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Thursday, April 30, 2015
Hear the Lamentations of the Boulders: Land Rover Prepping Burly SVX Off-Road Models
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We'll start with an apology to any fans of two-door Subarus who have found this page via a wayward Google search. Because the SVX that brings us here isn't the compellingly bizarre Giugiaro-designed 1990s coupe—one of the biggest automotive flops of the past 25 years—but rather Land Rover's plans to use the acronym for some butched-up off-road models.
-As with most of the interesting stuff happening at Jaguar Land Rover, this is the work of the company's newly formed Special Vehicle Operations division. And, yes, it involves more acronyms. In a recent interview, SVO boss John Edwards told us that it plans to launch SVX models to provide "added capability" alongside the performance-orientated SVR and luxurious SVAutobiography versions the division is also charged with creating.
--But while we'll see SVR and—we believe—SVAutobiography versions of both Jaguar and Land Rover products, SVX will be exclusive to Land Rover. There are no more details to go on at the moment, but we're told to look at events like the Camel Trophy and Dakar Rally to see the inspiration for the new direction, which will combined increased performance with radically improved off-road performance. So something like a Bowler Wildcat then? Or a Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG 6×6? "It could be either of those things, it could be both," said Edwards, enigmatically. "This is the third side of the product triangle, and one that we think has got huge potential."
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- We Fill in the Blanks with Jaguar's Special Vehicle Ops (Including, Yes, a Mega F-type) -
- 2015 Range Rover Sport SVR: Locked, Loaded, and Ready to Tussle with Cayennes -
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We don't yet have any timelines, or even hints about which of the company's products will get the SVX treatment first, although the next Land Rover Defender is probably the most obvious candidate. Edwards did admit that, having seen both SVAutobiography and SVR models, it would be logical for us to expect to see an SVX "relatively soon." So this is good news for people who think Land Rovers have gone a bit soft since they started putting carpets in them.
-from Car and Driver Blog http://ift.tt/nSHy27
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Ousted Piëch Putting Up Fight Over VW Board Appointees
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This is hardly a surprise. While the rest of VW's supervisory board was no doubt hoping that VW/Porsche heavyweight Ferdinand Piëch would simply disappear and enjoy retirement after he and his wife (and fellow VW boardmember) Ursula stepped down last week—his critical remarks on the performance of VW CEO Martin Winterkorn had been met with outrage—that isn't to be the case.
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The void was was quickly filled with two new appointees, 57-year-old Louise Kiesling, the daughter of Louise Daxer-Piëch; and 34-year-old Julia Kuhn-Piëch. VW's board seemingly hoped that naming two supervisory board members from Piëch's family would appease the 78-year-old industrial titan. And moreover, VW hoped that naming two women would generate positive press for the company, as the German government is pushing for 30 percent female representation on supervisory boards. Perhaps they were also hoping they wouldn't get much resistance on their future strategic plans.
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Piëch seemingly isn't impressed. He has proposed two different candidates: Brigitte Ederer, 59, a former politician, former Siemens board member, and head of the supervisory board of Austria's state railroad; and Wolfgang Reitzle, 66, former BMW and Linde top manager and head of Continental's supervisory board. Both of them bring vast expertise to the table, which VW's appointees do not. Reitzle is very active in the automotive business; he was recently involved in the politics surrounding supplier Schaeffler's top management, although his candidate was ultimately not chosen. One thing is certain: Piëch isn't ready for retirement.
-from Car and Driver Blog http://ift.tt/nSHy27
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If at FR-S You Don’t Succeed: Scion Updates FR-S Again for 2016
-Scion's sales woes for the FR-S sports car haven't un-woed, and the company sold just 893 of the coupes in March, down from 1464 during the same month last year. After debuting to much acclaim in 2013—the Scion and its Subaru BRZ twin were both named to our 10Best Cars list that year—sales have slid in large part because pretty much everybody who wanted one of the tail-happy rear-drivers bought one. Scion made a few tweaks for 2015 in the hopes of juicing sales, and now the brand has once again fiddled with the car for 2016.
The big news pertains to the FR-S's previously drab, all-black interior, which benefits from new, silver-colored trim on the dashboard, steering wheel, doors, and center console, as well as a new and newly standard 7.0-inch touch-screen display. Scion also added a backup camera, two new exterior colors (Ablaze Red and Oceanic Blue), and $405 to the coupe's bottom line. That's a mild bump for upgrades that, on the surface, seem mild, but we think are very worthwhile. The 2016 FR-S thus starts at $26,075 with the standard six-speed manual; add $1100 for the six-speed, paddle-shifted automatic transmission.
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- 2016 Scion iM: A Fresh Five-Door Filched from Europe -
- Scion FR-S Research: Full Pricing, Specs, Photos, Reviews, and More -
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The 2016-model-year updates are unlikely to turn around Scion's FR-S fortunes, but at least they indicate movement on a car that the brand is otherwise allowing to languish. (Remember, Scion scrapped plans for an FR-S convertible and a speedier turbocharged model.) Buyers can look for the improved FR-S in dealerships this June.
--from Car and Driver Blog http://ift.tt/nSHy27
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Cadillac Confirms Four- and Six-Cylinder Diesel Engines, Studying Three-Cylinders, and More
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Cadillac is getting serious about efficient powertrains. The brand will launch four- and six-cylinder diesel engines, the brand's chief engineer Dave Leone re-confirmed to us. (Cadillac CEO Johan de Nysschen previously asserted a similar plan, and said the engines would arrive by 2019.) "They are both new engines," Leone said. He said that the usage and tuning will be tailored to the cars: "It depends on the product they are going into." The diesel engines are designed with the European market in mind, but according to our intel, they just might be offered in the U.S. as well.
-Speaking about additional future technologies, Leone acknowledged the benefits of electric turbo/supercharging, a type of forced induction we experienced in an Audi RS5 TDI prototype and which has also been tested in some gasoline-powered vehicles from other makers. (We tested an EcoBoost Ford Focus with such a system.) "Electric charging its a novel approach, a way of getting a fast response," Leone said, adding: "You don't need to limit it to gasoline engines." He also admitted that there would be packaging challenges to overcome and a need for a 48-volt electrical system before Cadillac could adopt such a technology, which can minimize lag at the low end by supplying boost before a conventional turbocharger spools up.
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- 2016 Cadillac CT6 Debuts: It Might be Big, But You Can't Call It Fat -
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Leone also confirmed that Cadillac is studying three-cylinder engines for future models: "The world is ever-changing, the fuel-economy requirements are different, and those things are possible." He also said that Cadillac will begin offering fuel-saving engine stop-start systems for 2016.
-from Car and Driver Blog http://ift.tt/nSHy27
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- If at FR-S You Don’t Succeed: Scion Updates FR-S A...
- Cadillac Confirms Four- and Six-Cylinder Diesel En...
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