Naughtier Kitty: 2009 Jaguar XFR goes hunting M5s and E63s

Jaguar has gone outside the box with nearly every aspect of the XF. Its look is fresh and bold. The interior design and technology are anything but retro. Unlike its competitors from Germany, there's no six-cylinder "base" model sold in the U.S. Perhaps trying to focus more beginner buyers toward the updated-for-2008 X-Type, you'll find no fewer than eight cylinders beneath an XF bonnet.



Buy-in begins with the aforementioned 4.2-liter, 300-horsepower V-8. The XF Supercharged ups the ante to the same blown, 4.2-liter, 420-horsepower V-8 currently huffing away in the performance-minded XKR coupe/convertible and XJR sedan. But BMW, Audi, and Mercedes-Benz offer their midsize sport/lux four-doors with 450 to 500 horses. So that's where Jag is headed with the XFR.

Our intel suggests the XFR V-8 will share certain architecture with the current AJV8 engine, but employ, at minimum, a new block able to be sized at 5.0 liters and beyond. Atop that will be supercharging and intercooling. The result should be at least 500 horsepower in blown form, with a 400-or-so-horse, naturally aspirated version to come later, perhaps replacing the current supercharged 4.2. The XFR's transmission will remain the excellent ZF six-speed automatic, with paddle shifters as on the XKR, plus its own unique calibration.

Standard on the XFR will be 20-inch light-alloy wheels and speed-rated rubber, along with the usual cocktail of upgraded brakes, stiffer suspension tuning, a beefier exhaust note, and sportier interior trim. Visuals likely will ape other Jaguar "R" models, meaning a bit less chrome, wire-mesh front grillework, more aggressive front and rear fascias, a rear lip spoiler, and a slightly reduced ride height.

The XFR will show its production face sometime in 2008 as a 2009 model. Pricing has yet to be announced, but it'll be aggressively positioned against the M5 and E63, meaning a predicted base of just under $80,000.

New Audi S4

Following the release of Audi's fourth-generation B8 A4 Sedan at the Frankfurt Motor Show two weeks ago, we bring you the first spy pictures of a fully undisguised Audi S4 on the roads of Ingolstadt.

Compared to the standard new-generation A4, the S4 features new S-style bumpers, a small bootlid spoiler as well as quad exhaust pipes. Powered by Audi's 4.2-litre V8, putting out some 340 bhp in the current B7 Audi S4, the new-generation S4 is expected to get a slight power boost to keep its Munchen- and Stuttgart-based rivals at bay. In usual Audi fashion, the range-topping S-models are equipped with the Quattro four-wheel drive technology. This time buyers will have a choice between a six-speed manual or automatic gearbox.



Our colleagues over at Motorauthority.com are reporting that Audi may debut its all-new sport differential, capable of "distributing torque from the engine in continuously variable proportions between the rear wheels," in the 2009 S4.

According to Audi, the controlled power flow "enables the car to take corners even more directly and responsively, and to retain its directional stability considerably longer" adding that understeer becomes a thing of the past. The sport differential will be available from 2008 onwards, indeed suggesting that it will be in the model year 2009 range for the S4.

2010 BMW Z2 - Car News

New BMW roadster to compete in less pricey MX-5 Miata segment. Z2 should sell for less than $30,000 when it appears, most likely in 2010.
According to sources inside BMW, the German automaker plans to launch a roadster priced well below the current Z4, which starts at $36,295. Although the price has not been set, the new two-seat droptop, dubbed the Z2, is expected to occupy the sub-$30,000 roadster segment that is currently dominated by the Pontiac Solstice and Mazda MX-5. The successor to today's Z4 will remain near $40,000 and will continue to compete against the Audi TT, Porsche Boxster, Nissan 350Z, and Chevrolet Corvette.
The upcoming bargain-basement two-seater will reportedly be based on the chassis and components of the current Z4, but it will measure a mere 151 inches in length, making it about 10 inches shorter than today's Z4. Styling for the Z2 is in the process of being finalized, but we expect the diminutive roadster to have short overhangs and 19-inch wheels. Our artist's rendering provides an idea of what BMW might have in store for its Solstice and MX-5 fighter.

