Nissan 370Z Yellow special edition for UK

Nissan is set to challenge the 370Z’s toughest rival for the British market by introducing a new special edition ‘Yellow’ model.

Easily recognisable by the Porsche-like livery on either side, the 370Z Yellow features some extra, subtle, design cues that ape its European GT4 series counterpart.

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As its name suggests, the special edition model is available exclusively in the Ultimate Yellow exterior finish with 19-inch RAYS forged alloy wheels and the special livery completing the look.

Already a worthy adversary to Porsche in the performance stakes, it is inside where this version of the 370Z plays catch-up with integrated satellite navigation system, illuminated entry plates, special mats and a BOSE audio with eight speakers and a six-CD audio unit.

The upholstery is a mix of black leather and suede and features additional equipment such as heated seats, cruise control, speed limiter and all the other features from the 370Z GT Pack as standard.

Under the bonnet remains unchanged with Nissan’s 3.7-litre V6 engine developing 243kW and peak torque of 366Nm.

The 370Z Yellow sprints from rest to 100km/h in just 5.3 seconds and on to an electronically limited top speed of 250km/h when mated with the standard six-speed manual transmission.

Toyota Scion IQ to Hit US Streets in 2011

Word is that Toyota plans to bring their mini-car — the Scion IQ, in the United States in a couple of years, more precisely early 2011. Although details are about the tiny IQ are scarce, what we know is that the car will be lowered by 1.5-inches (from the previewed version that debuted at the New York Auto Show earlier this year) and should come with a redesigned interior. As for what makes the wheels spin, it will probably be Toyota’s 67hp 1.0-liter petrol engine or the recently introduced 1.33-liter dual VVT-i with 98 horsies and 125 Nm of torque. [via motortrend.com]

Mercedes E 63 AMG Station Wagon render

Here’s a rendering of the Mercedes E 63 AMG Station Wagon, giving us an idea of what the final product might look like. The guys at Motorendering have designed this image of the sports model station wagon.

The E 63 Station is going to be more than just your average family wagon, though the engine choice won’t be anything over-the-top. It will be equipped with a 6.2-litre V8 AMG at 525 hp and 630 Nm, which is more than enough to get the kids to school and enjoy the drive while you’re at it.

The new Speedshift MCT transmission will be used, featuring seven speeds and steering wheel paddle. The wet multidisc clutch present on the SL63 will be included, with the four modes: Controlled Efficiency, Sport, Sport Plus and Manual. Throttle-blipping and AMG Drive Unit will be part of the package.

Lamborghini: rear wheel drive for Gallardo LP550-2

Lamborghini could soon make its Gallardo LP550-2 available with rear wheel drive. We’re waiting from news from the company, but the new-entry could be available in a limited series of 250 models, at a price of ten percent less than the model already in the range.

Eight chrome colours will also be available, all with long white stripes. No news is available on whether it will be lighter than the current model, or others in the Lamborghini family. For exmaple, the Murcielago SV is lighter than previously and now covers 100 km/hr in 3.9 seconds.

Audi A7 Sportback Should See Daylight in 2010

Now that the new Audi A7 Sportback have failed the June 2009 deadline, Germans from Audi have decided that 2010 would be a much better year and postponed the new A7 Sportback release date. Rumored to hit the showroom floors at the end of 2010, the car will share some design elements with the new A5 Sportback but is obviously positioned higher than that.

Shaped like a coupe with a narrow window line and a coupe-like roof line, the A7 Sportback is unlike other sportcars as it features 7 (seven) doors. With powerful engines that include a 3.0-litre V6 used in the A6 and the S4/S5, as well as V8s, the new A7 Sportback is quite a competitor for high rollers like Mercedes-Benz CLS, the Porsche Panamera and the Aston Martin Rapide. Eh? [via auto-motor-und-sport.de]

Porsche Panamera: Diesel, hybrid and high performance model in the works Porsche Panamera

Porsche is planning a diesel, a hybrid and a high performance model of the Porsche Panamera.

Porsche has already confirmed that it will offer a hybrid version of the Panamera after the gasoline Panameras make their market debut later this year (no official date on when the hybrid Panamera will arrive in dealerships). According to AutoCar, Porsche is also planning a diesel version of the new Panamera and is looking to use existing Volkswagen diesel engines.

