http://www.maxauto.co.za/CntView.aspx?CatID=26&CntID=1461
British performance engineering specialist Lotus has been modelling a radical redesign of Toyota’s Venza crossover.
The Venza, which is primarily retailed in North American markets, was used as the benchmark by Lotus to prove how vehicle mass could be trimmed by a third at a projected cost of only around 3% - which is remarkable.
Lotus was commissioned by the International Council on Clean Transportation – based in Washington D.C. – to see how much weight could be saved using the latest in packaging and composite material technologies.
Keep the size, make it lighter
Although the current Venza’s dimensions were retained (4.8m bumper-to-bumper, 1.9m road surface to roofline and 1.61m door-to-door) Lotus managed to melt away around 697kg worth of mass off the original 1 835kg kerb weight.
How did Lotus managed to do that? Well, three core areas for weight reduction were identified – materials, component simplification (integration) and advanced manufacturing (assembly).
Firstly the design team employed sophisticated bonding techniques pioneered for use in the Elise roadcar. Secondly, most of the steel structure was replaced with exotic metals such as aluminium, magnesium (and composites) which ensured the Venza would retain its inherent design strength whilst trimming mass.
The third area Lotus engineers happened upon to reduce weight was by integrating many of the Venza’s functions. All navigation, audio and infotainment functions are controlled and displayed in a single module whilst most of the mechanical controls are replaced with electronic interfaces.
What's the point though?
Doubters would point out that the Lotus design study was purely a theoretical exercise.
Those involved estimate the exotic costs involved (factoring in advances in material technology) would decrease to a level by 2020 which would make a production Venza employing the Lotus study group’s techniques entirely feasible.
We could quite possibly be driving 1.5t seven-seater Land-Cruisers in a decade’s time…
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Supercar collection seized
http://www.maxauto.co.za/CntView.aspx?CatID=26&CntID=1462
European law enforcement authorities have frozen the mobile assets of an alleged crime boss, which include a pair of Veyrons, Enzos and Phantoms.
Last year in September Alexander Surin (44) was arrested by Spanish authorities. Two weeks ago he was sent across the border to France to stand trial for alleged drug dealing and other naughty business ventures.
As the case against Surin mounts, investigating officers were dispatched across Europe to search for and seize his assets. A spokesman for the UK's Serious Organised Crime Agency confirmed: "We have frozen a number of properties and high value cars in an ongoing assets recovery investigation."
Nice cars. Really nice cars...
What the officers concerned with the Surin case happened upon is an amazing collection of exotic cars.
Despite Surin driving a "banger" at home in the UK to keep up an innocuous public image, his private car portfolio is astonishing. Two Ferrari Enzos and a pair of Veyrons and Rolls-Royce Phantoms. The man was obviously preparing an automotive ark of sorts...
Surin’s seized car collection includes a Ferrari 599 GTB and a California, whilst a Porsche 911 GT3 appears decidedly entry-level in such rarefied company. The estimated value of Surin’s seized collection is around £4m.
A bizarre twist to the investigation and vehicle seizures were their locations and contents. Surin hid his vehicles in Switzerland (probably the most car-unfriendly country in Europe) and the UK. One of the Rolls Phantom’s was found abandoned in Standsted airport’s car park…
When officers seize cars and clean them down for evidence one expects to find the odd golf ball, iPod interface device, some shell casings but certainly not $1.1m in cash – which is what was recovered from the Surin exotic car collection.
The Iceman?
So, who is this man with such an unrepentant exotic car fetish? Honestly, who needs two Veyrons or Enzos? Well, it’s hard to say who Alexander Surin is - exactly.
Although Surin was as inconspicuous as possible when in the UK, he appears to have been extraordinarily boastful in cyberspace. Many exotic car forums were populated by posts from a user named "icemanbops" during the period Surin was acquiring his car harem.
If the drug dealing allegations ring true it would appear Surin’s on-line identity elucidates a clue to his actual background – possibly as trader Michael Boparan, whose conviction for customs irregularities was overturned in 2003.
A colloquial terms for cocaine dealers (and there are many) is "iceman" and if you suffix an abbreviated version of Boparan to it you end up with "icemanbops". Surin (or is that Boparan?) was amazingly brazen in detailing his vocation as being a "pharmaceutical manufacturer" when on-line. Hardly clever.