Unlike today's Z4, which is powered exclusively by six-cylinder engines, the Z2 will only get four-cylinder power. However, those engines will range in strength from 150 horsepower in base versions all the way to a turbocharged 300-hp, 2.0-liter four-cylinder in the M-tuned version. An expected curb weight of 2800 pounds should allow the Z2 to make the most of that power. Transmission choices will include a traditional manual and — surprise, surprise — a double-clutch gearbox similar to Volkswagen/Audi's DSG. BMW plans on replacing its rough-shifting sequential manual gearboxes with smoother DSG-like transmissions before the end of the decade.

To keep costs down, a nearly identical chassis to today's Z4 will underpin the Z2 — struts up front with a multilink setup in back — but there will be the option of adjustable shocks. The electric power-steering rack from the Z4 will also live on in the Z2, with optional variable-ratio active steering.

Set to go on sale in 2010, the made-in-America BMW Z2 should add some German flavor to a segment dominated by the Americans and Japanese.

2009 Porsche Panamera

With the Porsche Panamera undergoing constant testing before its official début later this year our photographers have managed to capture numerous spyshots, but now we bring you our artist rendering of what we expect the Panamera to look like.



As expected the Panamera will most likely share a similar front to the rest of the Porsche lineup, however the car is inherently different to the rest of the German stable.

Unlike the 911, the Panamera is a conventional front-engined rear-wheel drive that will become Porsche’s Grand Tourer. The car will be put together in Porsche’s Leipzig facility with the engines originating from Stuttgart and the car’s painted shell crafted in Hanover by Volkswagen.

Porsche will compete directly against its German and Italian rivals such as the Mercedes-Benz CLS 63 AMG and Maserati Quattroporte. There is also the possibility of taking sales away from the Bentley Continental GT, Aston Martin Rapide and even the Ferrari 612 Scaglietti .
The Panamera will be a big step for Porsche as the first V8 powered sports car (not counting the Cayenne SUV) the company has built since the Porsche 928 ceased production in 1995.

Porsche insiders have said the Panamera range will include at least three engine choices, Volkswagen’s 3.5-litre six-cylinder, which develops a healthy 223kW and Porsche’s own direct-injection eight-cylinder petrol engines, available in naturally-aspirated guise (261kW) and with twin-turbos (417kW).

BMW GINA

BMW presents GINA, a new take on car design, materials, and flexibility. The GINA replaces the traditional metal/plastic skin with a textile fabric skin that’s pulled taut around a frame of metal and carbon fiber wires. Even the shape of the car can change. Fascinating and creative design study.



The BMW GINA Light Visionary Model is a revolutionary experimental study. Now you can take a closer look at the desgin and the vision behind it.

Renault Laguna 3

Lansat pentru prima data in ianuarie 1994, Renault Laguna a fost vandut pana acum in 2.3 milioane de exemplare. Cum era timpul pentru o schimbare de generatii, francezii au pregatit pentru sfarsitul lui 2007 o masina cu care spera sa dea lovitura pe segmentul mediu.



Indiferent de parerile cu privire la design, Cx-ul noii Laguna este unul excelent, de 0.293, iar cel al lui Laguna Sport Tourer este de 0.316, valori mai bune decat media clasei, asa ca vom acorda o pauza de acomodare designului exterior. Lucrurile iau o alta intorsatura la interior, unul dintre cele mai frumoase din clasa... Pacat de plasticele cam tari pentru acest nivel de pret. Totusi, la interior te vei simti regeste datorita spatiului si a modului in care este gandit. Textilele, ca de obicei la echiparile superioare Renault, de mare calitate.

Renault Laguna 3 Coupe



Renault va lansa modelul Laguna 3 Coupe in Romania in aprilie 2009, an in care va fi introdusa pe plan local si a treia generatie Megane, a declarat, luni seara, agentiei MEDIAFAX, directorul de marketing al Renault Romania, Rafael Treguer. Oficialul Renault nu a avansat o data mai exacta privind lansarea Megane 3 in Romania, insa a precizat ca la Salonul Auto de la Paris, organizat la inceputul lunii octombrie, vor fi prezentate variantele cu trei si cinci usi ale modelului.

