VW’s subsidiary – Audi, surprised the motoring world with the Audi Nanuk Quattro Concept which appeared for the first time at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The concepts styling ques come from Italdesign Giugiaro Parco design house which has been in VW Groups portfolio since 2010.
Versatile high-performance sports car
The two seater roadster is powered by an all-new twin turbo diesel V10 engine mounted longitudinally in front of the rear axle. The 5.0-litre engine produces 400kW of power and 1000Nm of torque from just 1200 rpm. The twin-turbo register charging unit is controlled via the Audi Valve-lift system (AVS), while the common rail system operates at an injection pressure of 2500 bar, and a seven-speed S tronic located behind the engine transfers the torque to a specially designed quattro drivetrain.
Audi says the concept has a fuel consumption of 7.8-litres/100km thanks to a new oil pump and innovative thermal management system that can separate cooling loops.
Dynamic handling and stability
The Audi Nanuk Quattro Concept rides on 22-inch wheels which are shod with 235/50-series tyres up front and 295/45 at the rear, with carbon fibre ceramic brake discs that can withstand high temperatures and are abrasion resistant.
The Nanuk Quattro is also equipped with an air suspension that has electronically-controlled dampers that allow the ground clearance to be manually adjusted from normal to lower (30mm) and higher (40mm).
The system also controls the level of the body itself based on driving speed and the predictive route data supplied by the navigation system.
Innovative design Features
The Nanuks body structure is made from aluminium Audi Space Frame with carbon fibre-reinforced polymer components featuring an Extreme Red finish. At the front is a very flat version of a hexagonal single-frame grille, with a narrow aluminium frame that encircles its insert.
The interior features rear and side view mirrors which have been replaced with digital cameras and screens. The side view images appear in the A-pillars and the rearview image is projected from the headliner.
All control elements, including the controls for the electronically controlled air suspension, the touchwheel for navigation and multimedia functions and the turn signals, are concentrated on the centre tunnel console and the steering wheel. The seats, with folding backs, pronounced side bolsters and integrated head restraints are power-adjustable. Audi has also installed an Audi phone box, which can charge your smartphone inductively.
There has been no mention of the car making it to production.
Audi Nanuk Quattro Concept Gallery
Another very cheap car for SA the Geely GC2
A few months after their expansion of the Emgrand EC7, Geely have added an option for South Africans looking for an affordable new car from just under 100K.
The new Geely GC2 is a hi-specced hatch based on the LC, but with a smaller 1-litre engine, and according to the Chinese automaker, it is also the cheapest hatch available in South Africa.
The new GC2 is aimed at the entry level market such as school graduates, varsity and college students and other young people starting off in the work environment, says Geely Marketing Manager Gareth Azzie.
Extended ‘best in class’ features
The new model is powered by a 1.0-litre 3-cylinder engine mated to a five-speed transmission. The 997cc engine delivers 50kW of power at 6000 rpm and 88Nm of torque at 3600 rpm.
In terms of features, the new Geely model comes with a list of standard equipment synonymous with those found in bigger and pricier models. The list includes air conditioning, a four-speaker USB/Aux sound system, remote central locking, a full-sized spare wheel as well as electric front windows and mirrors.
The list continues to include halogen lights, front and rear fog lights, a light interior with injection moulded dashboard and instrument panel, 4-spoke steering wheel, dual-coloured fabric seat covers, rear windscreen wiper with defrosting and demisting, rear door child safety locks, 165/60R14 rubber on steel rims, and an on-board fire extinguisher.
Geely GC2 Price
Geely 1? GC2 GB R89 900
All Geely models are covered by a 3-year / 100 000 km warranty, while optional service plans are also available.
GWM C20R Crossover launched in SA – Specs and Prices
GWM have launched the new C20R compact hatchback based on the C10 to boldly take on the crossover segment. We will be reviewing the car later this month – for the moment this is the latest information available from the company.
Power and Fuel consumption
The GWM C20R is equipped with a 1.5-litre petrol engine with Variable Valve Timing (VVT) which helps produce 77kW of power at 6000 rpm and 138Nm of torque at 4200 rpm. Power flows to the front wheels through a five-speed manual transmission.
GWM claims the fuel consumption is a combined cycle figure of 7.7-litres, with CO2 emissions of 179 g/km.
