Raising a toast to the Paris Motor Show cars that matter the most
PASSAT & FUTURE
Volkswagen’s best selling rep car, the Passat has finally been Walter-ised. Walter Da Silva’s signature touch has now made the otherwise staid looking Passat a rather more handsome machine. This 7th generation Passat follows a styling direction first seen on the Phaeton flagship, especially the front-end treatment. With 18 per cent better efficiency from its range of engines, the Passat is now greener too. Engines range from a 1.6-litre, 104 bhp diesel engine that is also found on our very own Vento to a 300 bhp, V6 petrol. Technologically, the car boasts of a Stop/Start system and battery regeneration as standard on diesels, while the petrols get Stop/Start as standard.
An XDS electronic differential lock improves traction around bends, but don’t expect it to get you to office any quicker than it already does. A dynamic light assist system that alters head lamp beam using a camera to prevent glare and Lane Assist system are also part of the new Passat. We know, you are wondering if all this will come to India, and so are we. But, importantly, expect it here by end-2011.
SIXTH ELEMENT
It looks drop dead gorgeous. It’s quick enough to keep a Bugatti Veyron hot under the collar. But most importantly, it weighs just 999 kg and isn’t a Lotus, for crying out loud! Has Lamborghini lost the plot? Nope, they’ve just gotten more serious about it all. Lamborghini believes that the way forward for the supercar isn’t crazy horsepower; rather it’s a lightweight car that is stiff enough to meet modern day crash and safety standards, and the Sesto Elemento concept proves just that. Using a full carbon-fibre tub and aggregates, the Sesto Elemento is powered by a re-worked V10 from the Gallardo LP 560-4 to now produce 570 bhp.
The performance figures are a veritable nightmare for anything with over 700 bhp. Zero to 100 kph is possible in a mere 2.5 seconds and that is enough to keep up with a whole range of litre class superbikes. With just 1.75 kg per horsepower to move around, it makes for a really stunning power to weight ratio. Sesto Elemento is derived from the periodic table, where carbon is classified as the sixth element. Using carbon-fibre reinforced plastics (CFRP) technology, the Sesto Elemento makes Lamborghini the only manufacturer in the world to have mastered the process from design to testing. Developed in conjunction with Boeing, who have refined the art of using carbon-fibre after the 787 Dreamliner project, Lamborghini suggests that acceleration and not top speed is what truly matters.
CLSER AND CLSER
Four door coupés are hot property right now. The clever people at Stuttgart were the first to start the trend with the CLS way back in 2003, leading the way in terms of four-door coupé design. Here comes the new version of the CLS, along with the two-door CL series, all set to be unveiled to the world at Mondial Automobile 2010. The CLS gets swoopier, especially at the rear, and tastier, courtesy the stylish, well-defined cuts all around. It’s a design evolution that we rather like, along with the fact that you can now get carbon-fibre trim elements to jazz up your interiors.
The CLs, on the other hand, buy you big power with all the niceties of a proper luxury coupé. You could buy a 435 bhp bi-turbo V8 CL500 with a reduced carbon output of 224 grams per kilometre. And in case that doesn’t satisfy you, they’ve also fiddled around with various other bits to make it more eco-friendly — low-resistance tyres, Start/Stop tech, efficient radiators and fuel pumps and...bah! Enough. If you really want to be eco-conscious, try avoiding the one with the whacking great V8 in the first place!
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ELECTRIC CAT
It’s rare that an auto manufacturer celebrates 75 years. It’s even rarer that they do it with a supercar concept. Jaguar may not be intending to make yet another XJ220 in the near future, but with concepts like the C-X75, they may just be in a situation where they have no choice but to build one. The C-X75, unlike normal supercars, doesn’t use a huge V10 or V12 petrol motor to power it from zero to infinity. Instead, it uses two 96 bhp micro-gas turbines, which drive a lithium ion battery pack and four electric motors, one for each wheel and 195 horsepower worth. With a combined 780 bhp, this electric concept can do zero to 100 kph in just 3.4 seconds and go on to 330 kph on the speedometer.
Theoretically, the batteries give it a 110 km range, but once the two turbines kick in, that range increases to nearly 900 km! That’s better than practically any car on sale in the country today, the Toyota Prius included! An aluminium body, swan doors, fixed seats with a moving dash and steering as well as high-res TFT screens and what have you make up the rest of the package. The Jaguar XJ220 may be dead, but not for very long.
SIX FIX
The Bavarian Motor Works or BMW may not have a new car to show, but a concept it surely does. The 6 Series Coupe Concept will herald a third generation production model of the 6 Series that has now been in production for seven years. This Grand Tourer also features a new design direction for BMW, and while it does bring some of the muscular facets back, many may not agree with this newfound design language.
The upright front grille and sharp shark-nose make a re-entry, first seen on the original 6 Series from the 1980s. The interiors of this concept have an ‘organic’ look and feel to it, but are unmistakably BMW in execution. When the production car is finally revealed, we expect a twin-scroll straight-six petrol and diesel variants as well as a more powerful V8 petrol and finally a twin-turbo, 555 bhp V8 petrol to power the M6.
FRESHLY CHEV’D
Chevrolet lined up four world premieres for the 2010 Paris show, one of them being the new Chevrolet Aveo. Gone are the rather staid looks of the earlier Aveo. The designers at GM have now given it a fresh new look, using design cues befitting a modern Chevrolet. No doubt that some bits, especially the rear-end treatment, look dangerously similar to the Beat sold in India, but on the whole, it’s fresh and funky and quite likeable. Engine options include a 1200cc, a 1400cc and a hot(-ish) 115 bhp 1.6. Diesels displacing 1300cc will also be available, with Start/Stop technology. A 6-speed gearbox will make it to some models, something that isn’t so common in hatches. BSM predicts the Aveo hatchback and sedan will both make it to our shores by next year. Av’ you been waiting for this one?
CONTINENT CRUSHER
There’s a new Continental GT Coupe in town and the gentlemen at Crewe promise that this four-seater will take the notch up from its predecessor in terms of design, engineering, performance, refinement and more — all of that in the lap of sheer luxury. The new GT sports a body that is sculpted to give the coupe a sharper and more refined appearance. Unlike the beefier predecessor, the new one appears to sit lower and yet looks more of an evolution than a revolution. The classic Bentley matrix radiator grille is more upright, while there’s a new headlamp design, in traditional four-lamp format of course, and it has LED daylight-running lamps — ho hum! Step inside and the seats are plusher and, according to Bentley, provide more legroom.
The new touchscreen system features state-of-the-art navigation and Google Maps, so getting lost is a bit difficult, unless of course you decide to go off-roading. Under the hood is a 6-litre, 12-cylinder, twin-turbocharged powertrain that now has a raised power output of 567 bhp and 71.3 kgm of torque, which is mated to a new Quickshift transmission that enables double downshifts. Thanks to advanced FlexFuel technology, it can also run on both standard unleaded petrol (gasoline) and sustainable bioethanol (up to E85) or any mix of the two. Some time next year, an all-new, high-output 8-cylinder engine will also be offered. Both engines are coupled to an all-wheel drive system with a sporty 40:60 rear-torque bias. The Continental GT will be followed by a GTC convertible and a saloon version, which will again be called the Flying Spur. The Flying B truly has got a new set of wings!