Alfa bravo · for the mid-engined 8C Competizione arrives. The V8-powered 8C limited edition was...

MOTOR MONTHLYIssue 30 ● October 2011

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AlfaItalian style grabs the spotlight at Frankfurt show

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MOTOR MONTHLYIssue 30 ● October 2011iSelect’s

EditorialGoAuto NewsroomPO Box 18Sandringham VIC 3191(03) 9598 6477 [email protected]

EditorDavid [email protected]

ProductionLuc Britten

Sub-editorRon Hammerton

ContributorsMarton PettendyByron MathioudakisTerry MartinHaitham RazaguiJames StanfordMike Costello

Advertising enquiriesSally Mellor(03) 9598 6477 0425 700 [email protected]

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What a GaulFrench car-maker redefines the MPV with sleek HX1 concept

Twee UrbanAudi gets into sustainable city

motoring with cute electric runabout

Alfa 4Cs the futureStunning Alfa Romeo 4C sports

coupe to come Down Under in 2014

Korea drivenVital second-generation Hyundai i30 revealed ahead of mid-2012 launch

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\\ Alfa Romeo 4C

Stunning Alfa Romeo 4C sports coupe to come Down Under in 2014

Alfa 4Cs the future

By MARTON PETTENDY and DAVID HASSALL

ALFA Romeo has announced that its stunning 4C coupe – a sleek new compact sportscar that appeared at the recent Frankfurt motor show in ‘Fluid Metal’ silver paint – will be produced for a

global audience (including Australia) within three years.

Governing director of Australian Alfa Romeo importer Ateco Automotive, Neville Crichton, told Australian journalists at Frankfurt the 4C was expected in local showrooms by 2014.

Despite having supercar looks, the two-

seater 4C is expected to land at a similar price to the coupe it will belatedly replace here – the Brera, which is currently priced from $64,990.

Alfa Romeo’s global CEO Harald Wester told media the all-new mid-engined coupe would go on sale in 2013 as part of the red-blooded Italian brand’s latest “global growth plan”, which calls

for a near five-fold sales lift to 500,000 units a year by 2014 – boosted largely by the brand’s return to the US market in 2013.

The Brera coupe and Spider convertible are both currently in run-out, meaning the 100-year-old Italian brand will be without a two-door model until the spiritual successor


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for the mid-engined 8C Competizione arrives. The V8-powered 8C limited edition was not produced in right-hand drive and therefore never sold Australia.

“Alfa Romeo is going to be present in all markets in the world,” Mr Wester confirmed at the Frankfurt show.

“If there’s enough interest in this kind of

special-edition supercar, it will be either left or right-hand drive, but there will definitely be a right-hand drive. If Australia is still part of the world in 2013, so it should be on sale there.”

Alfa promises the 4C will deliver on its credo of “essential style capable of conveying strong emotions, technical research that is always at the cutting edge, plus superlative road holding

and driving satisfaction, combined with the maximum efficiency of the vehicle”.

The 4C will come with a 1750cc turbocharged direct-injection four-cylinder petrol engine positioned behind the seats and ahead of the rear wheels, producing “more than 200 horsepower” (147kW) and matched with Alfa’s TCT twin-clutch

automatic transmission.Combined with a confirmed kerb weight

of just 850kg, thanks to extensive use of aluminium in its chassis and a carbonfibre body, Alfa says the 4C will have a weight-to-power ratio of less than 4kg/hp – good enough to propel it to 100km/h in less than five seconds and beyond 250km/h.

Peep show: Rear window reveals the mid-mounted turbocharged engine.



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MOTOR

Weight and see: The short and stubby 4C features a considerable rearward weight bias.

The super-compact 4C, which measures only about four metres long and rides on a wheelbase of less than 2400mm, has a unique double-wishbone front and MacPherson-strut rear suspension layout, features a heavily rear-biased (40:60) weight distribution and will come with Alfa’s ‘DNA’ system to control throttle response, steering and suspension settings.

“DNA Technology is the Alfa Romeo philosophy for the technical development of all its models,” the company says. “Every car must know how to combine excellent dynamic performance (according to the brand’s tradition), performance efficiency and environmental sustainability, maximum comfort and active and passive safety with control in all conditions.

“In this perspective the 4C concept is the most advanced level of DNA Technology, where the ‘D’ of Dynamic, linked to the performance and dynamics of the vehicle, is enhanced by transferring the perfect equilibrium between pleasure and thrill of performance with the awareness of efficiency in the daily driving experience.”