Porsche is also said to be working on an even faster Panamera that will sit above the Turbo model. It will use the same strategy as the Cayenne GTS and will do away with the Panamera Turbo’s standard air suspension and replacing it with steel springs.

Nissan GT-R and V8 Supercars part ways

It’s only been four rounds, but Nissan’s heroic GT-R is no longer the safety and course car for the 2009 V8 Supercar series.

Buried in the bottom of a press release for the Hidden Valley round, the statement was very vague in its reasons. We understand, however, that it was alcohol branding which raised the ire of Nissan.

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It refused to place signage on the car, and that was that. The statement read:

“V8 Supercars Australia and Nissan Australia have reached an agreement to end their partnership, in which Nissan provided the official Safety Car for the Championship Series.”

“Nissan fielded the world class Nissan GT-R as the official Safety Car for the first four events of the 2009 V8 Supercar Championship Series with great success and exposure for both brands.

“The decision to discontinue the partnership was amicable and taken in the best interests of both parties. The two companies look forward to exploring other partnerships in the future.”

As yet, a replacement hasn’t been found. But that’s hardly surprising, isn’t it? V8 Supercars has slipped off the radar of many motoring enthusiasts.

Surely, if the sport was as big as head honcho Tony Cochrane makes out, then manufacturers should be falling over themselves to have their car at the head of the field. Surely the exposure is worth every cent spent.

BMW 7 Series sips fuel like small car

German importer BMW reckons its latest entrant into the luxury sedan market can challenge many small cars when it comes to fuel efficiency.

The company says that buyers of BMW’s new 730d luxury sedan, which goes on sale this month, will benefit from fuel consumption that is identical to many small four-cylinder sedans and hatchbacks.

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In a pioneering breakthrough, the 730d also becomes the first, and only, car in the upper luxury sedan segment to emit less than 200 grams of CO2 per kilometre, the actual figure is 192g/km.

BMW says this puts it ahead of hybrid and other diesel competitors in the segment, which all use more fuel and emit greater volumes of CO2.

“Buyers of large premium sedans can now make an even greater contribution to lowering CO2 emissions thanks to the arrival of the new 730d,” said BMW’s general manager of marketing, Tom Noble.

BMW says the new 730d consumes no more fuel, on the official combined cycle, than much smaller four-cylinder cars such as the manual, 1.8-litre, Holden Astra CD, the manual, 1.6-litre, Skoda Roomster, or the automatic, 1.8-litre, Honda Civic VTi.

The 730d’s official combined fuel usage, 7.2 litres per 100 kilometres, is also identical to smaller cars such as the 2.0-litre, Mercedes-Benz A200 and 1.8-litre, multitronic, Audi A4 1.8 TFSI.

“It’s not often a luxurious five-seater sedan is compared with smaller four-cylinder cars, but in terms of fuel consumption the 730d demonstrates the remarkable achievement of BMW’s EfficientDynamics programme,” said Mr Noble.

The diesel-powered 7 Series, the first ever offered in Australia, also delivers a credible alternative to less fuel-efficient hybrid-powered vehicles in the upper luxury segment, which BMW says consume almost 30 per cent more fuel than the 730d.

The brand new turbocharged all-alloy straight six-cylinder engine in the 730d produces 180kW of power and 540Nm of torque, accelerating the car from 0-100 km/h in just 7.2 seconds.

In addition it complies with the most stringent Euro5 European emissions legislation.

Standard equipment levels of the new BMW 730d are the same as the recently released 740i, including features such as Head Up Display, rear view camera, metallic paint, 18-inch light-alloy wheels, Dynamic Driving Control and Brake Energy Regeneration.

The 730d will be launched to the Australian motoring media later this week and CarAdvice will, naturally, be there to bring you our first impressions of this new vehicle.

2009 Mugen Honda Civic Type-R

The potent Civic Type-R has received an aggressive overhaul from Honda’s in-house tuning division Mugen, destined for the UK market.

Inspired by the Japan-only Civic Mugen RR sedan, the new hatch boasts a wild aero kit, uprated engine, a few suspension tweaks and some racing goodies for the interior.

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From the outside it is obvious that this is no normal Type-R with plenty of vents and flares, huge exhausts and an oversized wing to put a grin on any boy-racers face.