Giving credence to idea of Alexander Surin being the same car obsessed person is "icemanbops" regularly relating incredible detail (and a treasure trove of images) concerning the cars he owned when challenged on-line. He refused to appear in any of the images though, making his brother pose instead.
Surin’s trial begins this week. Investigators are still looking to recover more of his cars. We reckon some rather choice supercars will soon be going on auction in Europe…
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Man shot on N1
http://www.maxauto.co.za/CntView.aspx?CatID=26&CntID=1463
A man was shot dead while driving on the N1 highway in Johannesburg in the early hours of Friday morning, Gauteng police said.
Lieutenant Colonel Lungelo Dlamini said police found the man, who had not yet been identified, just after 2am on Friday.
"He had a bullet wound to the head and his car crashed into a concrete wall on the N1 north," said Dlamini.
The incident happened between the Rivonia and Buccleuch interchanges.
"We don't have a motive for the killing yet," said Dlamini.
Eye Witness News reported from the scene several bullet wounds were visible in the man's Nissan Sentra. It was believed the man was shot at from another car.
Johannesburg Metro Police spokeswoman, Inspector Edna Mamonyane, said traffic was backed up because of motorists stopping and looking at police clearing up the scene.
"We have a problem with traffic backing up even more," she said just after 8am.
No other information was immediately available.
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Toyota sets up quality division
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Toyota, its reputation battered by global recalls, is setting up a new division devoted to feeding customer concerns into the design process to improve quality, the automaker said Friday.
Toyota Motor Corp., the world's biggest automaker, has been fighting to win back buyer trust after getting slapped with a $16.4 million fine by the U.S. authorities for being slow in coming forward with defects.
The Japanese automaker, once reputed for quality, has recalled more than 8 million vehicles around the world since October.
Toyota Motor Corp. said Kiyotaka Ise will head the new Design Quality Innovation Division, set to start Saturday, and designed to more quickly reflect "customer feedback in designs." Ise formerly oversaw product and Lexus development.
Some of the production methods that have won Toyota worldwide praise for maintaining quality have to do with rank-and-file discipline and empowerment - ensuring that quality is maintained in the factories.
Recalls result of design defects
But the recent recalls were not caused by such problems, but instead appear to center around design defects that didn't surface until users complained.
Toyota has recalled vehicles for defective gas pedals, faulty floor mats and a software glitch in the braking system.
But questions about the safety of its vehicles have continued to haunt Toyota.
In the latest move, it recalled about 50 000 Sequoia sport utility vehicles from the 2003 model year in the U.S. earlier this week to fix an unexpected slowing of the vehicle caused by a problem in the electronic stability control system.
On Thursday, the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee released a draft of what could become legislation to require new cars and trucks to carry black boxes to record crash information - part of the American Congress's response to Toyota's massive recalls.
Toyota has come under fire for not having easily accessible black boxes in its vehicles. It has promised to change and have black box records more readily available to the authorities.
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Fuel price to increase
http://www.maxauto.co.za/CntView.aspx?CatID=26&CntID=1465
The price of all grades of petrol will rise by 14c a litre next week, the energy department said on Friday.
The wholesale price of diesel with a 0.05% sulphur content would increase by 29.5c a litre.
Diesel with a 0.005% sulphur content would increase in price by 29.5c a litre.
The wholesale price of illuminating paraffin would increase by 30c a litre, while the single maximum national retail price for illuminating paraffin would increase by 41c a litre.
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Toyota resumes sales of Lexus GX 460 SUV
http://www.maxauto.co.za/CntView.aspx?CatID=26&CntID=1466
After a two week hiatus, Lexus will resume sales of the GX 460 SUV.
According to a statement released by Mark Templin, Lexus Vice President and General Manager, "... an update for the 2010 GX 460 vehicle stability control system is now available at Lexus dealers nationwide. Our dealers began contacting customers yesterday offering to make arrangements to perform the update, and we expect them to get in touch with most GX owners within one week."
The software update will cause the vehicle stability control (VSC) system to apply more pressure to the brakes when a slide is detected.
