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Performance Boost
BRAND
WATCH
PLUS!
& Regular
Features
Visit us online at www.automanweb.com
2012
Nabil Al Busaidi Leads Team
Om
an in
Fords Focus Rabaa
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No 127 MAR 2012 Omans Best Automotive Resource OMR 0.500 AED 5.00 QR 5.00


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Automan Omn 460x300 E.indd 1 2/19/12 3:51 PM
Some automotive traditions are meant to be kept, even in a world where everything
connected with the automobile seems to be changing at a rate that would put computers
to shame. Over the past decade, with pressure from environmentalists, fuel price
shocks and a burgeoning car buying audience in the so-called third world, the very
understanding of how cars are built, how they evolve and what technology goes into
them has changed. Even the understanding that a new model generation necessarily
brought with it a size boost, larger engine and a price rise are not a given anymore.
The new 911 is a good example of at least two of these for starters the engineers
ensured that the car stayed true to the 911 as we knew it, while changing the 997
platform. The result is one of the hnest balancing acts between evolution and revolution
that we have seen. And the more powerful engines are actually of smaller volume the
feat of downsizing necessitated by legislation and a corporate philosophy.
It remains to be seen whether the car will stay at the same price bracket, unlikely as that
seems.
New technology in the form of torque vectoring has also made its presence felt in the
new 911 as it has in the Ford Focus too, which is also being rolled out across the GCC
with a rather unique people-based initiative in the form of the Rabaa Rally. People are
after all the best salesforce that any brand or model could hope for and todays social
networked youth can make or break a brands fortunes by chatting in the right forums.
Beyond our usual content, this month turned out to be a month-long celebration as we
held the Car of the Year event at Omans only auto-themed hangout. As a continuation,
we have been visiting showrooms to hand over some of the pending awards and have
been overwhelmed by the amount of feedback and acceptance that our frst years
campaign has had in Omans car industry. With this issue we kick-off the next year of
testing and assessing and promise you a rather interesting session ahead.
Another new season of both Formula One and MotoGP is about to kick off in the next
few weeks too. There have been changes in rules, changes to the way the cars look
and in some ways changes to racing as we know it. One change we really look forward
too is seeing Bahrain back on the F1 calendar this year and the off chance that Ferrari
gets competitive enough to be back as champions. But thats just the Tifosi in our editor
speaking.
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Mohammad Al Taie
AL ROYA PRESS & PUBLISHING
PO Box: 343, Postal Code 118
Al Harthy Complex
Sultanate of Oman
Email: automan@alroya.net
Website: www.automanweb.com
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Raj Warrior raj@alroya.net
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Sawsan Al Muharbi sawsan@alroya.info
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Maged Aziz maged@alroya.net
CIRCULATION
books@alroya.net
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Abraham Daniel daniel@alroya.net
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PRINTER
Ruwi Modern Printers LLC
Tel: +968 2479 4167, 2479 8157
Fax: +968 2470 0545
2012
All editorial content of Automan in the magazine and
its website is copyrighted and may not be reproduced
in any form without the written consent of the manage-
ment of AL ROYA PRESS & PUBLISHING
Automan accepts unsolicited exclusive editorial
material, but reserves the right to publish any such
material. Once published, the copyright for any
such material will vest with AL ROYA PRESS &
PUBLISHING
{ R OA D T E S T }
46 47
A
3 0 0
Author Photographs:
EDITORIAL NOM INEE
CHRYSLER 300C
LARGE SALOON
27 26
A U T OM A N C OT Y 2 0 11
CREATES
A STORM OF
EXCITEMENT
Our year-l ong Car of t he Year program over 2011 ended
wi t h t he announcement s of t he wi nners i n each cat egory
i n t he February 2012 i ssue. We handed out some of t he
awards at a gl i t t eri ng eveni ng at Nut s & Bol t s t he onl y
aut omot i ve t hemed cl ub i n t own.
107
10
N
i n t hi s i ssue
Al l -new
2012 Por sche 911
Car r er a S makes a gr and
ent r y i n t he r egi on and Aut oman
di scover ed how t r adi t i on met
moder ni t y at Yas Mar i na Ci r cui t i n
Abu Dhabi
38 39
Author Chandan B Mallik
mas t er pi ece
{ C OV E R S T OR Y }
EDITORIAL NOM INEE
PORSCHE CARRERA S
SPORTS CAR
COVER STORY 38
26 46
18 19
The European premium hatchback
class gets better and better for
consumers now. The hottest
arrival is from Scandinavia,
Sweden in particular. The all-new
v+0 hatchback from volvo will
replace the current S40 saloon
and v50 estate. Built on Fords C1
platform [also used by the C30],
the pleasantly proportioned V40
four-door hatchback measures
4,369mm in length, 2,041mm in
width and 1,445mm in height.
This makes it about the same size
as the new 5-door Ford Focus.
Details of the full engine line-up
are yet to come, but we know that
there are no plans as of now to
discontinue the T5 powerplant. The
T5 that has been Volvos trademark
set-up which puts out 254PS and
offers a hot hatch standard sprint
time of 6.5sec and a top speed of
250kmfh.
Is this the replacement of the long overdue X-Trail? Well, could be as Nissan has teased
the media with a sketch of the new Hi-Cross Concept. No further details have been
released at this time but it is believed to be a preview for the new 3rd generation Nissan
compact SUV. Nissan also released the hrst images of its new B-segment concept car,
the Invitation which essentially previews a new model that will sit between the Micra and
Juke. This also means that the carmaker is returning to the traditional hatchback market.
,nniti
CitroHn
1iVVan
9olYo
6VanJ<onJ
Citron has been talking about this for a while and
seems the company is all set and serious about
the debut of its all-new DS4 Racing concept. This
comes as part of its evolution of the DS line-up.
Citron Racing the companys seven-time WRC
winning motorsports division has developed the
concept and its no surprise to expect a range
of new features courtesy of the Citron Racing
engineers in the car.
7o\ota
Ther e ar e onlyt wo wor king pr ot ot ypes of Nissans hyper per for mance
st r eet legal Juke R cr ossover s in t he wor ld. Aut omans edit or s wer e
among t he few select ed jour nalist s invit ed t o t r ack
t est t his car at Dubai Aut odr ome
30 31
Author Chandan B Mallik
W
e were in Dubai in the end of February to
meet six rather unique individuals, all of them
celebrities from among the GCC countries, at an
event meant to introduce the invited media to the
star the all-new Focus. It is perhaps for the hrst
time in the region that a car company has tried
something on the scale that is usually associated
with a soft-drink giants approach. The Ford Focus
Rabaa event is unique in that it is truly pan-GCC
in nature as well as its use of celebrities localised
to each country and the fact that its success will
largely depend on the companys ability to get
social networks buzzing.
At its heart, the event is a competition calling for
six teams, one each from every country, consisting
of three members each and mentored by the
celebrity of their country. The teams set out from
Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, drive a route that takes
them to Kuwait City, through Bahrain to Qatar
and onwards to Muscat via Abu Dhabi to end the
journey in Dubai. The teams will, along the way,
have various challenges put to them and their
ability to fulhl the challenges and generate support
across social media.
DJ, music producer and radio
presenter Dany Nevi l l e
who will be the
host of the rally, said: We are now looking for 18
people to form six brave teams who think they can
rise to the 4,000 km long challenge across the land
we all call home. Registration will begin in just a
few days on the Ford Middle East Facebook page,
so keep checking for updates and information do
you think you have what it takes?
The hnalist teams will be selected from a two-
round online process featuring voting from friends
as well as demonstrations of their own skills.
Registration is open from March 7-29, to GCC
nationals with a valid drivers license, on the Ford
Middle East Facebook page, http://www.facebook.
com/FordMiddleEast .
Ford will also produce an on-line series
documenting the activities, with a new entertaining
video episode produced each day of the Rally.
Fans can follow the action on the Ford Middle East
Facebook page.
The hnal challenge will take place at the iconic
Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in
early May, after which, the team that successfully
hnished all seven challenges and earned the most
points overall will win an all-new 2012 Ford Focus
for each team member.
The selection of the celebrity team captains is
quite interesting and can be seen from the diversity
of their backgrounds.
We took the opportunity to meet up with Nabil Al Busaidi and ask
him a few questions regarding his decision to be part of the event.
In his usual forthright manner he told us that when Ford Middle East
approached him it seemed like a good idea and the basis of the
event where he could contribute to Omans selected team competing
effectively appealed to him. He went on to tell us
that while he owned a
Porsche Boxster as his
normal car, he was not a
big fan of driving, usually
having to walk, paddle or
sled his way across the
thousands of kilometres
he travels across on his
adventures.
So if you are above
18 years, have a valid
driving licence and are an Omani citizen, check
out the possibility of putting together a team and convincing the
organisers that you have it in you to become the winning team.
P E OP L E
8 9
In a market dominated by
traditional modes of advertising
and communications, Ford
Middle East has chosen to launch
an event that leverages social
networking and celebrity power
to introduce its all-new Focus
Team Qatar: Abdul Aziz Hasan,
Vice President Qatar Football
Association
l Aziz Hasan is a retired
all player and currently
s as a freelance footbal
st for Al Jazeera Sports
Al Kass sports channel.
ayed for a Qatar club
decade and was the
all captain. In his
r, he won the Qatari
wo times, Qatari league
and won the Gulf Cup f
Qatar national team.
Team United Arab Emirates:
Anas Bukhash, CEO and
Managing Partner
Ahdaaf Sports Club;
Photographer.
He holds a bachelors
degree in Mechanical
Engineering from
Northeastern University in
Boston, Massachusetts, is
the Chief Executive Ofhcer
and Managing Partner of
Ahdaaf Sports Club, the hrst
of its kind sporting facility in
the UAE.
Team Saudi Arabia: Khalid
Khalifa, Comedian
Khalid Khalifa Al-S
respected (US-bor
comedian. Throug
Khalid works to ge
of both cultures to
understand each o
thereby bridging t
when he started in
California, USA. Kh
aims to correct bia
Westerners about
and present the co
culture, religion an
lifestyle of his people.
Nabil Al Busaidi, is an Omani adventurer who has accomplished major expeditions including walking
all of 650km from Resolute Bay to the magnetic North Pole in 2009, becoming the hrst Omani to
ever climb Antarticas highest mountain, Mount Vinson, and the hrst Arab to row over 4,600 kms
across the Atlantic Ocean. Before becoming a full-time adventurer, Nabil was a corporate man
having worked at Gulf International Bank (Bahrain), auditing-hrm KPMG (Oman), Mizuho Bank
(Bahrain) and Gulf Air (Bahrain). Nabil is currently working on a tour of 100 schools throughout
the GCC to raise US$1,000,000 for local charities by inspiring students to organize their own
fundraising activities. Aside from his high prohle adventure activities, he has many sporting interests
and accolades, having played rugby for Bahrain RFC, been awarded University of Bath colours for
football and American football, and competed in biathlon championships in Britain, among many
other highlights. In addition, he holds a Masters degree in Management and a degree in Maths from
the University of Bath, UK.