Preturile Laguna 3 Coupe si Megane 3 pentru Romania vor fi comunicate in apropierea momentului lansarii fiecarui model.

Renault Romania a lansat in martie a treia generatie a modelului Laguna, cu preturi cuprinse intre 17.900 euro si 25.900 euro cu TVA inclus, disponibila in trei variante de echipare, cu patru motorizari. Limuzina Laguna 3 poate fi achizitionata in prezent in versiunile de caroserie sedan si estate (break).

Vanzarile Renault pe piata din Romania au crescut anul trecut cu 37 procente, la 32.200 de autovehicule, dintre care mai mult de 29.000 de unitati au fost autoturisme.

Noul Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport - New Bugatti Veyron

Cea mai importantă celebrare a automobilelor are loc anual în Monterey, California. În acest an, vor fi prezente cele mai elegante, exclusiviste şi mai scumpe vehicule produse vreodată în cei peste 100 de ani de „motorizare”, iar Bugatti joacă un rol important. În seara dinaintea Concursului de Eleganţă de la Pebble Beach, principala atracţie a fost dezvăluirea celui de-al doilea model din gama Bugatti - noul Bugatty Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport, cu al său acoperiş demontabil.

Ca răspuns la cererile clienţilor, au fost aduse modificări semnificative la structura complexă a vehiculului pentru a face posibilă condusul fără acoperiş, în deplină siguranţă. Incorporând o gamă de noi echipamente şi inovaţii tehnologice, noul Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport este cel mai rapid şi mai exclusivist roadster din lume.

Principala provocare în dezvoltarea noului Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport cu acoperiş demontabil a rezultat din structura unică a modelului Veyron Coupe. Combinaţia optimă între rigiditate şi greutatea scăzută a fost creată de inginerii de la Bugatti pentru a oferi celulei pentru pasageri siguranţa maximă. Prin demontarea acoperişului, parte integrantă a acesteia, trebuia o regândire completă a rigidităţii şi a siguranţei vehiculului pentru a putea oferi protecţia maximă în cazul unui impact lateral sau în cazul răsturnării.

Drept urmare, structura monococă a fost ranforsată de jur-împrejur. Pilonii de tip B au for întăriţi cu fibră de carbon iar un platou central din carbon a fost poziţionat între tunelul de transmisie pentru a se asigura că vehiculul suferă cât mai puţin în timpul flexiunilor torsionale.

Uşile noului Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport au fost create din fibră de carbon, având integrate ranforsări longitudinale. În cazul unui accident, acestea transferă forţa de impact de la pilonii A la cei B, disipând energia. Mai mult, cele două prize de aer cu un nou design, pentru motorul cu amplasare centrală cu 16 cilindri, sunt cu 10 cm mai largi şi au elemente din fibră de carbon pentru a oferi protecţie în cazul unei răsturnări.



În interior, noul Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport, pe lângă tapiţeria din piele, au fost adăugate o gamă de noi facilităţi, inclusiv o cameră video pentru marşarier, cu monitor de 2,7” amplasat în oglinda retrovizoare, alături de un sistem de sunet cu procesor de semnal digital „Puccini”.

Cu acoperiş, noul Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport atinge viteza maximă de 407 km/h, iar cu acoperiş demontat, viteza maximă este de 360 km/h. Dacă începe să plouă, din compartimentul pentru bagaje se poate folosi „umbrela”, vehiculul putând astfel rula cu viteza maximă de 130 km/h.

Asamblat manual la sediul central din Alsacia (Franţa), noul Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport va fi disponibil clienţilor începând cu luna martie 2009, preţul (fără taxe) fiind de 1,4 milioane de euro. Doar 150 de exemplare vor fi construite, iar primele 40 fiind rezervate exclusiv clienţilor deja existenţi ai mărcii Bugatti. Primul vehicul va fi scos la licitaţie, iar suma va fi donată în scopuri caritabile.