Range Rover Evoque Excite Rallye Raid SUV to run at 2013 Dakar

The British Excite Rallye Raid Team has unveiled a preview of the Range Rover Evoque rally car it will use in 2013 Dakar Rally. The Range Rover Evoque has only just been launched onto the market but a racing version has already been conjured up.

Built by RaBe Race Cars, the Excite Rallye Raid Team Range Rover Evoque will be powered by a BMW 3.0-litre turbo-diesel engine producing 205kW of power and 650Nm of torque. The engine will be connected to a ZF six-speed automatic transmission. British Rally Raid Team business manager, David Jones, recently said,

“We’ve been working on this project for a long time. We were approached by a manufacturer, RaBe Race Cars, whose staff has been around the sport for a long time. Seeing our professional approach, they asked if we could work together. We have goals we can assist each other with, so we have now set our sites a bit higher.”

Three of the Range Rover Evoque rally cars will be produced and will compete in the rally. All of them will feature a two-speed transfer case, Reiger coilover suspension, 16-inch Compomotive Atacama RallyRaid wheels with BF Goodrich desert race G series tyres, as well as a 260-litre fuel tank for the 9000km Dakar Rally.
Excite Rally Raid team says up to five prototypes have been tested and have shown a mechanical reliability rate of 100 per cent. Mike Jones of RaBe Race Cars recently said,

“RaBe Race Cars has years of off-road motorsport experience at every level, from club to International works teams. In fact we have a family motorsport tree that is celebrating its 100th anniversary of continuous motorsport involvement in 2012. The last 15 years have been devoted to Desert racing and achieving not just a finish but top honours at Dakar.”

The 2013 Dakar Rally will kick off in early January, in South America, and run for 14 days through 9000km of extremely tough terrain.

Skoda not building entry-level vRS sports model

Skoda will not introduce a sporty stand-alone vRS model any time soon. Rumours were sparked earlier this year when the Czech manufacturer unveiled the Skoda Fabia vRS 2000 concept at the 2011 Worthersee Volkswagen and Audi show. The concept featured a dramatic chop-top roadster design and a fat rally-style wide body.

Although a production version of the concept was always going to be a long shot, it did spark rumours that Skoda could be working on an all-new vRS compact sports car at the least. According to Skoda technical chief Eckhard Scholz though, that is not the case. In a recent Autocar report he said that such a direction for the company “is not the next step for us. We want to be going into volume segments”.
The rejection to build an entry-level sports model comes about as it does not fall into Skoda’s future plans of doubling 2011 sales from 750,000 units by 2018. Scholz said the brand needs to focus on “the big segments and concentrating on the right things” rather than smaller sporty niches.
Reports also suggested Skoda’s sports division, vRS, was also looking to develop a Skoda Superb vRS variant, but such plans have also been wiped clean. Scholz says the vRS badge must suit the car, and the Superb is not a variant that would fit vRS development.
Skoda will introduce a sports version of the Skoda MissionL Concept however, as well as a vRS version of the hatch that will be developed from the same car. Official market entry dates are yet to be sorted.

Maybach 57S Edition 125! celebrates Daimler anniversary

The Maybach 57S Edition 125! is the latest creation by Daimler produced to celebrate 125 years in the automotive business.

The one-off Maybach 125! was created to show the possibilities for designing a truly personal, high-end saloon, and introduces a number of mid-life upgrades to the historic manufacturer’s flagship luxury range.
Daimler says the highlights of the Edition 125! over the standard Maybach include contour lighting and a laser-engraved double-M light motif in the front-centre armrest.

The Tahiti Black/Patagonia Silver paint combination is unique, while other new features include Wilheim Maybach signature embroidering on the glove compartment lid, silver top-stitching, silver carbon fibre/piano black lacquer trim, matt black 20-inch alloy wheels and a restyled front radiator grille.
Daimler’s engineers elevated the bonnet to create more sharply defined contours, while revisions have also been made to the front bumper, side mirrors, rear lights and boot lid.
The design changes preview the styling tweaks that will be applied to upcoming Maybach models.

The upgraded 57, 57S and 62 models provide owners with more choice than ever. The standard wheelbase models can now be optioned with reclining seats, and the leather upholstery can be adorned with valuable Swarovski crystal elements.
Previously only available on the limited-run Maybach Zeppelin, a perfume atomiser is now also available on request, while a 19-inch high-resolution cinema screen can be fitted to the rear partition in place of the standard dual 9.5-inch monitors. An on-board WLAN router now makes wireless internet connectivity a possibility for Maybach owners.

2012 Ssangyong Actyon Dual Cab (SUT-1) coming to Australia in Q2

The all-new Ssangyong SUT-1 dual-cab pick-up will go on sale in Australia in the second quarter of 2012, with the tough-looking ute likely to be renamed Actyon for our market.