Team Bahrain: Ismaeel Abdulatif,
Football Striker and Winger, Al
Muharraq Club
Ismaeel Abdulatif is Bahraini
winger who currently plays in
Muharaq-club, and is a memb
Bahrain national football team
brought honours to the Bahra
team and became famous for
an injury time goal which led
to a slot to the 2010 World C
Qualihcation hnal play-off rou
against New Zealand. He has
played 50 times for Bahrain,
scoring 38 goals, which has a
helped him be listed as one o
the top 10 players list in Asia
2011.
Team Kuwait: Barakat Al
Wegyan, TV presenter, Al
Watan TV
Barakat Al Wegya
known Kuwaiti wh
presenter for Al W
has served as edit
since 1994. Barak
an illustrious care
TV personality hav
been part of num
popular Arabic sho
shown in various
Arab TV channels
Team Oman: Nabil Al Busaidi, Arab Adventurer
{ R OA D T E S T }
52 53
Im n g Im n g n g n g n gg
o n a w in n in g
p e
T
he large SUV seems to be an
anachronism is many parts of the
world. Thankfully for the category
there are still areas that appreciate the
breed. Of course the United States of
America was the main market for the
breed, but now the afhuence, the terrain
and lifestyles of the Middle East seems to
be more suitable for the category than
urban afhuence. In a day and age of rising
fuel prices and better connectivity by
roads in many parts of the world, the SUV
is heading into crossover territory but the
large SUV still lives on in some much loved
platforms like Toyotas Land Cruiser.
We had performed a full test of the SUV
last year when it debuted the 5.7-litre to
bring it completely in competition with
the Nissan Patrol. The engine remains
available in the new year but the main
petrol engine is nominally smaller at 4.6-
litres from the previous 4.7 and the vehicle
gets tweaks that set it up nicely as a mid-
generation upgrade.
Most owners of these 4WDs have
tracked their evolution through the years.
Despite being best-sellers the relatively
lower volume of sales of the category
resulted in product life cycles stretching
across a decade. After all the temptation
to change a winning formula has to be
resisted. Pressure from other segments
and categories that are rolling out new
technologies has nevertheless taken its
toll upgrades are necessary now to
keep abreast of rapidly developing and
affordable technologies.
Author Photographs:
EDITORIAL NOM INEE
TOYOTA LAND CRUISER
LARGE SUV
30
8 52
18
NEWS
New car launches in Oman and
r egion 4
For ds new focus on people
power 8
BRANDWATCH
GM JV wit h Peugeot , 10
Lincoln new design DNA 12
Jaguar s new USP campaign 14
SPOTLIGHT
Geneva Mot or show cur t ain
r aiser 18

SPECIAL FEATURE
Aut oman COTY awar ds 26
FIRST DRIVE
Nissan Juke R 30
COVER STORY
2 0 1 2 Por sche Car r er a S 38
ROAD TESTS
2 0 1 2 Chr ysler 3 0 0 C 46
2 0 1 2 Toyot a Land Cr uiser 52
VW Golf R 46
PREVIEWS
BMW M6 conver t ible 58
2 0 1 2 Nissan Sunny 62
2 0 1 2 Peugeot 5 0 8 66
TECHTALK
Tor que vect or ing 70
MOTORSPORTS
Por sche GT3 , Maser at i Tr ofeo,
For mula One, Mot o GP,
WRC 74
CHICANE
Pet peeves and
dr iving in Oman 80
Dubais Arabian Automobiles has announced
the introduction of the latest generation of
its highest volume selling model, the Nissan
Sunny, in its showrooms. Starting at a retail
price of AED 45,500, the automotive company
which is the exclusive distributor of Nissan,
Inhniti and Renault in Dubai and the Northern
Emirates will be selling four grades of this
popular vehicle.
The all-new 2012 Sunny is the completely
revised tenth generation of this popular
saloonn which is a key player in the highly
competitive C-segment market. The car was
also spotted in Oman before its ofhcial launch
last month. [Eds note: read the preview of
this car in this issue].
The Middle East is Porsches fourth largest
market now and in 2011 the sports carmaker
sold over 8,000 units in the region. Following
a spectacular regional premiere for Middle
East enthusiasts at the Dubai International
Motor Show and a swanky 3D virtual reality
presentation in Muscat, the new 2012 911
Carrera and Carrera S Coup has arrived
at Porsche Centre in Oman. George Wills,
Managing Director of Porsche Middle East
and Africa FZE, said: This is a moment which
marks a new era for our brand. The 911 Carrera
is the re-dehnition of what a sports car should
be. Our customers and Porsche fans have
already been amazed at the new model, and
now they can hnally buy the vehicle that says
so much about the sheer pleasure of driving.
[Eds note: read our cover story in this issue].
Hyundai Motor Company, the worlds fastest
growing automotive manufacturer, has
announced best ever sales
hgures for the Middle
East region in 2011. The
company showed a nine per
cent increase in total sales in
comparison to 2010, selling
a record 283,953 vehicles.
Among the GCC and Levant
countries, the Korean
manufacturers impressive
achievements were led by
Qatar, which reported the biggest increase by
a single country with sales up by 93 per cent.
They were followed by Kuwait with 76 per
cent growth and Lebanon, which registered a
35 per cent rise in sales respectively. United
Arab Emirates saw sales leap by 29 per cent.
There was signihcant growth in Saudi Arabia,
the companys single biggest
market in the region, which
experienced an 18 per cent
rise in sales to over 106,000
units. Bahrain and Yemen
also registered increased
sales, while Syria, Jordan
and Oman remain Hyundais
biggest volume markets after
Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, Tom Lee has
joined as new Head of its Middle East regional
headquarters. Lee is tasked with building on
the considerable success that Hyundai has
enjoyed in the Middle East over recent years.
TENTH GENERATION ALL-NEW 2012 NISSAN SUNNY
ARRIVES IN M E SHOWROOM S
VW OM AN ORGANIZES VIP M EET AT
AL M OUJ GOLF COURSE
DHOFAR AUTOM OTIVE RECORDS 134
PER CENT GROWTH
ENHANCED GT-R VVIP ANNOUNCED
44
As part of VWs ongoing road show activity in
Oman, VW Oman invited members of the press
and VIPs to check out all models from VWs current
range at the Al Mouj Golf course including the Golf
R and Amarok pick-up last month. The day-long
saw over a hundred short test drives by media and
invitees.
Dhofar Automotive has recorded the best ever
annual sales of Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles
in 2011, closing the year with total sales year on
year increase of 134 per cent over 2010 the
biggest increase of any Chrysler Group distributor
in the GCC.
Commenting on the enormously successful year,
Dhofar Automotive General Manager Chris Edwards
said: We are delighted with the progress we have
made in 2011, with Jeep leading the way and
growing from strength to strength, spearheaded
by the All-new Grand Cherokee. But in particular,
we are delighted to see the Dodge Brand emerging
to its true position as a high quality popular brand.
In 2011, Dodge received overwhelming recognition
from the Omani public, testament of this coming
in the way of the brand receiving the Automan Car
Of The Year award for the Charger being voted
the best car in the large car segment and Dodge
voted as the 2nd most popular brand in Oman
(Business Today).
Nissan Middle East has announced the availability
of its luxury specihcation GT-R VVIP edition with
550bhp. Featuring all the mechanical enhancements
of the 2012 GT-R, exclusive specihcation and the
highest levels of luxury, the VVIP edition is now
capable of hitting 100km/h from a standing start in
just 2.8secs making it the ultimate example of the
motoring icon.
OM A N & R E GIONA L NE W S }
SEVENTH GENERATION 2012 PORSCHE 911
CARRERA DRIVES INTO OM AN
RECORD M E SALES FOR HYUNDAI
Front & Rear camera
I
Navigation
I
17 speaker Lexicon Audio system
I
12 way adjustable Driver seat
I
Adaptive Headlamps
I
Rear seat massage system
I
Rear console refrigerator
Now with Five Star
Benets
50 % assured buy back
5 years /100000 kms service package
5 Years unlimited mileage Warranty
Insurance & Registration
Courtesy Car
*
& Premium service lounge
The Beginning of The New Prestige
Call Luxury Car Manager Mr. Aslam @ 95500405 for a Test Drive today!
HE Mohammed bin Salem bin Said Al Toobi,
Minister of Environment & Climate Affairs,
inaugurated the new Toyota and Lexus
facilities at Al Mawaleh and also launched
the 2012 Land Cruiser SUV and Aurion
saloon.The Land Cruiser is one of the most
important vehicles in the Oman market and
has been around for over six decades. The
new Land Cruiser has further improved in
design and off-road capabilities. Cutting-
edge control technology has been added
to the proven 4WD system. Meanwhile, the
Australia-built Aurion continues to share the
new Camrys wheelbase and chassis, but it
gets slightly more conservative styling detail
both front and rear including new head
and tail lamps, a more formal bonnet and
front quarter panels, a taller chromed grille
and deeper, squarer and more understated
bumpers with a narrower lower front air-
intake. The slightly longer premium model
also gets a more upmarket interior. It gets an
unique new dashboard design with upright
central console, a new four-spoke multi-
function steering wheel and on the top-shelf
version theres stitched leather dash-top
material and swathes of woodgrain trim on
the armrests and gearshift surround. The
Aurion will still be available with a 3.5-litre
V6 matched with a six-speed automatic
transmission, but the big news is that power
output and torque have been increased.
Like the new Camry, kerb weight is also
down slightly for the Aurion, with a 50kg
weight saving (down to 1,540kg) combining
with improved engine efhciency to reduce
average fuel consumption in Europe from
9.9 litres per 100km to 9.3L/100km.
BMW Group Middle East welcomed the all-
new BMW 3 Series sedan to the Middle East.
The success story of the 3 Series over the
past 37 years is set to continue with the
powerful new design elements making this
model bigger, sportier and more dynamic
than ever. Having sold 12.5mn cars since its
launch in 1975, the BMW 3 Series continues
to be the BMW Groups best-selling model
series, consistently accounting for more than
a quarter of the companys global sales. In
2010, every third BMW sold was a 3 Series.
Joerg Breuer, Managing Director, BMW Group
Middle East said: With the global success
story of the BMW 3 Series, its a model that
is not only important, but one which makes
us feel very proud, so launching the latest
generation is another milestone for the
company. The new car is the most dynamic
3 Series yet so we are looking forward to
seeing its positive impact on this years
regional sales performance.
TWIN LAUNCHES BY TOYOTA IN OM AN
THE ALL-NEW BM W 3 SERIES REACHES THE M IDDLE EAST
CHRYSLER GROUP M IDDLE EAST
SETS NEW SALES RECORD IN 2011
Chrysler Group Middle East recorded its best
ever sales in 2011, closing the year with
total sales of 15,246 vehicles, a year on year
increase of 20 per cent over 2010 (12,664). In
2010, we achieved an outstanding performance
despite difhcult market conditions. Our success
continued in 2011, with almost all of our Middle
East markets registering signihcant growth,
resulting in a 20 per cent increase in sales over
2010, said Jack Rodencal, Managing Director of
Chrysler Group Middle East. This performance
is a major step forward within Chrysler Groups
global business plan and clear evidence of the
highly positive consumer reaction to the latest
Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram models.
Over and above the signihcant enhancements
that have been made to our products, were
continuing to focus on customer satisfaction as
well - infrastructure-wise, we are consistently
reviewing and enhancing our operation, sales
and marketing strategy, and this has had
a positive effect. Signihcantly, we not only
achieved the objectives we set for 2011 but also
boosted our retail market share in what was a
very challenging year.
