Porsche 918 RSR Supercar

Porsche 918 RSR

The Detroit Motor Show in January saw the Porsche 918 RSR Supercar become one of the show-stoppers. Not only does it return supercar performance (0-100 in 3.2 seconds), but it returns consumption figures of only 4.7 liters per 100 km from its hybrid configuration. A truly ‘Green’ supercar.

Now whilst the Detroit Show car was a concept, it could be slated for limited production. The 918 is a performance hybrid with four distinct driving modes and an extra, KERS-type overboost feature like that found on some F1 cars in 2009. It is motivated by various combinations of its 500 plus bhp, 3.4 liter V 8 (derived from the RS Spyder LMP2 car) and two electric motors at the front. This means there is around 700 bhp when required.

The move to use the flywheel technology in the 918 RSR to capture energy before reusing it in electric motors that can provide an additional 150kW to the front wheels is a departure from the original 918 Spyder’s hybrid setup that used lithium-ion batteries to store electricity and allow recharging through a regular powerpoint.

Porsche board member for research and design Wolfgang Durheimer says, “The energy for the two electric motors is stored and released by the flywheel accumulator located next to the driver … Charging occurs whenever the driver applies the brakes. At the push of a button the pilot is able to call up the energy stored and use it during accelerate or overtaking maneuvers.”

Unlike the hybrid 918 Spyder, which used lithium-ion batteries to power electric motors for extra motivation, the race ready 918 RSR uses the GT3 R’s flywheel accumulator system that was developed with the Williams F1 team.

The flywheel stores energy from braking, spinning to 36,000rpm and then returning the energy in the form of electricity to electric motors at the front wheels.

Unlike Dr. Porsche’s original “Mixte” over 100 years ago, the electric motors are not ‘in-wheel’, but drive the axles.

However, don’t expect to see one in Thailand, not now, or in the future.

Will the Passat make Americans love VW again?

According to VW, yes it will, so much so that the company is building a new plant in the US in Chattanooga, Tennessee, just to manufacture the new Passat.

“American” VW

The entirely new Passat is larger, more comfortable, more efficient and with higher quality than ever, says VW in Wolfsburg. The car’s technology and styling came from Germany, while Volkswagen of America provided the conceptual direction.

Even the base version is driven by a powerful 125 kW /170 PS five cylinder petrol engine. Other engine options: an extremely economical Clean Diesel (TDI) with 102 kW /140 PS and a six-cylinder petrol engine, the VR6 with 206 kW /280 PS, which is paired with a standard dual clutch transmission (DSG). The alliance of VR6 and DSG makes the Passat a top-flight sports saloon.

Although the new Passat offers considerably more space and comfort, Volkswagen was able to reduce the price level by several thousand dollars compared to the previous model. With its entry-level price, the Passat is now in the 20,000 US dollar range (final prices to be announced in March). There is hardly any other saloon of this size (exactly 191.7 inches or 4,868 mm long) that offers such high technology and quality at a comparable price, says the factory.

Volkswagen of America will offer the Passat in three equipment lines: The S, SE and SEL. Even the base version (S) is very well equipped. A tyre pressure monitoring system, ESP electronic stabilization program, ABS with braking assistant, Hill Climb Assist (with manual transmission and DSG), six airbags and an extremely safe body structure combine to form an effective occupant protection system. Other standard features include electric windows all round, air conditioning, insulating glass, a distinctive analogue clock in the centre of the instrument panel, cruise control, outside temperature display with frost warning, radio-CD system (MP3-capable, plus external audio input) and a Bluetooth hands-free mobile phone system (with voice activation).

It is much larger than the Passat model it replaces, and this is claimed to increase rear passenger leg room and comfort, to a standard better than its Asian competitors.

Plans are in place to produce about one million new generation US Passats over the next seven years. The company wants to triple the total annual volume of all of its models in the USA to about 800,000 units by 2018.

While the factory may be excited by it all, to my mind, the Passat remains a very bland and unexciting motor car in the metal.

And the rich get richer

High priced Roller

The world economy is in tatters. The American sub-prime catastrophe brought down the banks. Lack of liquidity bankrupted two of the American Big 3 car makers. With that background, you will be expecting that the luxury car market also plummeted during 2010. Think again.

