Mini will enter the WRC from 2011 with a rallying version of its Countryman SUV

By Kyle Ecob
27th July 2010

Mini is entering the World Rally Championship in 2011 with the new Countryman SUV.

Mini says the Countryman is a great base for a competitive racing car and is a confirmed contender for next year’s WRC.
Prodrive has been tasked with its development; the same Banbury outfit behind the Subaru rally campaign until its withdrawal from the sport in 2008.

The Countryman WRC car is designed to enter the new Super 2000 regulation championship which stipulates the use of 1.6-litre turbocharged engines,
four-wheel drive and an increased emphasis on a road car relationship, helping to reduce cost. In this case a BMW Motorsport-developed engine will be producing the steam.

Mini will campaign in selected 2011 events with customer orders already taken, a full 2012 WRC season will follow with involvement expected for several years.
The Countryman will do battle with the S2000 Ford Fiesta, Skoda Fabia, Peugeot 207 and more, with rumours linking Markus Gronholm to a seat.
Kris Meeke is also said to have been in discussions with BMW for a drive, which could make for a nice British driver and car setup, if you can ignore Mini’s ownership and focus on its heritage…

BMW board member Ian Robertson said ‘Mini customers have always shown great interest in Motorsport. I am convinced we will add a few more chapters to our success story in rallying.’

Mini captured the imagination of WRC fans back in the 1960s with the original Cooper S by taking the fight to the big powered Fords and winning the 4000km Monte Carlo rally.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

According to Mr S Krishnan, Tata Motors’ Senior Vice President (Commercial), Passenger Car Business Unit, due to the overwhelming response as well as the desire to own the XJ,
the company has seeded up the process and commenced the delivery of the iconic car in India.

Jaguar XJ is a rare blend of jaw dropping performance, head turning design and engineering master piece. The side profiles with the striking teardrop sculpture makes it unique among other luxury cars.
Jaguar XF and Jaguar XJ are the most streamlined and aerodynamic cars with a stunning 0.29 drag coefficient.

Jaguar XJ is powered by a 5.0-litre 385PS AJ-V8 Gen III naturally aspirated direct-injection V8 petrol engine.
With a massive power of 385 PS coming at just 6500 rpm, the mammoth torque of 515 Nm @ 3500 rpm, Jaguar XJ engine is mated with a 6 speed automatic transmission and runs in petrol fuel.

Jaguar XJ has robust yet lightweight body with an overall length of 5247 mm, width of 2110 mm including mirrors and a height of 1448 mm.
The wheelbase is 3157 mm facilitating the largest rear leg room of 1121 mm. With Aluminium being the major constituent and magnesium and composite alloys, Jaguar XJ is one of the lightest cars in its class.

XJ’s design is made by the technology used in aerospace for riveting and bonding operation and inspite of the lighter weight, XJ ensures best in class safety, great durability and quality refinement.

Although the side profiles make XJ look like a coupe, its actually a sedan with 4 doors and comforting 5 occupants. The conventional style has very spacious cabin enriched by soft-glove leather,
warm veneers and cool chrome. The roof is decorated by panoramic glass, making the cabin feel light and spacious.

Entertainment in this luxury car is taken care by the the innovative Virtual Instrument dials, 8” full color Dual View technology Touch Screen display and 1200W Bowers & Wilkins premium surround sound system.
The all-new XJ is a sheer driving fun car with the happy marriage of advanced technology and luxury on wheels. Pay 8.50 million rupees to own a Jaguar XJ!

London’s Saatchi gallery Elle MacPherson-1

London’s Saatchi gallery Elle MacPherson-2

June 14, 2010
FRANKFURT (Reuters) — Daimler AG wants to gain market leadership among premium vehicles in the small car segment as a way to overtake rivals BMW AG and Audi.

“We are market leaders with our S-, E- and C-class limousines. So it is obvious which market position we are due in the small premium car segment,” Zetsche told the Financial Times in an interview published on Monday.

“When it comes to revenues and profits, we are clearly leading BMW and Audi. This is the position that we want to maintain and expand,” he said.

Zetsche said Daimler was approached by General Motors Co. and was in talks with Volkswagen AG as well as Fiat S.p.A. about possible alliances before it decided to conclude a tie-up with Renault last month.

Zetsche said Daimler had spoken to Fiat, VW and BMW, and had also been approached by Japanese rivals and GM, among others.

“There has hardly been any carmaker that has not approached us. But we have come to the clear judgment that this [Renault] is definitely the best option,” the Daimler CEO said.

Renault, its partner Nissan Motor Co. and Daimler announced in April a broad strategic cooperation in the field of engine and vehicle development.

Daimler wants to reach an operating profit margin of 10 percent by the second half of 2012, the Financial Times reported

"There has hardly been any carmaker that has not approached us," Daimler CEO Zetsche said.

It would seem things are going quite well for David Cameron at the moment. After landing himself the Prime Minister’s job that he had been angling for,
he also got the keys to a new house in Downing Street and the use of a brand new car.