Not only have our sales grown signihcantly - in
most markets, our growth rates are way above
the industry average. Within the framework
of Chrysler Groups growth strategy, we will
shift up another gear in 2012 and 2013, our
intention being to at least double our Middle
East sales over this period. In order to do so,
we will further expand our model ranges and
strengthen our activities in the region.
66
R E GIONA L NE W S
Al-Futtaim Motors, exclusive distributors of Toyota in the UAE, has announced the launch of the
new 2012 Land Cruiser in the UAE. The new Land Cruiser was presented by Sadayoshi Koyari,
Chief Engineer, Product Planning Group and Simon Frith, Managing Director Al-Futtaim Motors at a
ceremony that included hands-on demonstrations as well as on-road and off-road driving experiences.
Koyari san also traveled to Oman to ofhcially introduce the vehicle to local press.
CJD cars in action during Powerdrive - a hands-on one
stop driving experience event for ME media held in Dubai
last month
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W
e were in Dubai in the end of February to
meet six rather unique individuals, all of them
celebrities from among the GCC countries, at an
event meant to introduce the invited media to the
star the all-new Focus. It is perhaps for the hrst
time in the region that a car company has tried
something on the scale that is usually associated
with a soft-drink giants approach. The Ford Focus
Rabaa event is unique in that it is truly pan-GCC
in nature as well as its use of celebrities localised
to each country and the fact that its success will
largely depend on the companys ability to get
social networks buzzing.
At its heart, the event is a competition calling for
six teams, one each from every country, consisting
of three members each and mentored by the
celebrity of their country. The teams set out from
Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, drive a route that takes
them to Kuwait City, through Bahrain to Qatar
and onwards to Muscat via Abu Dhabi to end the
journey in Dubai. The teams will, along the way,
have various challenges put to them and their
ability to fulhl the challenges and generate support
across social media.
DJ, music producer and radio
presenter Dany Nevi l l e
who will be the
host of the rally, said: We are now looking for 18
people to form six brave teams who think they can
rise to the 4,000 km long challenge across the land
we all call home. Registration will begin in just a
few days on the Ford Middle East Facebook page,
so keep checking for updates and information do
you think you have what it takes?
The hnalist teams will be selected from a two-
round online process featuring voting from friends
as well as demonstrations of their own skills.
Registration is open from March 7-29, to GCC
nationals with a valid drivers license, on the Ford
Middle East Facebook page, http://www.facebook.
com/FordMiddleEast .
Ford will also produce an on-line series
documenting the activities, with a new entertaining
video episode produced each day of the Rally.
Fans can follow the action on the Ford Middle East
Facebook page.
The hnal challenge will take place at the iconic
Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in
early May, after which, the team that successfully
hnished all seven challenges and earned the most
points overall will win an all-new 2012 Ford Focus
for each team member.
The selection of the celebrity team captains is
quite interesting and can be seen from the diversity
of their backgrounds.
P E OP L E
8
In a market dominated by
traditional modes of advertising
and communications, Ford
Middle East has chosen to launch
an event that leverages social
networking and celebrity power
to introduce its all-new Focus
Nabil Al Busaidi, is an Omani adventurer who has accomplished major expeditions including walking
all of 650km from Resolute Bay to the magnetic North Pole in 2009, becoming the hrst Omani to
ever climb Antarticas highest mountain, Mount Vinson, and the hrst Arab to row over 4,600 kms
across the Atlantic Ocean. Before becoming a full-time adventurer, Nabil was a corporate man
having worked at Gulf International Bank (Bahrain), auditing-hrm KPMG (Oman), Mizuho Bank
(Bahrain) and Gulf Air (Bahrain). Nabil is currently working on a tour of 100 schools throughout
the GCC to raise US$1,000,000 for local charities by inspiring students to organize their own
fundraising activities. Aside from his high prohle adventure activities, he has many sporting interests
and accolades, having played rugby for Bahrain RFC, been awarded University of Bath colours for
football and American football, and competed in biathlon championships in Britain, among many
other highlights. In addition, he holds a Masters degree in Management and a degree in Maths from
the University of Bath, UK.
Team Oman: Nabil Al Busaidi, Arab Adventurer
We took the opportunity to meet up with Nabil Al Busaidi and ask
him a few questions regarding his decision to be part of the event.
In his usual forthright manner he told us that when Ford Middle East
approached him it seemed like a good idea and the basis of the
event where he could contribute to Omans selected team competing
effectively appealed to him. He went on to tell us
that while he owned a
Porsche Boxster as his
normal car, he was not a
big fan of driving, usually
having to walk, paddle or
sled his way across the
thousands of kilometres
he travels across on his
adventures.
So if you are above
18 years, have a valid
driving licence and are an Omani citizen, check
out the possibility of putting together a team and convincing the
organisers that you have it in you to become the winning team.
9
Team Qatar: Abdul Aziz Hasan,
Vice President Qatar Football
Association
Abdul Aziz Hasan is a retired
football player and currently
serves as a freelance football
analyst for Al Jazeera Sports
and Al Kass sports channel.
He played for a Qatar club
for a decade and was the
football captain. In his
career, he won the Qatari
Cup two times, Qatari league
once and won the Gulf Cup for
the Qatar national team.
Team United Arab Emirates:
Anas Bukhash, CEO and
Managing Partner
Ahdaaf Sports Club;
Photographer.
He holds a bachelors
degree in Mechanical
Engineering from
Northeastern University in
Boston, Massachusetts, is
the Chief Executive Ofhcer
and Managing Partner of
Ahdaaf Sports Club, the hrst
of its kind sporting facility in
the UAE.
Team Saudi Arabia: Khalid
Khalifa, Comedian
Khalid Khalifa Al-Saayed is a well-
respected (US-born) Saudi Stand-up
comedian. Through humour,
Khalid works to get people
of both cultures to better
understand each other
thereby bridging the gap,
when he started in 2001
California, USA. Khalid
aims to correct biases of
Westerners about Saudis
and present the correct
culture, religion and
lifestyle of his people.
Team Bahrain: Ismaeel Abdulatif,
Football Striker and Winger, Al
Muharraq Club
Ismaeel Abdulatif is Bahraini striker and
winger who currently plays in Bahrain for
Muharaq-club, and is a member of the
Bahrain national football team. Ismaeel
brought honours to the Bahrain football
team and became famous for scoring
an injury time goal which led them
to a slot to the 2010 World Cup
Qualihcation hnal play-off round
against New Zealand. He has
played 50 times for Bahrain,
scoring 38 goals, which has also
helped him be listed as one of
the top 10 players list in Asia for
2011.
Team Kuwait: Barakat Al
Wegyan, TV presenter, Al
Watan TV
Barakat Al Wegyan is a well-
known Kuwaiti who works as TV
presenter for Al Watan TV and
has served as editor of Al Watan
since 1994. Barakat has
an illustrious career as a
TV personality having
been part of numerous
popular Arabic shows
shown in various pan-
Arab TV channels.
Was Peugeot short of resources to set-up an all-new
manufacturing-cum-retail set-up in India? In November 2011
Peugeot ofhcials broke ground in Gujarat state for their proposed
car manufacturing unit and in January impressed the Indian
audiences with a high-prohle presentation at Delhis Auto Expo.
Then came the shockwaves after PSA Peugeot Citron announced
that it was withdrawing from endurance racing with immediate
effect due to the difhcult economic conditions, especially in
Europe, traditionally Peugeots stronghold. Instead it said that it
would concentrate its 2012 resources in ensuring the successful
launches of the 208, 3008 HYbrid4, 508 RXH, 508 HYbrid4 and
4008. This followed an announcement made in October 2011 by
chief executive Philippe Varin, following several proht warnings,
to save $1.03bn, according to Reuters. Meanwhile, the company
has shut down its ofhce in Mumbai and local reports suggest
the carmaker has re-scheduled its $1bn India project which was
planning to roll out 1,70,000 units annually by 2014.
Back in 2011, when Peugeot decided to re-enter Indian auto
market, they were planning to enter along with a partner. But
they failed to hnd a worthy partner and decided to enter India on
their own. Today, the situation is different. Peugeot is once again
on the lookout for a partner to start India operations. Peugeot is
currently in talks with Eicher Motors and Dunlop India about a
possible partnership.
10 10
BB RR A NND W A T C H
General Mot ors and PSA Peugeot
Ci t ron announce gl obal al l i ance
Automans take
Peugeot has been looking for ways to fund its Euro
1.82bn dehcit in 2011. A fall out, witnessed last
month in India was when Peugeot suddenly put its
ambitious plans on hold. Now with GM entering the
foray and picking up seven per cent equity, what
remains to be seen beyond this business agreement
and MoU, whether Peugeot can now move forward
with the plans it had originally designed with the cash
injection. We expect some more details next week
from Geneva. For GM, its a win-win as its European
engineering and hopefully both Vauxhall and Opel
brands will beneht from this alliance.
Peugeot India plan on hold
General Motors and PSA Peugeot Citron
announced on March 01, the creation of a long-
term and broad-scale global strategic alliance
that will leverage the combined strengths and
capabilities of the two companies, contribute to the
prohtability of both partners and strongly improves
their competitiveness in Europe.
The alliance is structured around two main pillars:
the sharing of vehicle platforms, components and
modules; and the creation of a global purchasing
joint venture for the sourcing of commodities,
components and other goods and services from
suppliers, with combined annual purchasing
volumes of approximately $125 billion. Each
company will continue to market and sell its
vehicles independently and on a competitive
basis. Beyond these pillars, the alliance creates a
hexible foundation that allows the companies to
pursue other areas of cooperation. In connection
with the alliance, PSA Peugeot Citron is expected
to raise approximately 1 billion through a capital
increase with preferential subscription rights for
shareholders of PSA Peugeot Citron, underwritten
by a syndicate of banks and including an investment
from the Peugeot Family Group, as a sign of their
conhdence in the success of the alliance. As part of
the agreement, which includes no specihc provision
regarding the governance of PSA Peugeot Citron,
GM plans to acquire a 7 per cent equity stake in
PSA Peugeot Citron, making it the second largest
shareholder behind the Peugeot Family Group. This
partnership brings tremendous opportunity for our
two companies, said Dan Akerson, GM chairman
and CEO. The alliance synergies in addition to
our independent plans, position GM for long-term
sustainable prohtability in Europe.
Philippe Varin, chairman of the managing board
of PSA Peugeot Citron, declared, This alliance is
a tremendously exciting moment for both groups
and this partnership is rich in its development
potential. With the strong support of our historical
shareholder and the arrival of a new and prestigious
shareholder, the whole group is mobilized to reap
the full beneht of this agreement.
Under the terms of the agreement, GM and PSA
Peugeot Citron will share selected platforms,
modules and components on a worldwide basis,
in order to achieve cost savings, gain efhciencies,
leverage volumes and advanced technologies, and
reduce emissions. Sharing of platforms not only
enables global applications, it also permits both
companies to execute Europe-specihc programs
with scale and in a cost effective manner. Initially,
GM and PSA Peugeot Citron intend to focus on small
and midsize passenger cars, MPVs and crossovers.