Sporty chic design
The dashing new model is stylised with a striking stout new grille, a new air-dam with integrated foglights, black wheel arches and roof rails, as well as a sports SUV-themed front and rear skid plates in contrasting silver. GWM will also sell the C20R with standard 16-inch alloy wheels and a raised suspension giving the car a ground clearance of 172 mm.
The C20R will be offered locally in a range of colours including fashionable orange, ocean blue, maple red, pearl black, sky silver and titanium white.
Interior Features
Inside, the car is fitted with a driver adjustable seat and steering wheel, air-conditioning, electric power steering, electric window and mirror adjustment, remote audio controls, height-adjustable headlamps, rear-park assist and a radio/CD/MP3 sound system with auxiliary and USB inputs.
The boot features a handy double-floor design and the rear seats can not only fold forward, but also offer reclining and fore/aft sliding functionality. Rounding off the sporty theme is aluminium-look pedals, cylindrical instrumentation and the curvy fascia.
Safety features include standard dual front airbags as well as ABS with EBA and EBD, remote central locking, Isofix and child lock protection, and an alarm/immobiliser.
GWM C20R Price in South Africa
GWM C20R Compact Crossover R154 900
The C20R is available with a three-year or 100 000km warranty and, for the first time on a GWM in South Africa, a three-year or 45 000km service plan.
GWM C20R Gallery
New Nissan Almera Review
If youre a car buyer on a budget, the market is just getting better and better for you. Car makers are responding to the massive growth of the B-segment and your choice of vehicles under R200 000 seems to grow daily.
Enter the new Nissan Almera, a nameplate South Africans will remember from the early 2000s. Based on the Micra, the Almera can be thought of crudely as a Micra with a boot, but some clever engineering means it offers a lot more than its hatchback sibling.
Space, space and more space
Its difficult to describe how much interior space is available, particularly in the back and in the boot. Two 6-footers could easily sit behind each other (one in the drivers seat, one behind). If youre a freakishly tall family on a budget, this is the car for you. I’ve driven very large German saloons that dont offer half the rear legroom of the Almera.
The boot space is equally cavernous, at 490 litres, and much emphasis has been placed on smoothing out the edges of the boot to create as much usable space as possible. Im not sure how else to describe how big 490 litres really is I can comfortably climb in there if that helps.
As a family vehicle, I would argue this is about as practical as its going to get at this price point.
Comfort, Interior design and features
The Almera will be offered in one trim level Acenta. This means pretty much everything you could want in a budget ride is standard, which makes things nice and easy no sifting through a long options list. More on that at the end of the article.
Most of the interior bits and pieces have been lifted from the Micra, which is not a bad thing overall. The climate switchgear still feels too plasticky, but otherwise the interior feels durable and well put together. At this price point, its about as good as its going to get.
I did like the addition of an independent rear fan. This will certainly be welcome in summer. It hasn’t really been warm enough to test it in Cape Town, but it has two speeds and works by sucking in air-conditioned air from the front area, and pushing it through to the rear.
Where Nissan have excelled is drive refinement. The engine is incredibly quiet at idle, and cabin noise is very decent while on the move. In fact, with the radio on the sort of sensible volume my Gran would appreciate, theres barely any road noise at all at urban speeds.
I still think the seats could offer more lateral support, but besides that, they are comfortable and the drivers seat adjusts for height.
The pedals, gear shift and steering are all successfully engineered to be incredibly light and undemanding its not a taxing drive at all. A decade or two ago, a car in this price bracket would have been a bit of a pig to drive. Not anymore.
If youre looking for the kind of drive that gets your senses tingling, youre not looking at an Almera anyway, and Nissan knows that.
New Nissan Almera Styling
Im not mad about the styling, mostly because it looks like I designed it. And the height of my car design career was in the back of Maths in Standard 3. In this segment, I dont think car makers can afford to ignore styling especially with the Koreans and French making some striking yet affordable cars at the moment.
That said, its not offensive and will appeal to a very wide audience. I could live with it, and my Gran loves it. Chalk that up to success then.
Engine and drive
The Almera will only be available with one engine, the 1.5 litre inline-4 petrol, which has been tried and tested in the Micra. Its a decent little workhorse; it has enough power to make it feel useful when nipping through traffic, and cruising at motor way speeds is no problem.
It doesnt like revving near the red line, but most of these small displacement engines dont. Again, if youre a red line junky, youre probably not looking at an Almera anyway. Below 4000rpm, the engine offers everything you need in a package like this.
