German Car Scene

Month: August 2013

  • Motor Trend’s world’s greatest drag race returns

    Motor Trend's world's greatest drag race
    Part of Motor Trend‘s annual search for the world’s best driver’s car usually includes a mass drag race between the vehicles competing, and 2013 was no different.

    The second video features Angus MacKenzie, Carlos Lago and famed race car driver Randy Pobst as they whittle down an impress pile of machines, including the Nissan GT-R Track Edition, SRT Viper, Jaguar F-Type V8 S, Aston Martin Vanquish, Mercedes-Benz E 63 S AMG and Bentley Continental GT Speed, to just three vehicles; Porsche’s 911 Carrera 4S, the Mercedes SLS AMG Black Series and Audi’s R8 V10 plus.

    If you don’t know which car took the title, we’ll give you a clue – it was German.
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  • Win a ride in Volkswagen’s Polo R WRC car

    Volkswagen Polo R WRC - Rally Portugal
    Following his recent experience in a Volkswagen Polo R WRC car alongside Jari-Matti Latvala, Arsenal footballer Lukas Podolski has launched an auction giving you the chance to do the same thing.

    All proceeds go to the German national team player’s own charity, the Lukas Podolski Foundation, which backs projects aimed at integrating and supporting socially disadvantaged children and young adults in Germany and Poland. As well as the taxi ride in the 235 kW (315 hp) machine the winning bidder will also receive a Peltor G78 performance intercom helmet signed by Poldi.

    “I love speed, so I was not afraid at all. You are shaken about so much, it’s like being in a washing machine – left, right, up, down. It really is high-performance sport, and I have the utmost respect,” recalls Lukas.
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  • Volkswagen Caddy BlueMotion revealed

    Volkswagen Caddy BlueMotion
    Volkswagen has announced that its most fuel-efficient Caddy ever will be appearing at next month’s Frankfurt Motor Show; the Caddy BlueMotion.

    Powered by a 1.6-litre TDI developing 72 kW (102 hp) and 250 Nm of torque, the BlueMotion sits 27 mm lower than a regular Caddy and features a Stop/Start system, battery regeneration and low rolling resistance tyres, all helping to achieve an average consumption figure of 4.5 litres per 100 kilometres along with CO2 emissions of to 117g per km.

    Standard equipment include special wheel trims, painted side strips, exclusive seat upholstery, high-gloss black air nozzles, hill hold assist and cruise control system. Prices start at €17,720 euros for the panel van and €21,759 for the passenger variant.
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  • Opel Adam LPG announced

    Opel Adam 1.4 LPG ecoFLEX
    Following on from the announcement of the company’s new 1.0 SIDI engine, Opel has released details of an LPG version of its baby Adam city car.

    The 64 kW (87 hp) Adam 1.4 LPG ecoFLEX, which features strengthened valves and valve seat-inserts, along with optimized ECU software and a 35-litre tank beneath the car’s floor, consumes 6.9 litres every 100 kilometres with CO2 emissions of 112 g/km CO2 in LPG operation.

    The additional LPG tank alone gives the Adam a range of around 500 km in the combined cycle, with that figure rising to 1,200 km in bi-fuel mode with an activated petrol tank.

    Priced from €16,150, it’s almost €5,000 more than a base model Adam, but it does comes with 50 percent lower fuel costs.
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  • Porsche 991 GT3 versus the McLaren 12C and Nissan GT-R

    Porsche 991 GT3
    This brilliant new video from evo magazine sees Jethro Bovingdon pit Pursche’s 991 GT3 against the McLaren 12C on the track and Nissan’s GT-R in the Austrian Alps.

    The hardcore 350 kW (475 hp) track weapon cracks 100 km/h in a mere 3.5 seconds, 200 km/h in less than 12 seconds, and hits a top speed of 315 km/h (195 mph). It also eclipses the current 911 GT2’s ‘Ring time.
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  • BMW Concept X5 eDrive announced

    BMW Concept X5 eDrive
    BMW has announced details of a Concept X5 eDrive model ahead of its big reveal in Frankfurt next month.

    Propulsion for this plug-in hybrid comes via a turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine combined with a 70 kW (95 hp) electric motor, which allows a sprint to 100 km/h in under 7.0 seconds while returning an average fuel consumption figure of 3.8 litres per 100 kilometres and CO2 emissions of under 90 grams per kilometre. With the high-voltage lithium-ion battery fully charged the X5 eDrive can cover a range of 30 kilometres on electric power alone and reach speeds of up to 120 km/h.

    The ‘Battery Save’ mode makes it possible to retain the energy capacity of the battery if, for example, the driver wishes to complete the final segment of a longer journey purely on electric power, while the intelligent ECO PRO mode works in conjunction with the vehicle’s navigation system to calculate the most efficient form of interaction between the two drivetrains for any given route.

    Visually the Silverflake metallic Concept X5 eDrive sits on aerodynamically optimized 21-inch alloy wheels and features i Blue detailing on such items as the kidney grille slats, air intake bars and the inlay in the rear bumper. Specially design roof rails and a flap allowing access to the power socket also hint at what lies beneath this X5’s skin.
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