The companies will also consider developing a new
common platform for low emission vehicles. The
hrst vehicle on a common platform is expected to
launch by 2016. This alliance enhances but does
not replace either companys ongoing independent
efforts to return their European operations to
sustainable prohtability. The purchasing cooperation
dehned in the agreement allows the companies to
act as one global purchasing organization when it
comes to sourcing commodities, components and
services from suppliers, taking full advantage of the
joint expertise, volume, platforms and standardized
parts. Combining GMs robust global processes
and organizational structure with best practices
from PSA Peugeot Citron, will bring signihcant
value and efhciencies to the purchasing operations
at both companies. Additionally, the alliance is
exploring areas for further cooperation, such as
integrated logistics and transportation. To this end,
GM intends to establish a strategic, commercial
cooperation with Gefco, an integrated logistics
services company and subsidiary of PSA Peugeot
Citron, whereby Gefco would provide logistics
services to GM in Europe and Russia. The total
synergies expected from the alliance are estimated
at approximately $2 billion USD annually within
about hve years. The synergies will largely coincide
with new vehicle programs, with limited beneht
expected in the hrst two years. It is expected the
synergies will be shared about evenly between the
two companies. The alliance will be supervised by
a global steering committee that includes an equal
number of senior leader representatives from both
companies. Its implementation is subject to requisite
regulatory approvals in certain jurisdictions as well
as notihcation to the appropriate workers councils.
The family controlling PSA Peugeot Citroen has
ruled out the prospect of taking a stake in General
Motors because the two will remain rivals. Robert
Peugeot, who heads the holding company which
controls Peugeot, told the Le Figaro daily that there
was no prospect of such a move after the tie-up
with GM was ofhcially announced. It is also not
envisaged that General Motors will get a seat on the
management board because the two companies are
going to remain competitors, said Peugeot.
Peugeot f ami l y r ul es out
t aki ng GM st ake
b
r
e
a
k
i
n
g

n
e
w
s
The much awaited Renault-Nissan-Bajaj alliance
seems to have hopped as both companies failed
to reach an agreement on the ultra low cost [ULC]
car project for India. It may be recalled that three
years ago, Renault-Nissan had shown interest in
Bajajs ultra low cost car project and had promised
to even buy it from Bajaj, if the production version
met their criterion. The best Bajaj Auto could come
up was the RE60 concept which was unveiled in
January at the Delhi Expo. Although,
Bajaj have been cautious of labeling the
RE60 as a car, but have categorically
mentioned it as a commercial vehicle
and an upgrade from the 200cc three-
wheeler Tuk Tuk [auto rickshaw as it
is known in India]. Whatever Bajajs
explanation, the idea didnt gel with
Renault-Nissan executives.
The coupe-like NS4 plug-in hybrid sedan concept that Toyota
had on display at Detroit has more than just a green agenda.
Many in the business believe that conservative Toyota have
encouraged designers to put their stamp on coupe-like concept
for 2015 mid-sizer. As of now if one
joined the dots a logical conclusion
suggest that the target could only be
the Camry, Toyotas biggest global
seller. However, in the US, local
analysts are suggesting it could end
up as a Lexus. However, the latter is
unlikely, as Lexus has a long history of
showing its own concepts, such as the
LF-LC coupe that also broke cover in
Detroit.
Then there some speculations that
Toyota could be considering Prius
as an independent brand for hybrid/
electric cars and hence deserves its unique styling language
to complement new members in the line-up. Interestingly, at
Detroit, Toyota was at pains to explain that the NS4 is not a
potential member of the Prius family, but a move towards a
wider application of plug-in Hybrid Synergy Drive petrol-electric
technology. However, Toyota did mention that the cab-forward
design was a new styling direction for the Toyota brand aimed at
creating an emotional connection with consumers.
Stryker out to play with Viper
BMW Motorrads new design head
Chrysler Groups tuner
set-up Street Racing
Technology [SRT] has
released a teaser image
of the forthcoming
new 2013 Viper. But its the logo on the car that
has drawn our attention. Actually, this rendition
has now been revealed by Chryslers performance
division as the Stryker.
Chrysler has also used the teaser opportunity to
show the previous incarnations of the fanged viper
for comparison. It started with the Sneaky Pete that
ran from 1992 up until 2002 before being replaced
by the Fangs which were a mainstay until 2010.
Chrysler designer Vince Galante - a Viper owner
himself is the talented artist behind the new logo.
Galante took the new logo in a new direction with a
more playful appearance, while still conveying the
sinister look and evil grin of the original. Im a
big fan of the classic 60s front-engine race cars,
like the Cobra Daytona and the early Ferraris, said
Galante. According to SRT, the logo was named
at the 2010 Viper Owners Invitational in Salt Lake
City, Utah, and was chosen by Viper owners from
amongst a handful of options. Mark Trostle, Head
of SRT Design, said: The new Stryker badge is the
most rehned, sinister looking and beautiful badge
yet, just like the shape of the car.
For Edgar Heinrich, its a homecoming. Heinrich will
be taking over the BMW Groups BMW Motorrad
Design Studio as of July 1, 2012. Heinrich, who
succeeds David Robb, started his career as a
motorcycle designer with BMW back in 1986. Within
the BMW Groups BMW Motorrad Design Studio he
was Head of Vehicle Design Motorcycles under the
overall direction of David Robb from 2007 to 2009.
In July 2009, his career took him to India as Vice
President Product Design with the Indias Bajaj
Auto. Heinrich has an impressive design portfolio
with BMW Motorrad where he was responsible for
such vehicles as the hrst 4-valve boxer models
R 1100 RS and RT, the K 1200 S and R, the HP
Megamoto and the victorious Paris-Dakar racing
machines. The successful R 1150 GS and R 1200
GS were also created on his drawing board.
Under his direction, the motorcycle design team
created the S 1000 RR, the F 800 / 650 series,
the G 450 X and also the BMW Custom Concept
study. Heinrich was even involved at the start of the
design development of the 6-cylinder touring bikes
and the new maxi-scooters.
11 11
Automans take
The segment that Camry represents is under
increasing pressure from reinvigorated, more
stylish rivals such as the Chevrolet Malibu
and the new Mondeo-based Ford Fusion that
was also launched at the Detroit show. While
much of the NS4 presentation at the show
was devoted to the so-called connectivity of
the car a mantra echoed by so many motor
companies at this years Detroit show, Toyota
has formed special alliances with technology
leaders such as Microsoft, Intel and Salesforce
to explore the creation of seamless vehicle
interfaces with emerging technologies. Toyota,
it seems is trying to catch up with the rest
and is banking on technology-driven alliances.
If F1 racing drivers had ever desired to get their hands on a
pair of fast Jeeps, then this is what would be in store for them.
Chaps at Chrysler Groups in-house tuner set-up, Street Racing
Technology [SRT] know exactly how to transform Jeeps into
objects of desire. SRT has recently unveiled a customized
Grand Cherokee SRT8 specially designed for Fernando Alonso
and Felipe Massa. Given the fact that both drive for Scuderia
Ferrari, the vehicles feature a Rosso Corsa exterior with gloss
black accents, carbon hbre mirrors and an Italian hag painted
on the underside of the rear spoiler as a tribute to the Ferrari
F150 Formula One car. The Grand Cherokees also have a
reduced ride height and unique 20in alloy wheels. To spruce
up the cabin, designers added Ferrari red leather upholstery,
a revised instrument cluster (with yellow dials) and a unique
steering wheel with red contrasting stitching. Power comes from
a 6.4-litre HEMI V8 engine with 462hp and 624 Nm of torque. It
enables these modes Grand Cherokees to accelerate from 0-100
km/h in hve second and hit a top speed of 257km/h.
Alonso and Massa get customized Grand Cherokee SRT8s
Does Toyota NS4 set a new style language
for mid-sized saloons?
Renault not interested in Bajaj Autos budget car
Believe it or not, the rechiseled Lincoln
MKZ luxury sedan concept showcased
at Detroit a few weeks ago was actually
designed by an Australian. Ford have been
talking about reinventing the brand through
design, the Detroit reveal is the dehnitely
the hrst step in that direction. Ford Motor
Company group vice-president for global
product development, Derrick Kuzak, said
the concept marks a turning point for the
marque, which has struggled to gain traction
with US buyers in recent years. With the
Lincoln MKZ Concept, we are not introducing
a new car, said Kuzak. We are essentially
introducing a new brand. The MKZ Concept
is the next step in the reinvention of
Lincoln, something weve been quietly but
aggressively pursuing.
To further differentiate Lincoln from Ford,
designers will also use technologies unique
to each brand. For Lincoln, this could see
the use of unique powertrains, special active
noise cancellation systems and adaptive
suspensions.
One new model, due around 2012, is likely
to be a compact car or new crossover based
on the 2012 Ford Focus platform. Weve
already seen 2009s Lincoln C Concept,
which was originally billed as a vehicle
for demonstrating upcoming connectivity
technology and actually based on a wider
version of the same global platform
underpinning the new Focus. Around 2013
the Ford Fusion mid-size sedan will get a
complete redesign, which means its Lincoln
MKZ sibling will as well. This time around
the two cars styling will differ much more
substantially.
Firing up the line-up
According to news reports, a second mid-
size sedan model may also be launched.
This car would share its underpinnings with
Europes next-generation Ford Mondeo and
would be positioned somewhere between
the MKZ and MKS. The MKS, meanwhile, is
due for a mild facelift late next year or in
early 2012 in order to keep it fresh until a
redesigned model arrives in 2015. Moving up
to the crossovers and SUVs, the MKX mid-
size crossover is due for an update later this
year and will receive the MyLincoln Touch
interface system. A four-cylinder EcoBoost
engine, the same unit from the 2011 Ford
Explorer, will likely be added to the MKXs
powertrain lineup as well. A redesigned
model will come sometime in 2013.
The MKT should receive a mid-cycle update
sometime next year but after that the model
could be dropped from Lincolns lineup
altogether. The Blue Oval doesnt have any
solid plans for the MKT or its Ford Flex sibling
after the current pairs life-cycle ends around
2013. One possibility is that the MKT and
the Navigator full-size SUV could be phased
out and replaced with a single model based
on the 2011 Ford Explorer. The current
Navigator, meanwhile, is likely to receive a
3.5-litre EcoBoost V6 as well as a 5.0-litre V8
to keep sales humming along until the end
of its life-cycle in a couple of years. Lastly,
the Lincoln Town Car is scheduled to be
discontinued at the end of next year.
12 12
FORD BREATHES LIFE INTO LINCOLN
WITH NEW DESIGN LANGUAGE
BB RR A NND W A T C H
Automans take
Without the deadweight that was Mercury
dragging it down, Fords premium division,
which now only consists of Lincoln, hnally
has the resources and freedom to transform
into the upmarket luxury brand it should have
always been. This means that well likely be
seeing Lincoln expand into new segments and
differentiate itself more substantially from the
regular Ford lineup in the future. We shouldnt
be surprised if fruits of Fords One strategy
hlters down with greater inhuence from
European and front-wheel drive models, with
the next-generation Kuga and Mondeo likely
to make their way over in some way, shape
or form.
A diesel Maserati?
Pininfarina family poised to lose
control of 82-year-old company
13 13
Diesel sports cars were unthinkable just a
few years ago and since traditional thinkers
like Porsche and the BMW M division have
proved otherwise, anything is possible now.
