Peugeot is putting on a brave new face! The French firm has taken the wraps off a stunning new concept called the SR1, ahead of its debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March. And it previews an entire new design language for the brand.
But this is far from purely a design exercise. Under the skin is a powerful hybrid powertrain capable of producing 313bhp but emitting just 119g/km of CO2. And to mark such an important crossroads, the SR1 is also being used to introduce a revised version of the iconic Lion badge.
Peugeot has been heaped with praise for its decision to put the gorgeous RCZ coupe on sale this Spring, and it’s clearly taken the public’s upbeat reaction to the RCZ’s styling on board. Taking the form of a three-seater Grand Tourer, the SR1 exhibits classic proportions. With its expansive bonnet, flowing wings and short overhangs there’s echoes of the Aston Martin V8 Vantage and Jaguar XK in its shape.
Gone is the gaping grille so often associated with modern Peugeots, replaced instead by a narrower opening, flanked by swept back headlights. Elsewhere, the carbon-fibre ‘skin’ has been sculpted to create a modern, three-dimensional look to the bodywork.
Beneath the surface, it’s just as hi-tech. The SR1 uses the same HYbrid4 architecture as the 3008 hybrid, due to go on sale in 2011. A 218bhp 1.6-litre turbocharged engine powers the front wheels, while a 95bhp electric motor spins the rears. Working in tandem the total power output is a healthy 313bhp but combined fuel consumption and CO2 emissions are a paltry 57.7mpg and 119g/km respectively. There’s an electric only mode too, turning the car into a zero emissions vehicle for brief stints.
In order to deliver finesse along with all that power, Peugeot’s has chosen to build the car on a rigid and lightweight platform and fit an innovative four-wheel steer system. By varying its sensitivity as a function of speed, the all-wheel steering system offers better manoeuvrability at low speeds and greater control when the pace quickens.
At first glance the roof might look like an integral part of the SR1’s structure, but it is in fact a removable panel. The difference here is the use of a specialist preformed plastic, normally found in the world of sailing, which helps to create the illusion of a metal hood.
Removing the roof exposes a beautifully detailed three-seat cabin, with the third passenger nestled in the middle at the rear. Hi-tech materials such as black nickel and satin-finished chrome are used throughout and blended with more traditional finishes like wood and leather.
As with any concept there are a number of unique features that help to separate the SR1 from production models. Both the instantaneous fuel consumption and remaining range are displayed on two crystal tubes emerging from the dash behind the steering wheel, while a wristwatch, designed by Bell&Ross, slots into a purpose built housing next to the LCD screen in the centre console.
An that's not all, as part of Peugeot's makeover it has also announced that the odd-ball BB1 electric concept will definitely spawn a production model in the next few years. With so many new products on the way and the SR1 concept showing the way in terms of style, the future looks very bright indeed for the French manufacturer. For more details click here.
Thanks to: Auto Express
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The current U.S. Ford Focus is a disappointment to those who know how good the car was when it went on sale in 1999, as well as anyone who has driven the second-generation European-market Focus. While the rest of the world got a sharper, better handling, and more luxurious Focus for 2005, we merely got a heavy refresh of a car that was, in effect, already six years old. (It originally went on sale in Europe in 1998.) We then got an ugly refresh of that refresh for 2008.
Ford has now got its product development crews on the same page, so the next-generation Focus debuting at the Detroit auto show will be the same the world over. In the U.S., the car will be offered in early 2011 as a 2012 model in two variations: a sharp five-door hatchback and a good looking, if more conventional, four-door sedan. Compared with the current U.S. Focus, at 58.1 inches high, the new one is 0.5 inch lower. The overall length has gone up from 175.0 inches to 178.0, and the wheelbase grows from 102.9 inches to 104.2.
Both body styles initially will be powered here by a new, 2.0-liter direct-injected four-cylinder that makes 155 hp and 145 lb-ft of torque, up from the current car’s 143 hp and 136 lb-ft. The engine will feature variable valve timing on both the intake and exhaust cams and will be mated to either a six-speed manual transmission or a six-speed dual-clutch automated manual gearbox that was co-developed with Getrag. Around the rest of the world, there will be a broader range of gas and diesel engines, including turbocharged and direct-injected EcoBoost four-bangers. Expect EcoBoost engines to make it into U.S. cars, too, including one with over 225 horsepower in a sporty version, perhaps wearing an ST or SVT badge. A 1.6-liter turbocharged EcoBoost four likely will be included as a more mass-market choice, as well, offering a more efficient and more powerful alternative to the naturally aspirated 2.0-liter.