After his predecessor Gordon Brown was seen driving around in the previous generation Jaguar XJ, Cameron arrived at his new home in the latest generation of the luxury saloon.
Rumour has it a pair of XJs was delivered to the Metropolitan police for testing on May 11, a little too late for the previous PM to enjoy.

Presumably the people at Jaguar couldn’t have just sent a pair of cars off the local forecourt, as there tends to be a fair amount of security equipment which comes with top-level Government vehicles.

Whatever your political leaning, and whatever you think about MPs getting access to the latest cars, it is good to see the most powerful man in Britain back in a Jaguar, and the latest and most exciting one at that.

Cameron's XJ luxury saloon

Nov. 17, 2009 (China Knowledge) – U.K.-based jet engine maker Rolls-Royce said on Saturday that it has won a US$1.5-billion order for Trent 700 engines to power Airbus A330 aircraft for Air China Ltd<601111><0753>, the country’s flag airline.

The 20 aircraft will be delivered to Air China from 2011, and the Chinese carrier’s Rolls-Royce powered A330 fleet will be added to a total of 43, the company said in a statement.

The Trent 700 has now been selected 14 times by nine customers to power a total of 178 A330s in service or on order, said the statement.

The company said the technology offers Air China many advantages, such as the ability to maximize capacity at hot and high altitude airports, minimize fuel costs and benefit from the Rolls-Royce TotalCareâ comprehensive long-term support package.

Air China said on Friday that its passenger volume in October increased 14.3% from a year earlier to 3.71 million.

Volvo has released the first official pictures of the all-new Volvo S60.
The new car will be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show at the beginning of March next year.
Production of the sporty saloon will start early summer 2010 at Volvo Cars’ plant in Gent, Belgium.

“The all-new Volvo S60 is sculpted to move you. It looks and drives like no other Volvo before and the
car’s technology will help you to be safer and more confident behind the wheel,” says Stephen Odell,
President and CEO at Volvo Cars.

The Volvo S60 will be available with Pedestrian Detection – a safety feature that can detect pedestrians
in front of the car and brake automatically if the driver doesn’t react in time.

“The customers in this segment want emotional appeal, sporty design and dynamic driving properties.
The S60 has it all. We are convinced that it will be one of the strongest contenders around,”
says Stephen Odell.

Although the engine line-up has yet to be confirmed, sources say that the car will be offered with
an all-new 1.6-litre direct-injection EcoBoost petrol turbo unit, delivering 180bhp.
A 1.6-litre diesel is also likely to power a low-CO2 DRIVe variant.

Volvo Cars, meanwhile, is in the final stages of being sold by Ford to China’s Geely.

    
Source: just-auto.com editorial team

In extending their R8 series, Audi have launched a full frontal attack on Volkswagen AG sister company Porsche.
First it was the eight-cylinder R8 taking on the 911, and then it was the more powerful V10 version tackling the Porsche Turbo.
With the arrival of the Audi R8 Spyder 5.2 FSI quattro, even the open-top 911s must now fear for their market share.
The confrontation could be described as a clash of the modern with the traditional. Even in terms of everyday practicality, the R8 can compete with the 911.

However, Porsche may be poised for a counter-strike, because there has been much talk recently of Porsche branching out into smaller and more affordable entry models.
So the fight goes on into the next round and there is plenty more excitement to come, though at the end of the day, it seems unlikely that either of them will land a knockout punch.

The government has announced a £10m loan to Tata Motors which will lead to numerous new automotive jobs.
The loan will help Tata Motors build electric cars in the UK.
The new electric car is a four-seater vehicle that can reach a speed of 65mph and cover as much as 125 miles before needing a recharge.

The £10m will reportedly support the £25m investment made by Tata Motors towards low carbon technology in the motor industry, The Guardian reported.

The Indian company made the £25m investment into their West Midlands-based European Technical Centre (TMETC).

Luckily now the finance is secured and Business Secretary Lord Mandelson commented that the loan will create multiple jobs in the UK.

However, Tata is yet to announce where the new car will be assembled within the country.
According to the newspaper assembling will start off in Norway until the UK site is prepared and ready.

Lord Mandelson told The Independent that the government is firm in their support to the struggling car industry.

“The Government is determined to help the car industry to exploit fully the opportunities offered by green manufacturing. Today we are backing Tata as Tata backs Britain”, he said.
Lord Mandelson added: “This loan will strengthen our electric vehicle manufacturing expertise, securing and creating high value engineering jobs in the West Midlands.

TMETC will continue to invest in research and development in the next generation of sustainable transport, helping it become a lead player in this exciting and important technological area.”

With the government backing UK jobs in electric and “green” car technology, it can be a likely avenue for automotive engineers to consider.

Bentley unveiled its new big car, the Mulsanne, at the prestigious Pebble Beach concours d’élégance event in the US before its European debut at Frankfurt.

Replacing the Arnage, which was designed when the company was still part of Rolls-Royce and owned by Vickers, the new car is an exclusive and expensive big sister to the Continental GT series and will go on sale towards the middle of next year.