And it just appears that the list of diesel
sports cars is just about to get hotter. The
latest marque considering join the growing
bandwagon could be Maserati. The Modena-
based automaker is planning not just one
replacement for the current Quattroporte,
but two. The Quattroporte will grow in size
to proportions similar to the Mercedes-Benz
S-Class and Jaguar XJ, while a smaller model
internally dubbed Maseratina will be closer
to the E-Class or XF. And we think it could be
the model thats tipped to get a diesel motor.
Pininfarina is on track in the quest to
restructure its debt, according to a report
from Reuters. The famed Italian styling house
shuttered its manufacturing business in 2011,
ending a joint venture with Volvo that had
seen Pininfarina assemble the C70, in order
to focus on its automotive design business.
While good news for the long-term hnancial
health of the company, the deal will hand
the Pininfarina familys 77per cent controlling
share over to creditor banks that include
Intesa Sanpaolo, UniCredit, Mediobanca and
Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena. Previous
plans called for a sale of the company, but
Reuters reports that no serious offers were
ever made apparently, because any potential
suitors can contract with Pininfarina whenever
necessary, outright ownership of the company
was deemed unnecessary. In any case, it
sounds as if Pininfarinas design consultancy
will continue to pump out beautiful Italian
shapes for the foreseeable future, the only
change being that it wont be controlled by
the descendants of Battista Pinin Farina as
it has since its founding in 1930.
The results are in for this years J.D. Power and Associates
U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study are out. Lexus has come
out on top in the hnal standings and the hve highest-ranking
brands this year include Porsche, Cadillac, Toyota and Scion
respectively. At the other end of the spectrum, Jaguar was
the hfth lowest-ranking brand, followed by the four Chrysler
Group brands Ram, Jeep, Dodge, and Chrysler in descending
order.
The annual study looks at problems experienced by original
owners (a total of 31,000 were surveyed) of three-year-
old (2009 model year) vehicles and includes 198 different
problem symptoms across all areas of the vehicle. Overall
dependability is determined by the level of problems per 100
vehicles (PP100), with a lower score rehecting higher quality.
In 2012, overall vehicle dependability averaged 132 PP100-
-an improvement of 13 percent from the 2011 average of
151--which is the lowest problem rate since the inception
of the study in 1990. Fully 25 of the 32 brands in the study
have improved in dependability from last year, while only six
have declined and one has remained stable. Luxury brands,
both foreign and domestic, have done especially well, with
six out of the top 10 highest ranked brands being luxury or
near-premium brands. Toyota has also done exceptionally well
considering its past troubles, with its three brands--Toyota,
Scion and Lexus--all ranking in the top hve spots. The most
dependable vehicle was the Lexus LS, which was found to
have just 72 problems per 100 vehicles.
Lexus Tops 2012 JD Power Dependability ratings
Kias Trackster Concept was one of the big hits of the Chicago
Auto Show. Arguably, it was one of the concepts that can offer
great potential for Kia Motors in its future aspirations. But,
Kia is a company that will take its time in moving forward.
Although design chief Peter Schreyer dropped some of his
thoughts, the overall message suggest that Kia is considering
more than one variant for the current Soul, when the second
generation arrives in a few years. If the Soul were to evolve
into a family, it would be nice, said Schreyer. The Trackster
was just a concept and not intended to be production feasible.
Every concept car we do is about gathering information from
consumers and media, said Kia spokesman Scott McKee as
the standard auto company disclaimer.
Automans take
Although, a cautious move for a lifestyle
product line [meaning the Soul], we think Kia
is testing waters with new ideas. Kia might
be looking at opportunities in performance
variants and also evaluating the interest in
additional body styles in the Soul line-up.
Schreyer has indicated the Soul could be
more substantial if it were also offered in a
two-door version, or in a more performance-
oriented havour. All-wheel drive is a feature
Schreyer also specihcally mentioned as being
on his wish list and we know where this
comes from!
Kia Trackster hints at next-generation Soul family
The Pininfarina Cambiano concept has been leaked ahead of its
debut at the Geneva Motor Show. Looking sleek and stylish, the
concept is a three-door coupe that draws inspiration from 1957
Lancia Florida II.
Breaking News
Jaguars turnaround has taken its next public step
with a new global brand direction and a marketing
campaign called Alive. This new marketing
initiative is aimed to give people a reason to own,
not just buy a Jaguar. Jaguar will now be positioned
as an animate seductive, emotional, unique,
energetic and high-performance brand while asking
consumers, How alive are you? It will be supported
on television, in print, on the web and with events,
and will attempt to explain to younger buyers not
only why they should be considering a Jaguar, but
what Jaguar means as a brand. The overhaul will
even dig into the roots of the marque by making
changes to both the Growler and the Leaper icons.
Jaguar Land Rover North America President Andy
Goss says the campaign is meant to give people
a reason to own, not just buy a Jaguar. Before
Goss arrived last year from Porsche, he says the
national, so-called Tier One advertising, was too
transactional, pushing lease deals instead of the
brand message and experience in the US. Prior to
that phase of Jaguar advertising, national ads by
agency Euro RSCG could have been confused with
womens fashion advertising. We need to create
some blue sky between Jaguar and the Teutonic
brands, says Goss. The new effort is the coming
out party for ad agency Spark 44, a new ad shop
formed specihcally to handle Jaguar advertising
globally with ofhces in London, Germany, China and
the US. Jaguar Land Rover, now a division of Indian
company Tata Motors, owns a stake in Spark 44.
We are aware that Italian motorcycle maker
Ducatis partnership up with the Mercedes-Benzs
AMG high-performance unit is over a year old now.
And coincidentally, its been a year since talk of a
Ducati sale as well. Once again, reports are coming
about a possible sale as Investindustrial, the private
equity hrm that currently owns Ducati has been in
the market looking for potential investors.
In an interview with The Financial Times, Andrea
Bonomi, chairman of Investindustrial said that
there were several companies in the US and Europe
interested in purchasing the company.
Its had a long career so far and as been refreshed
several times and even comes with AMG badging. Yes,
we are referring to the ubiquitous Gelanderwagen.
This model, like Land Rovers Defender refuses to
retire. The latest is that Mercedes-Benz will keep
the model alive with the introduction of a hybrid
version early as next year. Although Mercedes has
not conhrmed anything about the hybrid G-Class
ofhcially, global auto magazines, and automotive
websites are churning their own fairytale versions
of the Hybrid G-Class. Could we be in for a surprise
in 2013? Mercedes has surprised many in the past
and theres no reason why they wont do it again.
Meanwhile, Mercedes-Benzs parent company
Daimler has renewed its agreement with Magna
Steyr to continue the production of its G-Wagen
in Graz, Austria after some hard production cost
negotiating. It is reported that Daimler almost went
so far as to threaten Magna that the company would
move production of the G-Class to Hungary but it
appears that Magna conceded to Daimlers wants
and production will continue in Austria. The G-Class
was originally designed to be a rugged off-roader
and a light military vehicle for the German Army.
The plant in Graz began production of the SUV
back in 1979 and is currently the longest produced
Mercedes-Benz in Daimlers history.
New communications campaign repositions Jaguar
Sorry, not retiring now
Ducati for sale?
14 14
BB RR A NND W A T C H
Automans take
We dont think that AMG alone could be
interested in such an acquisition. And this
makes a multipartnership type of deal a bit
trickier. Volkswagen from Europe has long
been rumoured to be interested and so has
BMWs. Harley-Davidsons name has also been
suggested, but H-Ds attempts in the sports
bike segment with Buell sub-brand didnt fare
well and its acquisition of Italian motorcycle
maker MV hasnt been that productive either.
Meanwhile, if Ducati isnt sold outright, there
is a good chance that Investindustrial may
hold an initial public offering in Hong Kong,
managed by Deutsche Bank and the Goldman
Sachs Group.
Production Zagato unveiled
Hyundai donates cars to Indian technology institutes
Aston Martin has pulled back the sheets on
the hrst images of its production V12 Zagato.
The road car is headed for an ofhcial debut
at this years Geneva Motor Show in March.
Following in the tradition of the automakers
ultra exclusive One-77, the V12 Zagato
will take more than 2,000 man-hours to
manufacture thanks to hand-made body
panels, including the bonnet, roof and doors.
Not surprisingly, Aston Martin has committed
to building just 150 examples.
As Automan has reported before, the
production version has been revisited to
incorporate some softer styling cues, most
notable in the areas of the intakes. The V12
Zagato will also make extensive use of carbon
hbre, with the front and rear mudguards, boot
lid and door sills all constructed in this exotic
material.
Hyundai Motors India has donated 160 cars
to Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) in
India. The Korean automaker is encouraging
R&D activities in the automobile sector with
this donation. The cars were gifted to help
increase R&D in educational institutes.
Out of the 170 cars, 146 were given to
ITI Tamil Nadu, while the rest 24 were
given to ITI Andhra Pradesh. Industrial
Training Institutes are government run
organisations, which provide in-depth
technical training. Indias second largest
automaker is stressing on increase fuel
economy and the use of alternate fuels
through this donation drive. Hyundai has
seen positive outcome and has decided to
gift 26 cars every year to such educational
institutions.
Ever since, sketches of Kia Motors KH concept sedan
[also known as K9 domestically) have appeared,
we have been curious to follow the development
of this hagship saloon. We have reported that
Soon-Nam Lee, the companys overseas marketing
director says the car will go on sale in South Korea
in the hrst half of this year followed by most major
markets soon thereafter including Middle East.
We know the K9 is based on the same real-wheel-
drive BH platform shared by the Hyundai Genesis
and Centennial/Equus, and should therefore have
some 5.0-litre V8 horsepower to back up its big,
bold, BMW-like looks.
But before it hits the streets, Kia needs is asking
Facebook followers to put on their collective
thinking caps and name the stately car. Suggestions
so far include Kratos, Stylus, Zion, Luxor, Nirvana,
Decima and Panther. We predict it would be called
the Veredus!
Kia has taken home the hrst ever Kelley Blue
Book award for Total Cost of Ownership
among consumer brands. As you might
expect, the award goes to brands and
vehicles with the lowest projected ownership
costs. KBB examines depreciation, fuel costs,
fees associated with hnance and insurance,
maintenance costs and state fees. Both the
Optima sedan and Sportage CUV helped Kia
cinch the win this awards inaugural year.
Kelley Blue Book also examined the cost
of ownership among luxury brands, and
Audi took the top nod in this category.
KBB specihcally pointed to the German
automakers low depreciation and good
average fuel economy as reasons for the
brands win. The A3, A4 and Q5 all helped
the automaker in the total cost of ownership
evaluation.
KBB Top picks includes Kia and Audi
Kia rolls out its rst RWD saloon for Korea
15 15
Are airbag issues delaying
production super car entries?
Smart move by Tata Motors
From Lotus to Pagani to Koenigsegg -- all these
names have faced it. The smart airbag issue
has prevented Italian exotic supercar maker
Pagani from launching its Huayra in the US
is also responsible for causing Lotus to stop
selling its Elise and Exige and the latest high-
prohle casualty in the list is Swedish supercar
manufacturer Koenigsegg. The maker of the
1,115-horsepower Agera R and slightly tamer
Agera is hoping to attain a second smart
airbag exemption from the National Highway
Trafhc Safety Administration so that it can
bring its latest supercar models to the U.S.