Claimed consumption is fair, at 6.3 litres/100km. My test unit is averaging 7.2, but that has been exclusively short trips in town. With some highway driving Im sure that figure will drop. Claimed consumption for the autobox is higher at 7.2 litres/100km; bear that in mind when making up your mind about the transmission. If you sit in traffic, an auto does make life less stressful.
Safety features
Driver and passenger airbags are standard, as well as a suite of braking assist functions, ABS, EBD and BAS. The passenger cell features high strength construction, ISOFIX anchor points are standard as well as an immobiliser.
Standard features on the New Nissan Almera
The Almera is available in 6 colours with full colour coding (bumpers and wing mirrors).
Standard features include:
– 15-inch alloy wheels,
– electric door mirrors,
– manual air conditioning with dedicated rear vents and independent fan speed
– control,
– a radio/CD/MP3 audio system with aux input port,
– steering wheel audio controls,
– a height-adjustable drivers seat,
– tilt adjustment for the steering wheel,
– remote central locking with speed-sensitive auto-locking doors and
– a comprehensive trip computer with two trip meters, instant and average fuel economy readouts, tank range and service information.
Summary
Nissan have gone for a value package here, and succeeded in offering something that South Africans certainly appreciate: space. Its a car that is about the size of vehicles in the segment above, at a B-segment price. Its not the most exciting car in the world but practicality and budget are not exciting concepts to begin with.
*The all-new Nissan ALMERA range is available as standard with a 3-year/60 000 km service plan and Nissans 3-year/ 100 000 km warranty. Service intervals are 15 000 km.
New Nissan Almera Image Gallery
Jaguar C-X17 Concept First Photos
Following the teaser of the Jaguar C-X17 Concept released last week, additional pictures have emerged showing mostly the front view of the car which will be shown in the metal at the Frankfurt Motor Show starting tomorrow.
Apparently the SUV is likely to go into production in 2016, and it will bring with it the option for a Jaguar-developed four-cylinder engine. Styling cues although being a bit oversized, seem to be taken from recent Jaguar models. These include the large front grille and air intakes, a tailgate-mounted spoiler, sloping roofline and F-Type-inspired taillights.
The Jaguar C-X17 Concept is further described as a design study which introduces a “highly-advanced, modular aluminum architecture”. More details will be disclosed once the car gets its official debut.
Jaguar C-X17 Concept Gallery
2014 Renault Megane Line Up Headed To South Africa
The Renault Megane has undergone extensive cosmetic surgery to bring it inline with the rest of the family. We think it’s made what was already a good looking car even prettier.
New design identity
Right now, there’s not much info available on the 2014 Renault Megane, but what we do know besides that the models have been redesigned just in time to show off at the Frankfurt Motor Show, is that they are expected to reach our shores mid 2014.
The model line-up comprises of the hatchback, coupe, estate (Sport Tourer – which we most likely won’t see in South Africa), along with GT Line versions and the range-topping Renaultsport 265 Cup (all pictured in the gallery below).
All have a redesigned front fascia which has been a popular success on the smaller Renault Clio model, and an updated hood and front bumper. Other improvements include elliptical headlights with gloss black surrounds.
Aside from the 2014 Renault Megane line-up, the French automaker have said they will preview a new concept car which embodies its vision of Premium motoring.
2014 Renault Megane Line Up Gallery
Citroen Cactus Concept Production Version Already Testing
It seems Citroen has already started testing the production version of the Citroen Cactus Concept which is due to debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
The concept presents a vision for the future of Citroens C-line, which features plastic body cladding, a rakish windscreen and LED headlights. There is also a sloping roofline, massive alloy wheels and unique ‘Air Bump’ bumpers covered with a soft skin featuring air capsules that protect the body of the car.
The open air cockpit comes equipped with cloth and leather seats as well as metallic accents, a digital instrument cluster, an infotainment system and a unique ventilation system. The concept is said to be powered by a new iteration of the Citroen’s Hybrid Air system which includes a PureTech engine and which Citroen claims gives the Cactus fuel consumption of less than 3 litres/100 km. The system also doesn’t require batteries, allowing for more interior space.
More details about the Citroen Cactus concept will be disclosed at the Frankfurt Motor Show which will open its doors at the beginning of next week.