Lexus halted sales, and recalled the GX, after Consumer Reports gave it a "Do not buy" rating. The magazine discovered an evasive maneuver would cause the rear end to "slid out until the vehicle was almost sideways before the electronic stability control system was able to regain control." They stated "in real-world driving, that situation could lead to a rollover accident, which could cause serious injury or death."
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Audi RS6 Clubsport with 537 kW by MTM
http://www.maxauto.co.za/CntView.aspx?CatID=26&CntID=1467
MTM has unveiled a new styling and performance package for the Audi RS6.
Dubbed the Clubsport, the car features adjustable MTM springs, a carbon fiber diffuser, a front lip spoiler, and black 21-inch wheels with Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 tires. Interior goodies include a roll cage, carbon fiber Recaro seats, and six-point safety harnesses.
In terms of performance, the Clubsport is outfitted with a revised ECU, a high-flow air filter, and a stainless steel exhaust system. Thanks to these modifications, the 5.0-liter V10 engine produces 537 kW and 785 Nm of torque. Depending on which tires are used, the top speed is raised to 279 km/h, 290 km/h, 310 km/h, or 340 km/h.
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BMW X4 Back on the Table Following X6 Success
http://www.maxauto.co.za/CntView.aspx?CatID=26&CntID=1468
Autocar is reporting one of its sources at BMW has revealed that a smaller X6 is back on the cards. Thanks to worldwide sales of over 80,000 units since launch, the X6 is now considered a success, thus paving the way for a more affordable "coupe SAV". The car dubbed the X4 supposedly takes its design style from the bigger X6 and is reportedly under serious consideration.
If built it would be manufactured off the upcoming X3's platform and share some engines with it. In recent years BMW has been credited with creating premium products for segments previously unheard of, such as the X6, the 5 Series GT and the new X1.
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20-year old Dutchman's Bugatti Veyron confiscated
http://www.maxauto.co.za/CntView.aspx?CatID=26&CntID=1469
Dutch police confiscated a 20-year old man's license and his parents' Bugatti Veyron after he drove at twice the prevailing speed limit. The man was doing 160 km/h in an 80 km/h zone in Rotterdam on Monday. At €1.8 million (US$2.4 million) for a Veyron, this has turned out to be quite an expensive joyride for the youth.
The Veyron is regarded as one of the fastest production cars ever made. Top Gear once put its top speed claims to the test at VW's private track and they achieved 407.9 km/h on a flat straight surface. However, there some other tuners putting that to the test lately.
Two days before in a separate incident, police in Plaatweg Stellendam in South Holland arrested a 22-year old man who rode his motorcycle at 197 km/h in an 80km/h zone. He also lost his license.
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Hardcore Audi R8 GT Revealed
http://www.maxauto.co.za/CntView.aspx?CatID=26&CntID=1470
Audi has announced the availability of an R8 GT, a limited-production madhouse on four wheels. Based on the R8 V10 Coupe, the GT is lighter and more powerful than its normal sibling. It costs €193,000 in Germany and only 333 examples will be made.
Changes include a windscreen constructed of thinner glass, a lighter fixed rear wing, a carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) rear hatch, rear bumper and side blades. Even the aluminium caps of the carbon fiber ceramic brake discs saved four kilograms off the total vehicle mass. In the end 100kg was shed, placing the R8 GT at 1,525kg.
The engine remains a 5.2-litre V10 and quattro AWD is standard. In normal driving conditions 85% of torque is sent to the rear wheels. After tweaking its ECU engineers were able to up power from the standard 386 kW up to 412 kW. Maximum torque is now 540 Nm at 6,500rpm. Audi's 6-speed R Tronic sequential manual transmission is fitted. The 0 - 100 km/h sprint, when engaged through the car's Launch Control system, takes just 3.6 seconds and the top speed is 320 km/h.
Some exterior highlights are the matt titanium gray struts and slats in the air intakes, a matt black front grille, a carbon fibre bumper splitter, LED headlights, matte carbon side blades and a larger rear carbon diffuser. Standard 19-inch forged wheels with 8.5J x 19 up front and 11J x 19 at the rear carry 235/35 and 295/30 tyres respectively. An optional 305/30 set can be ordered.
Inside it is still a luxurious Audi that features items like Alcantara trim, satellite navigation, a B&O sound system and automatic climate control.
Customers also have the choice of a race package with things like a bolt-in roll bar in red or black and a fire extinguisher.
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