One of the world’s ultimate luxury brands, Rolls-Royce just returned its highest sales figures for the past seven years. It sold 2711 cars in 2010, up 171 percent over the previous year, with most of that number going to the US.

However, the best selling region was the Asia-Pacific with strong sales gains in China, Japan and South Korea. China actually ranked as the company’s second-largest market, followed by Britain, the United Arab Emirates and Japan. So much for the Chinese going to work on bicycles!

Figures released last week by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders showed that other luxury brands registered strong sales in the United Kingdom.

Bentley, owned by Volkswagen, sold 993 cars in the UK, up 30 percent from a year earlier. Porsche sold 28.5 percent more cars for the year, to a total of 6,784, and Lotus sales were up 19 percent to 577.

With Proton, owner of Lotus these days, claiming that they will be challenging Porsche and the like, I’m afraid they still have a long way to go to catch up to the German manufacturer.

Most of these cars come in via the ‘grey’ market to Thailand, with around 3,000 imports a year, but only eight percent of these are of the luxury group.

Autotrivia Quiz

Last week I asked what British sports car had a six cylinder TOHC engine, looked fast just standing still, had a top speed of 240 km/h, but took 7.1 seconds to reach 60 mph? Clue 64-73. It was the Jaguar E-Type. Blisteringly fast we thought at the time - but it wasn’t really!

So to this week. Which supercar design had input from the now deceased Juan Manuel Fangio?

For the Automania free beer this week, be the first correct answer to email [email protected].

Good luck!

Tesla begins to appoint dealers world-wide

Electric performance

The Tesla Roadster, which the California carmaker says is ‘the world’s only electric supercar’ has been approved for Australian roads and will go on sale shortly with a starting price of $206,188. A showroom is slated to open in Sydney this year.

The hand-built, carbon-fiber Roadster is a zero-emission vehicle, powered by a liquid-cooled battery pack, and develops 215 kW of power and 400 Nm of torque - the latter right from start. It returns a 0-100 km/h time of less than four seconds.

It claims a range of 360 km, and can be recharged from your home power outlet, which means it can also use any renewable energy form that is sourced for domestic electricity such as solar, hydro and wind energy.

The Roadster 2.5 - the fourth vehicle from brand - comes standard with all the usual driver aids, plus some unusual extras such as power control hardware to boost driveability in hot climates, and an optional 18 cm touch-screen display with satnav and reversing camera. And house-call servicing, with Tesla tech assistants coming to your home or office for the annual service inspections and upgrades.

Interestingly, Tesla Motors has so far sold more than 1500 Roadsters globally.

Is the Ford C-Max coming here? Or to be built here?

It is no secret that as you read this, Ford Motor Corp have a new factory being built on the Eastern Seaboard. Most FoMoCo people are fairly tight-lipped about it, but there is consensus that this new factory will produce the new Focus. So if it can produce the Focus, will it also produce the Focus derivatives, such as the Ford C-Max MPV? The answer has to be yes.

Ford C-Max for Thailand?

The C-Max, a compact seven-passenger people mover based on the Focus was designed in Europe, and made its North American debut in early January at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show.

C-Max is about the same length as a 2012 Focus sedan, with standard seating for five, plus a third row with two smaller seats.

FoMoCo has not confirmed what engines will power the Grand C-Max in America. However, at the Frankfurt show it had the 1.6 liter EcoBoost engine and that engine is in the European C-Max cars.

EcoBoost is the name given by Ford for the fuel-saving technology, and the company’s “One Ford” strategy is all about offering the same products in Europe and North America. With that in mind, it is most likely that the U.S. market will get the C-Max with the 1.6 liter EcoBoost engine.

The EcoBoost engine is a direct-injection turbocharged four cylinder unit featuring independent variable timing for the exhaust and intake camshafts. Power output is expected to be about 180 hp with torque around 170 lb ft. Ford says this engine will offer performance similar to a 2.5 liter naturally aspirated four cylinder, but with better fuel economy.

The standard engine in the C-Max will still probably be a normally aspirated 2.5 liter four cylinder engine. Both engines will come with a standard six-speed manual or six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Two new options on the C-Max include active park assist, which automatically steers the vehicle into a parallel parking space, and a hands-free power rear hatch opening from the key fob remaining in your pocket.