Citroen Cactus Concept Gallery
Smart Fourjoy Concept Revealed
Smart has released yet another radically designed concept vehicle – this time a Smart Fourjoy Concept scheduled to publicly debut in Frankfurt.
The electric compact design concept is powered by a 55kW motor that works together with a 17.6 kWh lithium-ion battery. It can be fully charged in seven hours from a regular household socket or just one hour when using a wallbox or a public charging station with the 22 kW on-board charger and a rapid charging cable.
The city-size Smart Fourjoy concept interior provides futuristic ‘arcade looking’ front seats and a modern rear bench. The dashboard consists of a honeycomb structure while the instrument panel support is made from illuminated and transparent Plexiglas.
It is very unlikely that the exact concept will make it to production, however a less dramatic version might make its way to production pretty soon as a new ForFour.
Smart Fourjoy Concept Gallery
Why The New Porsche 918 Spyder Is Awesome And Important
When Porsche first showed off the 918 Spyder back in March 2010, the car looked suitably futuristic. Possibly even more daring was the powertrain, a plug in hybrid featuring a three powerplants – one petrol and two electric. While the looks have been toned down, the power certainly hasn’t. The production version will debut next week at the Frankfurt Auto Show.
Three Motors For Exceptional Power
While a hybrid powertrain, combining a 4.6litre petrol V8 and an electric motor power the rear wheels, a separate electric motor powers the fronts. Combined output of 653kw is just astonishing, with a quoted acceleration time of 2,8 seconds. But possibly even more impressive is the claimed fuel consumption as low as 3 litres/100km. That’s less than a Toyota Prius. Much less.
Sure, driving the car in anger is going to see it become significantly thirstier. However, unlike the forthcoming McLaren P1 and Ferrari LaFerrai hybrid hypercars, the 918 can run solely on electric power for up to 30km. So if you really do just need to grab a coffee on a Sunday morning, you could potentially get there and back without using any fuel at all.
The car has adaptive rear wheel steering – at low speeds, the rear wheels turn counter to the fronts, to reduce turning circle. At high speeds, they turn in the same direction as the front, to increase stability.
The car is almost entirely handbuilt by a small team of Porsche’s top engineers. The 918 has a low centre of gravity, apparently in line with the wheel hubs. And even with the Lithium battery pack and three motors, the car weighs in at 1640kg – less than the new Jaguar F-Type. That’s carbon fibre for you.
New Porsche 918 Spyder Price
The thing is, all this is not a cheap exercise by any means. The new Porsche 918 Spyder will list at EU645,000. Which by today’s exchange rate is R8,615,974.50. Yes, that’s eight million, six hundred and fifteen thousand, nine hundred and seventy four thousand Rand, and fifty cents, in case you were about to write out a cheque.
Why should we care about such a horrendously expensive car. This is a daring project from Porsche. The depth of engineering is impressive, and while rivals have produced stonking cars, none have the 918’s laser focus on fuel efficiency.
What The Porsche 918 Really Means
While most of us will never own a Ferrari or a McLaren, Porsche shares much of it’s technology with the Volkswagen group, and this kind of no-expense-spared project is almost certainly a test bed for future hybrid platforms. In the coming years, we can expect to see some very interesting hybrid sports car, all of which will trace their lineage to this, the 918.
The price of fuel will continue to rise, and traditional sports cars will become unfeasible. We need to move on, we need fuel efficient cars that still make us feel like seven year olds. The Porsche 918 is leading the way.
2014 Toyota Corolla gets five stars from Euro NCAP
The new generation Toyota Corolla said to make its way to South Africa in 2014 has just earned the impressive maximum five-star rating from Euro NCAP and measured an impressive 94% score for adult occupation which is apparently the highest result from that category.
While the EuroNCAP tests a wide range of cars, the only car due in SA soon from the August round of testing was the Toyota Corolla. For full results, see the organisation’s website.
The new Corolla is equipped with Whiplash Injury Lessening front seats that reduce whiplash injuries during rear end collisions. In its testing for Adult occupation, the Corolla demonstrated good protection of all body regions and also showed that a similar level of protection would be provided to occupants of different statures and those who sat in different positions.
The standard safety features list in the Corolla includes ABS with EBD, Brake Assist, Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), Traction Control (TRC) and an emergency brake signal function. However, the Corolla only achieved 66% for Safety Assist, barely meeting the 65% required by Euro NCAP for any 5-star car.
