick LaCrosse ever since. Now, according to a source who spoke with GM Authority, it seems that the company is preparing a sixth generation ES that will make the LaCrosse “laughable” as a luxury vehicle. That sure doesn’t bode well for Buick considering they are currently trying to expand their clientele and not fall into the automotive abyss.
The first details on the next generation ES suggest that the vehicle will be more impressive that anyone could possibly imagine. It will be wider and longer than the current model, but that will only mean that it will be getting to where the LaCrosse is now. However, it will also be the quietest car Lexus has ever made, offering a system that Buick’s Quiet Tuning won’t be able to “hold a candle to.” That being said, its most impressive feature will be placed under the hood. Lexus will be using the new Hybrid Synergy Drive full-hybrid technology that will allow the car to deliver a fuel economy of more than 40 mpg on the highway and even better in the city. “The eAssist stuff won’t even come close.”
Expect to see the new Lexus ES launched sometime in 2013, but stay tuned as more details will surely follow!
Note: Current model pictured above.
Noted BMW tuning company Vorsteiner has been burning the midnight oil the past couple of weeks, having released one program after another for a number of models from the German automaker.
It appears that they’ve stretched their run of programs for Beamers into the next calendar year with the release of the new V-MS program for the BMW 5-Series F10.
The whole set of modifications encompass a comprehensive list of new aerodynamic body panels, all of which are made entirely out of carbon fiber. As if we expect anything less from Vorsteiner.
The carbon fiber V-MS components have been designed to fit cars equipped with the M-Sport package and includes a new front spoiler, a boot lid lip, a new diffuser section on the rear bumper, a bolt-on replacement cat-back performance exhaust system that’s available in either stainless steel or titanium, with the aforementioned exhaust slashing off about 25% of the weight from the standard equipment fitted by BMW into the 5-Series F10.
The whole set of modifications don’t come with any engine enhancements, which means that you’ll still see the 5er’s eight-cylinder engine boasting of an output that could reach up to 407 horsepower.
We know the deal about getting an uptick in power, but with already 407 ponies at your disposal with the 5-Series, you could do away without one, especially if you’re carrying Vorsteiner’s V-MS body kit program.
