Max Auto Updates - 15/10/2009

GM Deal to Sell Opel Imminent



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German news agencies are reporting that a deal to sell Opel to a group led by Magna International and its partner Sberbank will finally be signed as soon as today (15 October). General Motors will offload 55% of Opel to the Magna-led consortium, 10% to employees and retain a 35% share for itself. In return the workers will give up €1.2 billion (US$1.8 billion) in concessions. Concerns were raised regarding Opel's European factories, particularly in the UK's Vauxhall subsidiary and in Spain. The unions cried foul saying €4.5 billion (US$6.7 billion) of financial aid pledged by the German government would favour German factories over the rest. The majority of Vauxhall's 5,500 employees work at the manufacturing plants. Restructuring plans include cutting 10,500 of the 50,000 factory jobs across Europe but even that is still up in the air. The Belgian operation is one seen as being at risk. "Some progress is being made in talks between key parties," said a spokeswoman for the UK Department of Business, Innovation & Skills, "But there are still issues to be resolved. We, like everybody else, would like a speedy resolution but we want to get the terms right." Russia could be a real winner in the deal. Sberbank is the country's largest commercial bank and it and its partner want to plant €500 million (US$745 million) into their new company for expansion into Russia.

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B&B Enhances Audi A5/S5 Cabriolet



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B&B, the specialist Audi tuner, unveiled a comprehensive tuning package for the new Audi A5 and S5 Cabriolets. The whole range is given special B&B treatment and comes out of their garage probably feeling but definitely looking like new. An aerodynamic kit, 20-inch wheels with 255/30-20 tyres, adjustable suspension and large tailpipes give the cars a sporty stance.

Bottom of the range is the A5 Cabriolet powered by the 2.0 TFSI engine. The first stage of tuning consists of an electronics modification and an increase in boost pressure to take power to 184kW and 400Nm. Second and third stages increase power to 191kW and 217kW respectively while the final stage achieves 228kW and 465Nm. New airflow systems, a different turbocharger and other changes help.

For the 2.0 TDI common rail turbo diesel normal power and torque are 125kW and 350Nm. B&B can do two stages there, one for 147kW and 400Nm, and the other for 162kW and 420Nm. The bigger 3.0 TDI goes from a 206kW and 585 Nm stage one tune, to 221kW and 600Nm, and finally up to 239kW and 640Nm.

As for the S5 the engine electronics were optimised, a sport exhaust system installed and thus power gains made. The car gets a bump to 305kW and peak torque of 520Nm. How's that for a fast hairdryer?

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2010 Porsche 911 Turbo 10 Seconds faster



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The 2010 Porsche 911 Turbo has reportedly posted a laptime of 7 minutes and 39 seconds on the Nurburgring. That time beats out the last 911 Turbo by about ten seconds.

For 2010, the 911 Turbo uses a 3.8-liter twin-turbo six-cylinder engine that pumps out around 368kW and up to 651Nm of torque. This represents a 15kW increase over the 3.6-liter engine the German automaker used to use.

Power figures notwithstanding, the new 911 Turbo saves 25 kilograms by using the dual-clutch gearbox instead of the previous version's automatic. At just under 1600 kilos, the 911 Turbo now has a 230kW per tonne power-to-weight ratio.

The weight has been trimmed by 25kg in models with the new dual clutch gearbox over those running the old automatic to an impressive 1595kg, giving it a power-to-weight ratio of 230kW/tonne.

With all-wheel drive, the 2010 Porsche 911 Turbo goes from 0-100km/h in about 3.4 seconds.