Koenigsegg, citing grounds of substantial
economic hardship, is hoping to gain approval
from the NHTSA and import its hrst Ageras by
June, according to Car and Driver magazine.
However, going by Paganis experienced in
failing to attain the exemption, theres a
high chance that Koenigsegg will also face
the same hurdle. According to documents
hled with the Department of Transportation,
Koenigsegg founder and CEO Christian Von
Koenigsegg has tried to explain that drivers
of his supercars rarely carry children on board,
who smart airbags are designed to protect by
detecting the height of the airbags trajectory
based on the weight exerted on the seat by a
passenger. A decision on approval of another
smart airbag exemption for Koenigsegg should
be made in the coming months. Surprisingly,
the company hasnt sold one of its supercars
in the US since 2008.
Looking to expand its presence in the Chinese
market, Tata Motors Jaguar Land Rover luxury
division will reportedly form a joint venture
with Chinas Chery Automobile Co.
Deliveries of Jaguar Land Rover vehicles
soared last year in China, but the companys
overall growth potential is currently capped
by pricey import taxes and fees. Entering into
a joint venture with Chery will allow Jaguar
and Land Rover to produce vehicles locally,
sidestepping Chinas import duties.
Per Chinese law, foreign automakers must
partner with a local brand if they wish to
produce vehicles in the country. An ofhcial
announcement on the subject could be made
at the Beijing Motor Show in April.
Automans take
From an engineering perspective, this all-new
rear wheel drive saloon may be a revelation
for the brand, but from design standpoint, it
is disappointing. Kias intentions of making
itself present in the premium D-E sports
saloon segment is a good idea for promoting
the brand, but the more than a passing
resemblance with Munichs driving machine
is not acceptable. Peter Schreyer did promise
a rear wheel drive revolution, but this wasnt
expected given the fact that standout designs
of models such as the Optima, Cadenza and
even bread and butter models such as the
Ceed or Rio have lifted the brands image
equity signihcantly. The design language
and prohle is remarkably close with BMWs 7
Series and we would not be surprised if Kia
faced a design infringement lawsuit in future.
We been tracking developments at AMG for a
while and have been wondering how AMG would
be tackling powertrain
engineering solutions for
the forthcoming range of
smaller cars namely the
new A Class and the long-
rumoured BLS four-door
coupe.
It is also rumoured [and
it also makes sense] that
the ofhcial tuning arm of
Mercedes-Benz, AMG, is
planning to make all small
cars bearing its badge
all-wheel drive instead of
front-wheel drive besides
dropping in a unique turbocharged four-cylinder
engine [which we think they got by default!].
New details have started to emerge, including a
report that AMG may
call upon the company
responsible for building
Mercedes Formula 1
engines to help tune its
new small car engine.
That company is Mercedes
AMG High Performance
Powertrains (formerly
Mercedes-Ilmor, then High
Performance Engines),
which reportedly will help
AMG develop a 2.0-litre
four-cylinder blaster for
use in the upcoming A
Class AMG and BLS AMG models.
Ford has branded its high tech,
ultra-efhcient, turbocharged, direct
injection technology as Ecoboost. First
application came in V6 motors in US
models such as the Taurus and now the
brands UK-based engineers at Dunton
and Dagenham has successfully carried
forward this application in engines
displacing 1,000cc. Ecoboost are engines
now available across Focus range and
the 1.0-litre, three-cylinder forced fed
engine is available with two power
levels in the hve-door Focus at 125PS
it delivers a combined fuel economy of
56.5mpg and low petrol CO2 emissions
of 114g/km (a level unmatched by Focus
competitors with similar power outputs),
while the 100PS version delivers a
combined fuel economy of 58.9mpg
and outright best-in-class petrol CO2
emissions of 109g/km.
Automans take
This unique, industry-hrst EcoBoost engine delivers
performance to rival a traditional 1.6-litre engine
with signihcantly improved fuel efhciency and class-
leading ultra-low CO2 emissions. Although, the
1.0-litre EcoBoost delivers up to 125PS and 170Nm
peak torque (200Nm with overboost) between
1,400 and 4,500rpm, it boasts the highest power
density of any Ford production engine to date.
16 16
BB RR A NND W A T C H
Subaru may have just unveiled a new rear-wheel
drive sports car but the automakers reputation was
built on the surefootedness of its symmetrical all-
wheel drive technology, which is now in its 40th
year of production. To celebrate the milestone
Subaru will present a special showcase of its all-
wheel drive vehicles, past and present, at next
months 2012 Geneva Motor Show.
One of the highlights will be the hrst vehicle to
feature the symmetrical all-wheel drive system,
the 1972 Subaru Leone station wagon. Since this
particular models launch, Subaru has sold more
than 11,780,000 vehicles with all-wheel drive,
which accounts for roughly 55.7 percent of its total
sales. The symmetrical all-wheel drive system
provides optimum traction by distributing engine
power to all four wheels in a balanced manner. It
combines with Subarus horizontally opposed Boxer
engine to produce a perfectly symmetrical drivetrain
and low center of gravity, which results in great
balance and stability.
Continuous research and development over four
decades has rehned the technology, making the
system ideal for a wide variety of conditions. Today,
Subaru combines it with various enhancements
including electronically-controlled variable torque
distribution systems, an active torque split, a viscous
center differential, and a new driver-controllable
center differential.
Subaru Celebrates 40 Years of Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive
Is AMG partnering with F1 engine builder for new compacts?
Ford debuts Ecoboosts 1.0-litre engine
Automans take
Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains
is based at Brixworth, Northamptonshire,
in the UK. The talented engineering hrm
originally developed a new turbocharged
1.6-litre four-cylinder for the 2013 Formula
1 season. However, since the FIA decided to
drop the four-banger idea and go with a V6,
this engine effectively became redundant for
its intended purpose.
Now, with some modihcations and extra
boring its displacement will be enhanced
to 2.0-litre for use in the AMG models. And
well also bet that in keeping with AMG boss
Ola Kallenius desire to outdo his rivals, this
engine will be tuned to deliver more than the
340hp [if Audis 2.5-litre hve-cylinder turbo
from the RS3 and 335hp BMW 1-Series M
Coupe are to be considered as direct rivals].

General Motors joining the
sub-compact SUV segment
Whats the Mokka all about? While it will be
shown as small production-ready SUV Concept
at the Geneva Motor Show for Opel/Vauxhall this
month, it is a step forward for GM to catch up with
downsized crossover segment.The Mokka will be
available in either front- or four-wheel drive, with a
pick of three engines - a 115bhp 1.6-litre, a turbo
140bhp 1.4-litre or a turbo 1.7-litre CDTI diesel
with 130 bhp and oodles of torque, the latter two
with either six-speed manual or six-speed auto
transmissions. The Mokka will feature class-hrst
lighting technologies in the form of its Advanced
Adaptive Forward Lighting (AFL+) and High Beam
Assist (HBA), plus a new generation of the Opel/
Vauxhall front camera system, which by virtue of
image processing adds Lane Departure Warning
(LDW), Forward Collision Alert (FCA) and second
generation Trafhc Sign Recognition.
18
Pr i or t o t hi s mont hs geneva mot or show, det ai l s
of some new model s wer e l eaked. t he i ndust r y
i s begi nni ng t o communi cat e a f ew t hi ngs about
Toyota plans to showcase a number of its
current and future concept and production
cars and the most intriguing could well
be an all-new one merely hinted at in this
ofhcial design sketch. Dubbed the FT-Bh
Concept, it will be an ultra-lightweight
full-hybrid city car. Toyotas design team
was charged with creating a package that
avoided high-cost materials and pricey
manufacturing technologies and instead
relied on elements and processes that were
common in the auto industry. No other
details about the Toyota FT-Bh Concept
were released. Despite the B-car scaling
implied under the automakers current
approach to designating Future Toyota
products, this hybrid one-off is expected to
have smaller-than-subcompact proportions.
The European premium hatchback
class gets better and better for
consumers now. The hottest
arrival is from Scandinavia,
Sweden in particular. The all-new
V40 hatchback from Volvo will
replace the current S40 saloon
and V50 estate. Built on Fords C1
platform [also used by the C30],
the pleasantly proportioned V40
four-door hatchback measures
4,369mm in length, 2,041mm in
width and 1,445mm in height.
This makes it about the same size
as the new 5-door Ford Focus.
Details of the full engine line-up
are yet to come, but we know that
there are no plans as of now to
discontinue the T5 powerplant. The
T5 that has been Volvos trademark
set-up which puts out 254PS and
offers a hot hatch standard sprint
time of 6.5sec and a top speed of
250km/h.
Volvo
Toyota
19
desi gn, engi neer i ng, t echnol ogy appl i cat i ons and changi ng t r ends i n segment s. as i t
r ebounds back. Her e i s a compi l at i on of car s t hat we t hi nk wi l l have some i mpact i n
consumer l i ves i n ver y new f ut ur e. Read on...
The SsangYong XIV-2 concept is
the second of its eXciting user
Interface Vehicles exploratory
series after the company was
bought by Indias Mahindra. The
two-door, open-top crossover is an
evolution of the I.DE.A designed
XIV-1, shown at the Frankfurt
Motor Show last year.
Visually, the XIV-2 is a departure
from both the previous Ssangyong
KEV2 and XIV-1 concepts, with
an all-new DRG featuring a
simpler, more upright fascia and
cleaner pulled-back headlamps
suggestive of a more production-
ready front fascia. More details
are expected to be announced at
the show.
Is this the replacement of the long overdue X-Trail? Well, could be as Nissan has teased
the media with a sketch of the new Hi-Cross Concept. No further details have been
released at this time but it is believed to be a preview for the new 3rd generation Nissan
compact SUV. Nissan also released the hrst images of its new B-segment concept car,
the Invitation which essentially previews a new model that will sit between the Micra and
Juke. This also means that the carmaker is returning to the traditional hatchback market.
Inniti
Citroen
Nissan
SsangYong
Citron has been talking about this for a while and
seems the company is all set and serious about
the debut of its all-new DS4 Racing concept. This
comes as part of its evolution of the DS line-up.
Citron Racing the companys seven-time WRC
winning motorsports division has developed the
concept and its no surprise to expect a range
of new features courtesy of the Citron Racing
engineers in the car.
This is what the Inhniti Emerg-E, the mid-engined,
range-extended electric supercar is going to look like
when it takes centre stage in Geneva. For a hybrid,
its pretty and its organic design should hold on its
own against the likes of the Ferrari 458 and McLaren
MP4-12C or the sharper designed cars such as the
Lexus LFA, Audi R8 or Lamborghini Gallardo.
20
If the G70 in the image seems familiar, thats because it is. This show car debuted as the Regina nameplate
at last years Tokyo Motor Show. In terms of its mission, the G70 is intended to hint at the future direction of
Suzukis small car line-up. As a result, the G70 places a heavy emphasis on lightweight materials in the name of
efhciency and Suzuki also designed the G70 to be as aerodynamic as possible, with the cars drag coefhcient at
least 10 per cent lower than the companys current A-segment model.