Alfa Romeo’s stylists say the “fluid metal” paintwork on the Frankfurt model “dynamically enhances the smooth, curvy and original lines” of the 4C Concept’s Italian bodywork.

The car was voted “Most Beautiful Concept Car of the Year” by the readers of the German magazine Auto Bild after it debuted in a less attractive satin red colour at the Geneva motor show in March.

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Twee UrbanAudi gets into sustainable city motoring

with cute electric runabout

Audi Urban Concept //

By HAITHAM RAZAGUI

AUDI unveiled a cute electric two-seat runabout called the Urban Concept at the Frankfurt motor show last month that previews its view of sustainable city motoring in the future.

The Urban Concept is the strongest

signal yet that Audi is intent on entering the sustainable mobility market – likely using its e-Tron sub-brand – in a similar manner to its German rivals BMW and Daimler, which have respectively announced the launch of i-brand models and third-generation Smart ForTwo EV in recent weeks.

Revealed in two body variants – Sportback and Spyder – the Urban Concept has twin electric motors driving the rear wheels and producing a combined peak power output of 15kW and 47Nm of torque.

Audi claims it will accelerate from rest to its top speed of 100km/h in 16.9 seconds, with a round-

town sprint of 0-60km/h achieved in 6.0 seconds.Capable of providing a 73-kilometre range,

the Urban Concept’s lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery mounted behind the rear seats can be charged in 20 minutes using a 400-volt three-phase fast charger or an hour using a conventional household outlet.


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Charging can also be done wirelessly using inductive technology when the concept is parked over a special charging plate that Audi claims has comparable efficiency to conventional charging methods and can be used outdoors as it is not affected by rain, snow or ice.

The Sportback, which has no opening windows or air-conditioning, is entered by sliding back the roof canopy and stepping over the high sills – in a motion Audi likens to stepping into a bathtub – with entry and exit aided by handles mounted on the windscreen frame and a recess between the thigh supports of the driver’s seat.

A modest luggage compartment opens like a drawer at the Urban Concept’s rear, an idea perhaps borrowed from the Mini Rocketman concept from the Geneva show in March.

A feature Audi describes as “roadster on demand” enables the canopy to be left open for wind-in-the-hair motoring. However, the Spyder variant – accessed via Lamborghini-style scissor doors and sporting a reduced-height windscreen – is the true roadster of the pair.

The Urban Concept’s impressive 480kg weight is achieved by an underlying aluminium structure with monocoque passenger cell (which incorporates the seat bases) and outer skin constructed using carbonfibre-reinforced plastic.

Race car-like pushrod suspension with aluminium and carbonfibre wishbones front and rear connect the skinny free-standing 21-inch wheels to the chassis, requiring no power assistance for the steering, which provides a nine-metre turning circle.

Despite the Urban Concept’s dwarf-like


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proportions and light weight, Audi claims to have included front and rear crumple zones, twin airbags and an “innovative assistance system” to help avoid collisions with pedestrians.

Because its seat bases are a fixed part of the passenger cell, the Urban Concept has sill-mounted controls for the pedals and steering wheel. The pedals have a 22-centimetre adjustment range while the steering wheel can be moved for easier entry/exit as well as for driving position.

Apart from air vents and their associated controls, the simple carbonfibre and aluminium wing-shaped dashboard is almost devoid of switchgear, the majority of functions accessed through a multi-purpose display linked to steering wheel-mounted switches and roller controls.

Audi said the seating position is “very sporty” and the experience akin to that of an aeroplane cockpit.

The staggered seats – the passenger sits 30cm further back than the driver to liberate shoulder and elbow room – have cloth-faced foam cushions edged with kangaroo leather and the floor does without carpets, instead featuring integrated mats made from a durable, water-repellent textile originally designed for athletic shoes.

At 3219mm long, 1678mm wide and 1189mm high, the Urban Concept is 321mm shorter but 38mm wider than Volkswagen’s Up city car and has a larger footprint than Renault’s open-sided electric two-seat offering, the Twizy – which has about half the peak power output of the Audi but 10Nm more torque.

Auda-city: Urban Concept is a bold step to sustainable mobility.