Exact details on changes to the engine are scarce, although it is likely to feature similar modifications to its Mugen RR sedan sibling - meaning around 179kW at 8,000rpm from the 2.0-litre VTEC powerplant.

Inside it should gain a pair of Recaro pews along with the obligatory Mugen branding.

It should also handle a lot better, with a limited slip differential as standard (as featured on all 2009 Civic Type-R models), wider tyres and sports tuned suspension.

The Mugen Civic Type-R will remain a UK-only model so it is unlikely we will see it in local showrooms any time soon.

GTbyCITROËN tours UK before Festival of Speed

Citroën’s spectacular supercar concept, the GTbyCITROËN, has taken to the streets of central London to visit parts of the ’street circuit’ made famous by the video game Gran Turismo, for which the car was designed.

Incorporating some of the capital’s most famous landmarks, the virtual supercar swapped pixels for pavement as it toured Regent Street, rounded Trafalgar Square and cruised down the Mall past Buckingham Palace.

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This public showcase is just a short teaser of what is to come, with the concept set to make its UK show debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed where it will climb the famous 1.16-mile Goodwood Hill as part of the Sunday Times Supercar Run.

The concept is a result of a unique partnership between Citroën and Polyphony Digital Inc., creators of the Gran Turismo game series, which for many will be the only way to get behind the wheel of this one-off supercar.

In preparation for the Festival of Speed, the concept has also been busy completing a lap of honour at both the Nürburgring and Le Mans 24 hour endurance races.

Lexus back on top in quality survey

Lexus has reclaimed the top spot in JD Power and Associates’ annual ranking of initial quality, while the Ford, Chevrolet and Toyota brands ranked virtually even in the benchmark survey.

Porsche slipped to second after holding the title for three years in the market research firm’s Initial Quality Study, released today.

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Ford improved to 102 reported problems per 100 vehicles and Chevrolet to 103, just behind Toyota’s sixth place score of 101.

That put the three top-selling brands in the United States in the same league when it comes to complaints during the first 90 days of ownership.

“There is no statistical difference between a 101 and a 102 or, for that matter, between a 101 and a 103,” said David Sargent, JD Power’s vice president of automotive research, in a presentation to the Automotive Press Association.

Overall industry quality improved to its best level in the study’s 23 years, and domestic brands continued to close the gap between their performance and the industry average.

That average was 108 reported problems per 100 vehicles, down from 118 in 2008. Owners of US domestic brands recorded an average of 112 problems per 100 vehicles.

A year earlier, the US domestics had 124 reported problems, or six more than the average.

New-generation Vauxhall Astra interior unveiled

Vauxhall has released the first official interior images of the upcoming new generation Astra which will debut at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show.

The interior design echoes the Astra’s flowing exterior and engineered towards premium design and quality – representing the next step in Vauxhall’s design evolution, preceded by the Insignia from which it draws much of its inspiration.

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The ‘wing and blade’ motif introduced through the Insignia has been carried over, expressed in details like the gooseneck shape of the door grab handles and the trim for the gearshift molding and steering wheel.

Ambient lighting enhances interior features such as the gearbox surround, centre console and door handle recesses, depending on the model variant.

Special attention has gone into the design of the Astra’s seats, which Vauxhall claims to offer industry-leading levels of adjustment – their height can be raised by up to 65mm, while their fore and aft range extends to 280mm

To determine the most efficient way to make use of the Astra’s interior, the research department compiled a list of the most common items stored in cars: pens, coins, a flashlight, a road atlas, a parking disc, sunglasses, a wallet, paper tissues, a mobile phone, CDs, MP3 players, cups, magazines, newspapers, fruit, a first aid kit, a jacket, a 1.5/1.0/0.5-litre drinks bottle.

Max Kuncl, the team’s Performance Integration Manager likened the challenge to a puzzle: “It was important for the team not only to find places for the items to fit, but for the new Astra’s interior to still look great, and maintain high quality standards throughout the cabin.”

Rather than merely increasing storage space, the designers have created specialized solutions to cater for most items, with a hard-shelled sunglass case above the door opening, coin slots and pen holders moulded into the inside edge of the glove box lid along with two removable compartments.