Thanks to: Car and Driver
Urban lofts are pretty popular, and GMC thinks it has “the automotive equivalent of an urban loft apartment”: the GMC Granite concept, which will debut at the Detroit auto show. Styled with an “industrial look,” the Granite is edgy, beveled, and crisp, with multi-layer LED taillamps out back and headlamps that stretch into the hood. All the brightwork is brushed or satin-finished, as opposed to chrome. However dissimilar it looks to its current GMC brethren, we like it anyway.
Two feet shorter than the freshly added GMC Terrain, a production Granite would be the most compact GMC ever, and would be closer in concept to the Scion xB than to anything currently in the lineup. For further reference, the wheelbase is about as long as that of a Chevy Cobalt, but the overall length of 161.3 inches is about the same as a Honda Fit’s. At 70.3 inches wide, the Granite is about 3.5 inches wider than the Fit.
Lots of space has been carved out of those modest dimensions to accommodate, say, stuff with which you might want to furnish an urban loft. Long items such as a floor lamp, folding table, or even a prone supermodel can be brought inside, due to front and rear passenger-side seats that fold forward and rotate inboard. The four doors open French-style and there are no B-pillars, creating a large opening to load gear and passed-out people.
The full-length center console has a bunch of power ports to plug in computers, iPods, and other electronic gobbledygook. And, as is expected of a show car, technology-laden interfaces replace the familiar. Controls for the climate control, navigation, and audio systems, for example, are located on an organic-LED screen.
Power for the Granite concept comes from a turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder; a similar, 138-hp unit is debuting in the upcoming Chevrolet Cruze. The engine is mated here to a six-speed automatic gearbox, which is controlled by a rotating electronic gear selector—like that used by Jaguar—instead of a conventional lever.
GMC, of course, has not announced an intention to produce the Granite, but we think it’s pretty probable given every automaker’s need to meet upcoming emissions and fuel-economy mandates. And as it’s likely to be based on the Cruze, such a GMC shouldn’t cost a tremendous amount of money to develop. We say bring it on.
Thanks to: Car and Driver
Volkswagen’s New Compact Coupe (NCC) has leaked out ahead of its official launch later today at the Detroit motor show.
Reports claim the Jetta-based coupe is a hybrid, with power coming from a 148bhp, 177lb ft version of VW’s 1.4-litre TSI engine and a 27bhp electric motor. The motor is powered by lithium-ion batteries and the NCC is able to run for short distances on short journeys only.
The reports also claim the NCC’s CO2 emissions are just 98g/km and it can achieve more than 50mpg. Top speed is reportedly 141mph, with 0-62mph taking 8.6secs.
The Tungsten Silver Metallic NCC show car comes equipped with 19-inch alloy wheels and LED lights at the front and rear. The interior is finished in Grigio Quartz and Berry White leather.
The NCC is reportedly 4540mm long, 1780mm wide and 141mm high. According to the reports, the car is tipped to make production within the next two years.
Thanks to: Autocar
Details of the second-generation Porsche Cayenne have been leaked out two months before the upmarket four-wheel drive’s public unveiling at the Geneva motor show.
The information brings to light the all-new-for-2010 Cayenne’s five-strong range of engines, including the first details on the new petrol-electric hybrid drivetrain it will share with the second-generation Volkswagen Touareg, alongside which it has once again been conceived, developed and engineered.
As with its predecessor, the second-generation Cayenne will continued be manufactured at parent company Volkswagen’s factory in Bratislava, Slovakia alongside the new Volkswagen Touareg and existing Audi Q7, with final assembly at Porsche’s Leipzig plant in Germany alongside the Panamera.
Porsche will also continue offering its new four-wheel drive system with the choice of three petrol engines – all updated versions of the units used in the outgoing first-generation model. They include a 296bhp 3.6-litre V6 in the entry level Cayenne, a 395bhp naturally aspirated 4.8-litre V8 in the mid-range Cayenne S and a range-topping 493bhp turbocharged 4.8-litre V8 in the top-of-the-line Cayenne Turbo.
Also planned from the outset of UK sales in May is a successor to the Cayenne Diesel running a lightly modified version of the existing model’s Volkswagen-developed 237bhp 3.0-litre V6.
Thanks to: Autocar
The next Mondeo is set to follow the Focus and Fiesta and become Ford’s third world car, sources have revealed to Autocar.
Insiders at the highest level have confirmed that designs for the new Mondeo are now nearing completion and the finished car is expected to hit the showrooms in 2014, when it will replace the European Mondeo and the US market Fusion.
Like the new Focus, previewed at today’s Detroit motor show, it’s also expected to be manufactured in Europe, the US and China.
In a break from tradition though, the new Mondeo is being designed and engineered in the US.
The finished production car though will be sold globally with no design changes to suit local markets, although as with the Focus and Fiesta there will probably be small chassis alterations to suit local driving conditions.
Thanks to: Autocar