The Continental: A Dead Scorpion, 30 million Golfs, and Lexus Thinks Hybrids Beat Downsizing

Each week, our German correspondent slices and dices the latest rumblings, news, and quick-hit driving impressions from the other side of the pond. His byline may say Jens Meiners, but we simply call him . . . the Continental. A lot of enthusiasts had high hopes for the upcoming Audi Scorpion (rendered above), a high-performance supercar based on the R18 race car. Internally, several design concepts were floated, and leaked technical details fanned media speculation; I have even written about the Scorpion myself. Now I am told by reliable sources that the project is dead. The brand has bigger and more pressing issues to tackle, but I hear more than a few Audi people are unhappy about the decision. Don't fret, aficionados: Audi will have another concept at the Frankfurt auto show that is sure to please friends of the brand—particularly those with a fondness for the original Sport Quattro. More details will be brought to you shortly. Also, don't be fooled by rumors about the upcoming launch of the R8 GT Plus happening at the 24 hours of Le Mans. It won't happen. Just enjoy the race. Meanwhile, BMW is moving forward with high energy on a sports-car project conceived with Toyota. The vehicle's basic definition will be finalized this year, though it is clear the two cars will share architecture, and it is also clear that they will be significantly differentiated. This won't be a repeat of the Scion FR-S/Subaru BRZ exercise. In fact, I am told by a high-ranking source that the two cars might actually feature entirely different powertrains. Golfing at 30 (Million) Last week, the 30 millionth Volkswagen Golf, a TDI Blue Motion model, rolled off the assembly line in Wolfsburg 39 years after the nameplate's launch. As the spiritual successor to the Beetle, the Golf instantly became a class-defying vehicle. Its diesel version and the GTI derivative were trend-setting for the industry. Within the designer community, the first and the fourth generation cars are the most popular, though my personal favorite is the Mk I GTI. My aunt Dorle owned a white one, and I remember the excitement in passing much larger cars (such as my parents' Volvo 244) at triple-digit speeds on the highway. She also taught me to drive at the wheel of that GTI at the age of 11—although my first clumsy attempt was actually made in a friend's Autobianchi A112 Abarth. Lexus Thinks Downsizing's for Followers For some reason, I find the Lexus IS to be more interesting than any other vehicle in its class. While the content of the vehicle has hardly changed in the U.S., Europe has seen a dramatic shift. The diesel, which was plagued by embarrassing reliability issues, has been killed off. Instead, Europe gets the hybrid IS300h, which is sold alongside the IS250. Like the U.S.-market ES300h, it is powered by an Atkinson-cycle 2.5-liter four; on paper, it matches the performance of the IS250 yet gets about twice the mileage. But alas, it seems it doesn't deliver. I have yet to spend time behind its wheel, but my reliable colleague Stefan Grundhoff seems to reflect common sentiments when he writes, "it never feels like more than 150 horsepower," and complains about its "unspeakable CVT." Lexus cuts acceleration at a mere 125 mph, a sad joke when competing models easily reach 155 mph. Grundhoff recommends the IS250 instead. There is no IS350 in Europe. Comparison Test: 2014 Lexus IS350 vs. BMW 335i, Cadillac ATS 3.6 Instrumented Test: 2013 Audi A8L 4.0T First Drive: 2015 Volkswagen Golf Chief engineer Junichi Furuyama tells me that the diesel won't come back because "with the hybrid we can cope in countries with very stringent regulation." Asked why Lexus does not offer downsized and turbocharged gasoline engines, he stresses, "the main reason why our competitors downsize is that they don't have a hybrid. As a short term measure, they decided for downsizing." He does not feel the urge to follow suit: "In the case of Toyota, we have hybrid technology as a weapon, and we also have the V-6 which is quieter and smoother." What about the manual transmission? "We hear the question from time to time, but if you look at actual number of units sold, it is very small and from the business side it is very hard to justify." Here is where the money gets spent: "So rather than (adding a manual) we try to increase the availability for hybrid and all-wheel drive cars." I liked Lexus Europe Director Paul Van der Burgh's answer to my question how he reconciles the styling design language of the new IS with the brand's overall green image: "There is no apology to the environment because it is one of the most environmentally friendly cars out there." Alrighty then! from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com

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