Fresh from its international unveiling at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany, Ssangyong Australia has confirmed the all-new dual-cab ute will join the local line-up before the middle of next year, replacing the current Actyon Dual Cab.

“Ssangyong is looking forward to the release of the new utility next year,” said Ssangyong Australia general manager Jeff Barber.
“Its bold new styling, upgrades to engine and transmissions, and the addition of ESP are sure to broaden its appeal and increase demand for the model.”

Ssangyong Australia’s Michelle Rowney said the vehicle’s name was still to be locked down for our market, but admitted the SUT-1 would “most likely” be renamed Actyon.

With the launch still six months away, Ms Rowney said it was too early to speculate on the price, but she insisted pricing would be “competitive”. The current Actyon Dual Cab ute ranges from $24,990 driveaway (Actyon Tradie 4×2 manual) to $39,990 driveaway (Actyon Sports SPR auto).
The new model will come with either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission, and will offer with the option of rear-wheel drive or switchable four-wheel drive.
The outgoing model’s six-speed automatic transmission is sourced from Melbourne-based manufacturer Drivetrain Systems International, and Ms Rowney said she was confident the new model would continue to source the self-shifting transmission locally.

2012 Subaru XV on sale in Australia in January

Subaru Australia managing director Nick Senior said the Subaru XV would be the first of a number of new launches for the Japanese brand in Australia in 2012.
As previously reported, the XV will be a stand-alone model in Subaru’s global range, slotting into the SUV line-up beneath the larger Forester, Outback and Tribeca.
The XV will launch in Australia just weeks before the all-new 2012 Subaru Impreza sedan and hatch, which are also due here in the first quarter.
Mr Senior said the Subaru XV – essentially a high-riding, off-road-ready version of the new Impreza hatch – promised to offer greater on- and off-road versatility than its direct competitors.

“On preliminary figures, our centre of gravity is 39mm lower than a Nissan Dualis and 22mm lower than the Volkswagen Tiguan, and these are key competitors,” he said.
”Yet despite this the new Subaru XV has a ground clearance of 220mm. That’s 32mm more than the Dualis and 25mm more than the Tiguan, demonstrating the superiority of Subaru’s Boxer engine and Symmetrical AWD, and our years of experience in building world class SUVs.
“A lower centre of gravity, but not ground clearance, adds up to a load more fun – fun to drive, fun for adventure, fun for recreation, fun for the Australian way of life.”

2012 Nissan GT-R could go on sale in Australia in Q1: 420kW rumoured

Details of the 2012 Nissan GT-R have leaked out from a European press event around two months ahead of the supercar’s unveiling at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show.

According to the North American GT-R Owners Club (NAGTROC), the 2012 Nissan GT-R will again score a substantial power increase. Although the exact figures are not expected to be revealed until early November, the uprated GT-R was reportedly shown to produce at least an additional 40hp (30kW).
With the MY2011 Nissan GT-R currently producing 390kW, it appears the 3.8-litre twin-turbo V6 will generate at least 420kW. Higher boost levels and revisions to the intake and exhaust are also on the cards.
Nissan Australia’s Jeff Fisher said the 2012 GT-R could arrive in Australia as early as the first quarter of next year, but admitted the final timing was still to be locked down.

The NAGTROC report said there will be no visual changes to the new model, with the engineers focusing on retuning the suspension and transmission logic, and revising the underbody to improve aerodynamics and cooling performance.
Despite the power increases, fuel consumption and emissions will fall marginally from the current 11.9 litres/100km and 281g/km levels.
The report also suggested the Premium Black and Egoist variants would be offered worldwide, while a Track Edition with carbon panels and slick tyres would be made available exclusively to right-hand drive markets.

Lexus CT 200h: Economy wins over sport

(Credit: Wayne Cunningham/CNET)

The newest hybrid from Lexus comes in the form of a low-down hatchback with futuristic side styling, an aggressive front end, and a dark sunglasses-looking rear window. It seems like a perfect fit for the class of hot hatchbacks that includes the Civic Si, VW GTI, and Mazdaspeed3.

And a sporty hybrid? Sign us up.

But hitting the gas produces the same sort of half-hearted push that you get from a Toyota Prius, no surprise as it has the same power-train specs. Sure, it shows nice composure when manhandled through a corner, but you won't exactly be powering out the other side. No, Lexus opted for fuel economy over push with the CT 200h. You will have to be satisfied with slow cruising with stylish looks and practical hatchback space.

Cabin tech isn't exactly cutting-edge in the CT 200h, either. Although it's a completely new model, Lexus fitted it with electronics that were current in 2008. That means a solid set of features, such as navigation with traffic and a quality audio system, but Lexus missed an opportunity here to push out tech that might compete with the likes of Audi or BMW.