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What a GaulFrench car-maker redefines the

MPV with sleek HX1 concept

Peugeot 508 HX1 //

By DAVID HASSALL

PEUGEOT put the spotlight on its diesel-electric hybrid technology at the Frankfurt motor show last month by revealing a sleek concept that blends a wagon and a people-mover.

While the mid-size 508 RXH wagon is close to release – it is scheduled for the European spring next year – most interest at Frankfurt inevitably surrounded the pillarless HX1 concept car.

The Frankfurt unveiling revealed a Mercedes

R-class-style people mover with an even lower roofline than the German MPV, making it more like a wagon with rear-hinged back doors that open in a scissor motion. The front doors also open vertically, but are hinged from the front at the A-pillars.

Peugeot’s stylists concentrated on aerodynamics and boast a number of innovations such as “many mobile aerodynamic parts that were designed with speed in mind”, resulting in a vehicle that is very low (1373mm), very wide (1990mm) and


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French style: HXI is all curves and innovative design.

very long (4930mm), with a drag coefficient figure of just 0.28.

Apparently side skirts and a rear spoiler automatically deploy at speeds of more than 100km/h. One of the more interesting features is the seven-spoke wheel design, which features blades that expand at speed to produce

the effect of solid aero wheels.Peugeot said the low-slung HX1 has been

produced to gauge market interest in the concept of a vehicle that can “seat up to six people in a vehicle with unconventional styling” and “a high-end passenger compartment”.

Curiously, Peugeot describes the concept

as seating six people in a 4+2 seating arrangement, with a pair of seats that slide out from the front seatbacks when required to create a second row of seating ahead of the regular pair of rear seats. The company also claims the driver’s seating position “can be adapted to suit driving conditions”.

Peugeot describes the HX1 as exuding athletic styling and that, with its feline headlights and the lion rampant on the bonnet, the Peugeot HX1 follows the Lion marque’s signature styling with its sleek, elegant and flowing lines, looking “ready to bound forward”.

The French car-maker’s design team said the



MOTOR

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Does my bum look big in this? The HXI is not only very long but also very wide.

interior is designed as two distinct areas, with a concentrated and sporty driver area at the front and a luxury and calming environment for rear passengers.

“The driver area has been designed for maximum motoring pleasure, with its sober, brushed metal finish and digital dashboard displays,” Peugeot said. “Worthy of a futuristic limousine, the rear passenger area is fitted out with white leather-trimmed seats with a patina finish, a natural oak floor with LED veins, a minibar and the coffee machine.

“If necessary, two retractable seats built into the back of the front seats can be pulled out to increase the vehicle passenger capacity from four to six seats.”

Although Peugeot’s regular production Hybrid4 powertrain involves linking a 120kW 2.0-litre diesel engine driving the

front wheels with a 27kW electric motor on the rear axle for a combined 147kW of power, the HX1 concept employs a 2.2-litre diesel in the hybrid powertrain for a combined 220kW.

And, with a new “plug-in” function that provides up to 30km of all-electric operation, the HX1 makes considerable gains in efficiency, boasting official figures of 3.2 litres per 100km fuel economy and 83 grams of CO2 emissions per kilometre.

The same production hybrid powertrain in the forthcoming 3008 Hybrid4 crossover wagon – claimed to be the first diesel-electric hybrid available in the world and due for release in Australia in the second quarter of next year – produces figures of 3.8L/100km and 99g/km, which is said to be 35 per cent lower than for a regular vehicle with an internal combustion engine of similar power.

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\\ Hyundai i30

Vital second-generation Hyundai i30 revealed ahead of mid-2012 launch

Korea driven

By TERRY MARTIN

HYUNDAI has released full details of its all-important second-generation i30 small car ahead of its European launch early in 2012 and an Australian release by mid-year.

Unveiled in five-door hatchback form, with

a wagon version due to follow, the all-new i30 was designed and engineered at the South Korean auto giant’s European technical centre in Russelsheim, Germany, and brings claims of improved design, quality, performance and efficiency.

It will need all of those attributes to build on the

success of the current model, which has proven to be one of the biggest-selling cars in Australia – it is by far Hyundai’s highest-volume model, accounting for around 2500 sales a month this year – but will come under increasing pressure with a host of significant new model releases from its rivals over the next 12-18 months.