First revealed in Tokyo a few months ago, the Swiss outing is the Mazda Takeri concepts hrst European
debut. Mazda released a new batch of photos showing the mid-sized sedan in broad daylight giving a
greater sense of the vehicles presence. The Takeri concept, which is a preview of the next-generation
Mazda6, will be joined by the new Mazda CX-5 compact crossover SUV and the MX-5 Spring 2012 Special
Edition which is reserved for the European market only. One of the new technologies being showcased in
the Takeri concept is i-ELOOP (Intelligent Energy Loop) regenerative braking system.
MINI is further expanding its brand
presence with a new commercial model.
The Clubvan concept is essentially a panel
van variant of the Clubman wagon. The
Clubvan uses the Clubmans asymmetrical
body shell, complete with double rear
doors and the small club door on the
right-hand side of the car. The only
external difference is the replacement
of the rear side windows with panels. As
expected, the van loses the rear seats
and gains a bulkhead behind the front
seats. The car will be presented in classic
British Racing Green with traditional
sign written livery, created by UK-based
company Hugh Buckingham Signwriters.
Mazda
MINI
Suzuki
21
Peugeots India plans may be on hold, but in
Europe it is in overdrive. In form, Peugeot is
revealing not one, but two concept cars in
Geneva, which present two expressions of the
brands upmarket ambitions in the supermini
segment. These concept cars interpret the
generation leap already dehned by the 208
but in different contexts. The XY Concept is
intended for city dwellers who love distinction
and rehnement, whereas the GTi Concept
re-generates an iconic legend. With GM as its
new JV partner, one can expect a great future
for Puegeot.
To be revealed at Geneva purely
as a design and engineering study
this month, the soft-top convertible
concept is mechanically based on
the Range Rover Evoque Coupe.
It features a fully retractable
premium roof system with a Roll
Over Protection System [ROPS].
The concept cleverly combines
capability and versatility with a drop
down tailgate and a comfortable
four seat package. The vehicle
retains key characteristics including
a command driving position and
all-terrain capability and if given
the green light, it would be another
two years before a production
version could hit showrooms.
Obviously, the carmaker would
need that time to plan and validate
the engineering for the pen-top
conhguration. While, the convertible
utilizes a conventional retractable
soft top, which saves on weight and
allows for better packaging, about
88kg worth of additional chassis
reinforcements will be required.
Peugeot
Land Rover
22
The Gran Turismo Sport which Maserati will display at Geneva is
intended to replace the current S model in the line-up. It will
be offered with a choice of two gearboxes, a six-speed F1-style
sequential gearbox or the six-speed automatic. A tweaked version
of the 4.7-litre, V8 that now produces 454hp will help sprint the car
from 0-96km/h in under 5.0-secs. To distinguish the Sport from the
old S model, this new model now gets a revised front bumper and
LED headlamps.
A lighter, more powerful Ferrari, of course. And thats precisely what Maranello
has announced with a mid-cycle refresh for what is perhaps its least appreciated
product in the line-up: the California.
The upgraded model benehts from 30 more horsepower and 30kg less weight.
The former, now up to 490 hp, is achieved through the htment of a new exhaust
manifold and tweaking the ECU, while the latter comes courtesy of ever-evolving
aluminium manufacturing processes. The result is a 0-62 mph run in 3.8 seconds
with a modihed torque curve. Ferrari is also offering a new Handling Speciale
package that packs magnetorheological dampers that can more rapidly adjust the
suspension on the hy, coupled with a quicker steering ratio and stiffer springs.
BMW hasnt ofhcially announced it yet, but it appears that
the production ready M 135i road rocket concept will go
into production eventually. Although more information
will be known at Geneva, the 1 Series hatch with M
Performance modihcations and a turbocharged in-line six-
cylinder will send 300+ horsepower to its 18-inch wheels
in either rear-wheel drive or xDrive conhgurations. The
BMW M135i concept previews not only the M Performance
variant of the 1-Series, but also the three-door bodystyle.
The M135i also features blue beake calipers and
traditional tri-colored M graphics on the cars shoulder
line and boot lid. This performance variant features a
subtly different styling to the existing hve-door variants,
especially around the lamps and grille. The feature
line that runs off the top of the lamps is now a more
aggressive, down-turned feature that indexes with the
lower central intake. In prohle, the M135i retains the
silhouette of the hve-door 1-Series and thematically
similar surfacing.
Maserati
Ferrari
BMW
23
The Swiss show previews exterior styling direction of
Hondas fourth generation all-new European Honda
CR-V. Compared to the previous generation, this
version adopts a more aggressive stance with deeper
sculpting of the body lines and a bolder front fascia.
The lower front bumper wraps smartly upward to
convey SUV capability, while the lower front bumper
design now integrates more smoothly into the fascia
for improved aerodynamics.
The Lodgy is an MPV for European buyers. The
unusual name is derived from the word lodge
and refers to the models ability to comfortably
accommodate a family and its luggage, said
Dacia in a statement. Few details were made
available about the Lodgy, except that it will be
available as a hve- or seven-seater and that it
is about 15 feet long.
Revealed to the world shortly after the
Frankfurt Motor Show, Skodas Citigo aims to
offer low cost motoring and a little touch of
fun. Closely related to the Volkswagen Up,
Skodas Citigo is getting the same hve-door
treatment and is powered by a three-
cylinder petrol engine, which is shared with
Volkswagen. The 1.0-litre engine will come
with with either 60bhp or 75bhp. Skodas
most efhcient model, the Citigo Green tec,
is capable of 68.9mpg with CO2 emissions
at just 96g/km. The smallest member of
the Skoda family will form a key part in the
companys plan to surpass annual sales of 1.5
million cars by 2018.
Mitsubishi
Honda
Dacia
Skoda
That mysterious Mitsubishi teaser that we reported
last month has turned out to be the all-new 2013
Outlander crossover.With this new image, what is
clear that the new Outlander takes on a brand new
look that Mitsubishi states will be adopted across its
future model range.
The latest crossover will also offer signihcantly
improved fuel economy over the current model
thanks to a raft of technology including new four-
cylinder gasoline and diesel engines, and eventually a
plug-in hybrid. However, its not all about economy as
the Outlander gets some advanced safety technology
such as Forward Collision Mitigation System, which
monitors the road ahead and can automatically apply
the brakes if it detects an object up front, as well as
Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Departure Warning
systems.
24
Never before in the history of the Porsche Boxster was a change of generation so comprehensive. For
2012, the open-top two-seater car is being marketed with a completely new lightweight body and a
completely revamped chassis. Considerably lower weight, longer wheelbase, a wider track and larger
wheels signihcantly enhance yet further the mid-engine sports cars driving dynamics, already far and
away the best in its class, supported by the new electro-mechanical power steering. The new 2.7-litre
engine [technically based on 3.4-litre engine] offers 265 hp [+10hp] and the 3.4-litre engine now
offers 315hp [+5hp]. Both models feature a manual six-speed gearbox as standard, with the seven-
speed dual-clutch Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) available as an option. Besides superior
performance, both models are also up to 15 per cent more fuel-efhcient.
The new Jaguar XF Sportbrake promises to be the most versatile
Jaguar ever created. Sharing its underpinnings with the XF saloon, the
Sportbrakes overall length grows by just 5mm, its weight by less 70kg
and its chassis structure matches the strength of the conventional XF.
Every panel on the XF Sportbrake, from the B-Pillar rearwards, is new.
The strong silver signature line running the length of the car is extended
while the C-Pillar is hnished in gloss black, a trait shared with the XJ
saloon. Slim rear light units extend into a strong chrome crossmember
that dominates the rear of the car. The result is a car that blends style
and function with the rear seat occupants benehtting from 48mm of extra
rear headroom. Beneath the car there are extensive changes to the rear
suspension. Self-levelling air suspension aids driving dynamics and means
the Sportbrake can serve as an accomplished tow vehicle. Powering the
XF Sportbrake will be a range of efhcient yet powerful diesel engines in
2.2-litre four cylinder and 3.0-litre six-cylinder form, each directing drive
through the rear wheels via an advanced eight-speed automatic gearbox.
AMGS latest V8-powered creation is the Mercedes-Benz SL63
AMG. Details of this car were released just a few days before
its public debut at the Geneva motor show this month. Its USP
is an incredible package that brings it very close to matching
the performance of its SLS AMG sibling. The production version
of the SL 63AMG is expected to hit markets in the third quarter
of this year. Sharing the standard SLs lightweight aluminium
construction with a touch of carbon-hbre the new SL63 is 125kg
lighter than its predecessor. It will arrive with up to 415kW
of peak power and a tarmac-shredding 900Nm of torque, a
signihcant boost over the outgoing SL63s 386kW and 630Nm.
Despite the weight loss, the presence of its trademark folding
hard-top contributes to the SL63 weighing 225kg more than
the SLS coupe and though the naturally-aspirated 6.2-litre V8
of the SLS produces 5kW more, its signihcantly lower 650Nm
torque hgure means the SL is likely to out-punch it in some
performance areas, most likely mid-range acceleration. The SL63
will come with Active Body Control sports suspension, switchable
between sports or comfort modes, speed-sensitive steering
and a Sport Handling mode for the electronic stability control.
Also switchable depending on driving style is the seven-speed
automatic transmission, with economy, sport, sport plus and
manual modes.
Porsche
Mercedes-
Benz AMG
Jaguar
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We are back for a second exci t i ng year of test i ng and assessi ng Cars and SUVs i n Oman for t hat el usi ve
characteri st i c t hat makes t hem wi nners. As al ways, we onl y rank vehi cl es t hat we act ual l y test dri ve!
www.aut omanweb.com
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2 5 0 MODELS, 4 0 BRANDS, 1 5 CATEGORIES
ONE WINNER IN EACH
CATEGORY!
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01 Smal l Car of t he Year
02 Mi d-si ze Car of t he Year
03 Large Car of t he Year
04 Premi um Car of t he Year
05 Luxury Car of t he Year
06 Hot Hat ch of t he Year
07 Sport s Car of t he Year
08 Performance Car of t he Year
09 Smal l SUV of t he Year
10 Mi d-si ze SUV of t he Year
11 Large SUV of t he Year
12 Premi um SUV of t he Year
13 Performance SUV of t he Year
14 Best debut Model i n Oman
15 Edi t ors choi ce
26
A U T OM A N C OT Y 2 0 11
CREATES
A STORM OF
EXCITEMENT
27
Our year-l ong Car of t he Year program over 2011 ended
wi t h t he announcement s of t he wi nners i n each cat egory
i n t he February 2012 i ssue. We handed out some of t he
awards at a gl i t t eri ng eveni ng at Nut s & Bol t s t he onl y
aut omot i ve t hemed cl ub i n t own.
28
A U T OM A N C OT Y 2 0 11
A
whole
year of testing,
assessing and ranking test vehicles from the
entire range of cars and SUVs on offer in Oman came
to a grand climax at the hrst Automan Car of the Year
event, where the winners of each category had the opportunity
to come and collect their respective awards. Of course, since
Automan is so much an integral part of the automotive scene in Oman,
we had already informed the winners and had allowed anyone who so
chose to collect the awards in their showroom.
The evening was recognised as a unique one by all the attendees as it
was perhaps for the very hrst time in Oman that people had gathered from
across dealerships, brands and loyalties in becoming part of the only unbiased
common platform the industry has. Raj Warrior, editor of Automan pointed this
out in his welcome address saying, Perhaps it is most htting that in Oscar
season, we have put together an event that will come to represent the Oscars
of Omans automotive industry. We have to thank every one of the invitees for
transcending brand afhliations in order to be part of this event.
