German Car Scene

Month: October 2013

  • Lamborghini Veneno Roadster leaked

    Lamborghini Veneno Roadster
    According to our friends over at AutoEmotionenTV, these are the first images of Lamborghini’s Veneno Roadster to appear ahead of its world debut in LA next month.

    Definitely not one for the introverts, the street-legal racing car uses a revised version of the Aventador’s 6.5-litre V12, developing 552 kW (750 hp) which sends power to all four wheels allowing 100 km/h appears in just 2.9 seconds with top speed working out at 355 km/h (220 mph).

    Just nine examples will be built at a price of €3.3 million each. We’ve no doubt that all cars will be sold, but when the targa-roofed, 340 km/h (211 mph) Porsche 918 Spyder can be picked up for a mere €633,000, we know where our imaginary money would be going.
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  • BMW’s i3 collects its first accolade

    BMW i3
    It may not go on sale until November, but that hasn’t stopped BMW’s i3 from scooping its first award after topping the Electric and Hybrid Car category in The Sunday Times Top 100 Car list.

    “BMW has bided its time while others took their first tentative steps into the electric car market. The brilliance of the i3 comes not in revolutionary battery technology for there is none, but by being a car someone might consider buying for reasons other than it’s electric,” commented The Sunday Times Driving team.

    Thanks to a carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) passenger cell which is attached to an aluminium Drive module, the i3 not only enjoys a 1,195 kg kerb weight, but the structural rigidity allowed this four-door citycar to be designed without the need for b-pillars. A 22 kWh lithium-ion battery feeds the electric motor which sends 125 kW (168 hp) and 250 Nm of torque to the rear wheels via a single-speed transmission. On the road 60 km/h (37 mph) appears in 3.7 seconds and 100 km/h (62 mph) in 7.2 seconds, with top speed limited to 93 mph (150 km/h).

    When specified with the range-extending 25 kW (34 hp) 650 cc two-cylinder petrol engine the i3 can cover 300 kilometres (180 miles) – up from a maximum of 160 kilometres (99 miles) on electricity alone.
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  • Audi RS Q3 reviewed

    Audi RS Q3
    This new video from Auto Express sees Paul Bond travel to the Austrian Alps to give Audi’s meaty RS Q3 a workout.

    Propulsion for the 1,730 kg RS Q3 come via Audi’s turbocharged five-cylinder 2.5 TFSI unit – developing 228 kW (310 hp) and 420 Nm of torque. Delivering its power to the quattro all-wheel drive system via a seven-speed S tronic transmission, 100 km/h (62 mph) appears in just in 5.5 seconds, with top speed limited to 250 km/h.

    Pricing in Germany starts at €54,600.
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  • MINI offering Frozen Black metallic paint finish

    Frozen Black metallic MINI JCW Paceman
    MINI has announced that customers can now specify Frozen Black metallic paintwork as a limited edition colour for the top of the range Countryman and Paceman models.

    Available for the Cooper S and Cooper SD Countryman, Cooper S Paceman and Cooper SD Paceman, along with the hotter John Cooper Works Countryman and Paceman variants, the process is carried out by MINI’s production partner Magna Steyr in Graz where the Paceman and Countryman are produced.

    Applied over a base layer to ensure corrosion protection, the colour layer and clear lacquer finish possess added silicates to create a matted impression as well as that velvet effect. Exterior body components, such as the front and rear aprons and mirror casings, have to be finished separately, and it is because of the extra labour involved that MINI has decided to restrict the number of vehicles being produced with this finish.

    Customers in Germany will need to find an additional €2,100 for the privilege.
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  • Porsche releases Macan images

    Porsche Macan
    Porsche has released images of the forthcoming Macan during final testing ahead of its public unveiling in Los Angeles on November 20.

    Appearing virtually undisguised, the Macan takes many styling cues from its larger sibling the Cayenne, while its face features C-shaped lighting units housing the indicators and sidelights – known as C-Blades – mounted in the large air inlets and four-pronged LED headlight units similar to those seen on the company’s Panamera Sport Turismo.

    Sharing the same Volkswagen Group MLB platform as the new Audi Q5, the Macan will be built alongside the Cayenne and Panamera in Leipzig, with powered rumoured to come from a twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6 in the S and a 295 kW (395 hp) twin-turbo 3.6-litre in the Turbo, with both variants using a seven-speed PDK dual-clutch transmission.

    Production will start before the end of the year with deliveries beginning early 2014. Pricing is expected to range from €38,000 for the S model to €55,000 for the Turbo.
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  • Porsche 911 Carrera S by Akrapovic

    Porsche 911 Carrera S by Akrapovic
    Performance exhaust specialist, Akrapovic, has released details of its new system for the Porsche 911 Carrera S.

    The Slip-On is made of special heat-resistant durable titanium alloy, with computer-designed pre-mufflers, main mufflers and pipes to extract an additional 13 kW (18 hp) and 35 Nm of torque from the 3.8-litre straight-six which already develops 294 kW (400 hp) and 440 Nm of torque in stock form.

    Weighing 9 kg lighter than the factory item that it replaces, fitment of the exhaust also results in improved throttle response. And you can listen to it below.
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