These include redesigned or heavily revised versions of the three cars that outsell it in Australia at the moment: the Holden Cruze, which has an Australian-designed hatchback just around the corner; the Toyota Corolla, which is due for a significant upgrade next year; and the market-leading Mazda3, which


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has just had a major overhaul.New-generation versions of the

Subaru Impreza and Honda Civic are also due in the first half of next year, while a reborn Nissan Pulsar with huge volume expectations is coming in the first quarter of 2013.

In Europe, the redesigned i30 has emerged with six engine variants across a quartet of four-cylinder powerplants – 1.4 and 1.6-litre units in both petrol and diesel – but Australian specifications will not be revealed until closer to launch.

The headline act is the 1.6-litre VGT (variable geometry turbo) diesel that develops 94kW of power at 4000rpm and 260Nm of torque from 1900-2750rpm, enabling the all-new i30 to accelerate from 0-100km/h in 10.9 seconds.

Significantly, the 1.6 will also fall under Hyundai’s ‘Blue Drive’ sub-brand that brings eco tech such as idle-stop, low-resistance tyres and an ‘alternator management system’ to drive CO2

emissions down below 100g/km. At the top of the petrol line-up

is the Korean car-maker’s 1.6-litre direct-injection ‘Gamma GDI’ engine – still to be implemented in Australia, although it appears on sister brand Kia’s new Rio – producing 99kW and 164Nm.

There are two other diesel variants – an entry-level 1.4-litre mustering 66kW and 220Nm, and a lower-spec version of the 1.6-litre VGT that produces 81kW and 260Nm – while the petrol range includes a baseline 1.4-litre Gamma engine offering 73kW and 137Nm, and a mid-series 1.6-litre Gamma MPI with 88kW and 156Nm.

The 1.4-litre petrol and diesel are paired with a six-speed manual gearbox, while both manual and automatic transmissions – each with six-speeds – combine with the 1.6-litre petrol and diesel engines.

Drawing again on Hyundai’s so-called ‘fluidic sculpture’ design language – first shown on the

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> FULL STORY

First drive: Lamborghini Aventador

> FULL STORY

Quick test: Toyota HiLux range

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FOUR years after it first appeared in Europe, the second-generation Fabia from Czech brand Skoda has launched in Australia, armed with an array of standard features and a highly competitive price aimed right at the heart of the bustling light car segment.

First drive: Skoda Fabia

THE first Australian examples of Lamborghini’s all-new Aventador supercar are set to arrive here in the next few weeks and GoAuto can confirm their owners have every reason to be excited after a fast blast around Malaysia’s Sepang racetrack in one of the wickedly fast machines.

MOTOR

A FACELIFT for Toyota’s one-tonne king, the HiLux, addresses some of the shortcomings of Australia’s number one light truck, just in the nick of time before several rivals launch all-new challengers.

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2009 ix-onic concept and now permeating the brand’s new-generation models – the new i30 is slightly longer (at 4300mm) and wider (at 1780mm) than the current model in an effort to liberate more interior room and luggage volume (up 10 per cent to 378 litres with the rear split-fold seats upright). At 1470mm, it is 10mm lower to give it a sportier stance.

Hyundai says the cabin refinement and specification draws heavily from the standards set in the larger i40, pointing to the availability of a large ‘TFT Supervision’ instrument cluster, the latest ‘Flex Steer’ system (which varies the level of steering assistance between Comfort, Normal and Sport modes) and a seven-inch touch-screen mounted on top of the centre dash stack.

The company anticipates the new model will maintain the i30’s maximum five-star independent NCAP crash-test rating and in Europe it will offer six airbags as standard – front, side and curtain – with the option of a

driver’s knee airbag.Other standard safety equipment will

include ABS, ESC, VSM (vehicle stability management) and an emergency stop signal, while creature comforts available on the new model will run to dual-zone climate-control air-conditioning and a panoramic sunroof.

Chief designer Thomas Buerkle said that when designing the new-generation i30 “we used strong, fluid lines to sculpt a car which looks athletic and exudes a sense of constant motion, even when stationary”.

“We gave the car a bold stance, transmitting a confident attitude through sporty characteristics and dynamic proportions,” he said. “In this way, the car is very close to the all-new i40, and the Hyundai design DNA is easy to recognise on these models.”

While the European i30 will be built in the Czech Republic, Australian-spec models will continue to be sourced from South Korea.

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Alfa bravo · for the mid-engined 8C Competizione arrives. The V8-powered 8C limited edition was...

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