Sheikh Hatim Al taie, Publisher of the magazine went on to highlight
the love affair Omanis have with the automobile, the car has become
far more than a means to travel from point A to B, becoming our
measure for status, aspiration and lifestyle choices. We are glad
that Automan has taken the leadership position by instituting
the Car of the Year awards.
After a multimedia presentation that identihed
the winners, the awards were given to the
brands that chose to accept it at the
event.
Dhofar Automotives GM Chris Edwards receives the
award for Best Large Car for the Dodge Charger
Audi Omans National Sales and Marketing Manager
Abdel Karim Awad receives the award for Hot Hatch for the Audi A1
Audi Omans Sales team receives the award for Hot
Hatch for the Audi A1 at the award ceremony
Volkswagen Omans General Manager James
Oliver receives the award for Best mid-size SUV for the
Volkswagen Touareg at the award ceremony with Karsten
Jankowski, VWs regional director
29
To recap the categorywise
winners:
Small Car Mazda 2 and KIA Rio
Mid-size Car Toyota Camry
Large Car Dodge Charger
Premium Car Inhniti M
Luxury Car Bentley Continental GT
Hot Hatch Audi A1
Sports Car Cadillac CTS-V
Performance Car Mercedes SLS AMG
Small SUV Hyundai Tucson and KIA Sportage
Mid-size SUV Volkswagen Touareg
Large SUV Toyota Land Cruiser
Premium SUV Porsche Cayenne
Performance SUV Range Rover Sport
Best Debut Hyundai Veloster
Editors choice Range Rover
Evoque
After the
unique event, we have
also been visiting various
showrooms to hand over the
awards. Watch out for some
late events next month.
Zawawi Tradings CEO Craig Hardie receives the award
for Performance Car for the Mercedes SLS AMG fc
Towell Autos Paul Valiyaveetil and Annurag Chawla
receive the award for Best Small Car for the Mazda2 from
publisher Hatim Al Taie at the ceremony
Bentley Omans James Armstrong receives the award
for Best Luxury Car for the Bentley Continental GT from
publisher Hatim Al Taie at the ceremony
MHD Automotive Director David Aziz receives the
award for Editors choice for the Range Rover Evoque
MHD Automotive Director David Aziz receives the
award for Best Performance SUV for the Range Rover
Sport
Ther e ar e only t wo wor king pr ot ot ypes of Nissans hyper per for mance
st r eet legal Juke R cr ossover s in t he wor ld. Aut omans edit or s wer e
F IR S T D R IV E
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among t he few select ed jour nalist s invit ed t o t r ack
t est t his car at Dubai Aut odr ome
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The rear end of this car now has an
aggressive prohle -- note the dual exhaust
tips in the diffuser
The contribution of the wide performance tyres and
the benehts of the wider rear track [when s clearly
evident. Inside, race seats with four-point safety
harness
A
s motoring journalists, we do come
across examples of intense engineering
in the industry. And most of the
radicalism is usually the handiwork of in-house
tuner set-ups where a bunch of performance
hungry engineers lend their magic touch to
stock machines. But, what we witnessed last
month, virtually pulverizes what we have been
exposed so far.
In what we would describe as the most
radical piece of innovative engineering
comes from Nissan who began sounding an
idea to pump some steroids into its recently
introduced lifestyle Juke crossover SUV. The
normal way to go about it would be to either
bump up the engines existing power, change
the transmission, tweak and stiffen the chassis
and get some tarmac gripping rubber or at the
most drop in a bigger displacement engine
with bells and whistles.
Not good enough said the bofhns at Nissan.
How about dropping the GT-Rs powertrain
in the Juke instead? At hrst, this may seem
a ludicrous idea, but that hasnt stopped
Nissan going ahead with such a project with
both left and right hand drive models. Both
variants have their creative origins in the UK
as a result of a collaborative effort between
Nissans Technical Centre Europe (NTC-E) and
motorsports outht Ray Mallock Limited. It
took 22-weeks from start to hnish and after
a couple of teaser rounds about the concept,
the Nissan Juke R made its ofhcial debut at
F IR S T D R IV E
32
Ray Mallock specialises in building t r ack-focused
per for mance machines. Wit h help and guidance fr om
Nissans Eur opean t echnical cent r e, it has built t hese
pr ot ot ypes in r ecor d 22 weeks.
Although the engine is turbo charged, Nissans
engineers are yet to introduce direct injection in the
GT-Rs engine. Even without that, the performance
extracted is nothing short of awesome
The Juke Rs interior has been modihed extensively to accommodate the
dashboard, central console, instruments and TFT display of the GT-R. The
only difference noted that in the Juke R, you sit closer to the instrument
panel
the Dunlop 24 Hours of Dubai in January.
Technically, the Nissan Juke-R is not a
production car but a special, road legal
concept car. At hrst glance of this matt black
car, when compared with the stock Juke, the
Juke-Rs physical dimensions are closer to
the stock Juke more than your regular GT-R.
The car shares the same length of the Juke
-- [4,135mm], height [1,575mm] and sports
a shorter by 226mm wheelbase. The Juke R
is wider [its width has been increased from
1,765mm to 1,910mm and front and rear
tracks are asymmetric with extra hared wheel
arches accommodating 20in RAYS forged alloy
wheels shod with high performance low prohle
tyres.
Performance related aerodynamic tweaks
are also visible besides the sculpted side skirts/
rocker panels, at the rear of the car theres a
dynamic split rear wing designed specihcally
to help the front heavy car with down-force
at high speeds. Interestingly, there are no
extra cooling arrangements such as oversized
radiators or visible extra ducting. Mallock
reconhrmed the cooling systems in the car
were all stock from the GT-R
A critical look at the packaging inside out
reveals that this isnt just a cut and paste
job. First, it is clear to the trained eye that
the Juke R is not just a GT-R on a Juke body.
We are aware of the dimensions of the GT-Rs
powertrain and trying to retroht this in the Juke
has demanded a critical amount of engineering
33
work to be
done by
RML. When
it came to
the Jukes
new engine,
htting a twin-
turbo V6 [besides
extra two cylinders
and more than double
the displacement] where a transversely-
placed four-cylinder used to exist meant that
the Jukes stock hoor pan had to be taken
out entirely and a new one fabricated hoor
along with a redesigned and stiffer bulkhead
were created to accommodate the engine that
now lives deep in the Jukes cabin. To further
reinforce the cabin and help in torsional
rigidity, a custom fabricated roll-cage was
welded in.
Most of the other kit in the cabin come
from the GT-R including the dashboard and
instrumentation and 7in TFT screen. As a
purely functional road legal car, theres even
mod cons such as air-conditioning, the stock
GT-Rs audio system, multifunction steering
wheel, bright red engine start button among
others. However, the biggest change is in the
cars accommodation. Instead of keeping the
base Jukes hve-seat layout, this modihed car
is strictly a two-seater with OMP racing seats.
The designers and fabricators have done a
great job in balancing form with function with
key elements from both the GT-R and Juke
with each clearly complementing each other.
The dashboard is 4in closer to the driver and
so is the central console, by an inch. This has
arrangement has ensured that the driver can
still operate the touch screen and drive train
switches.
One of the interesting things in the cabins
design is that it can accommodate larger
people. Mallock said that any time RML
builds a car, a Mallock has to always ht, and
they start at 63. While the footwell area is
reduced to accommodate the powertrain, we
can empathise with the effort in getting the
position of the seats and the angle of the
pedals just right. Pieces had to be relocated
so everything would ht under the skin such
as the HVAC unit for the A/C and heater now
resides in the boot.
Under the bonnet and tightly placed in the
engine bay is a familiar sight which is the
GT-Rs 485bhp 3.8-litre V6 twin turbo engine
from the pre-revised 2011 edition. While the
Juke-R is marginally heavier than the GT-
R, with this package it can still propel the
car from a standing start to 100kmlh in just
3.7secs, before continuing on to a top speed
of 257km/h. Surprisingly, this engine uses port
injection!
The cars suspension package which dehnes
the handling is quite interesting. While Mallock
did the majority of the developmental tuning
as the build progressed, logging thousands
of miles in the process it was found that a
combination of components from two model
years worked best. The front suspension
comes from the 2011 model, while the rear is
from the 2010 edition.
Driving impressions
The hrst thing I noticed when entering the Juke
R is that it feels like a luxury race car. However,
one does note that the sitting position is
different. In the Juke-R, you actually sit further
back when compared to the standard car. Fully
bolstered in OMP racing seats with hve belts
to ensure a tight ht, its still comfortable. Once
I was strapped in, and with Michael Mallock
as my co-passenger-cum-track guide, after a
brief introduction he indicated I was ready to
push the familiar starter button found in the
GT-R to bring Juke R to life. Since the car was
built in 2011, and the 2012 GT-R has some
revisions [including a power bump and some
minor exhaust acoustic changes], the engine
note and exhaust note of the Juke R is identical
to the last-generation GT-R.
Once out of the pits, the hrst lap was a
familiarity lap and when I hrst turn the wheel to
join the track, I did note theres a fair amount of
nimbleness in the steering feedback not found
in the GT-R [which I lapped on track before
the Juke R]. The Juke R feels much livelier
and the instant gratihcation comes when the
pedal meets metal and the tingling feel of
weight shifting when slamming the brakes in
particular. What surprised me was the Initial
turn-in capability, which is incredibly crisp and
immediate. Even with the tight chassis, theres
a bit of body roll and the AWD system of the
GT-R works its magic as expected.
The second lap onwards, Mallock suggested
I could take forward the car in terms of its
capabilities [Im pretty sure lap #1 was him
ascertaining driver abilities in control and
handling this extreme machine and also
ensuring that his baby was safe and sound!].
On the long straights on the track Mallock
encouraged track experienced drivers to push
the car to the limits, something which I would
never push. With my reasonable track driving
capabilities, I saw the speedometer needle
over 208km/h and was extra cautious with
hard braking zone, where I noted that the
had a tendency to get light in the back and
wiggle its rear just a bit and by the time
you realized it the car has recomposed
F IR S T D R IV E
34
Engine
3.8-litre V6 bi-turbo
with intercooler, DOHC 24-valves,
aluminium block and heads,
port fuel injection
Max power
485 bhp
Max torque
588 Nm
Transmission
7-speed double clutch
Kerb weight
1,806 kg
Overall length
4,135 mm
Overall width
1,910 mm
Overall height
1,575 mm
Wheelbase
2,530 mm
Track width
front: 1,586 mm
rear: 1,598 mm
Minimum ground clearance:
115 mm
Max. speed
257 km/h
Acceleration 0-100 km/h
3.7 s
Technical
specications
itself, just like the GT-R. Its amazing how
the intelligent electronics are able to give
this crossover a planted feel, quite similar to
the GT-R. Of course, one has to factor in the
packaging of both cars [GT-R and Juke R]
in reality performance and handling can be
very but not identical and this is attributed
the differences in higher centre of gravity
and shortened wheelbase of the Juke R.
While this isnt serious enough to get worried
about for a seasoned driver, but it we cant
ignore the feel and have to let our senses and
rehexes adjust the driving attitude and after
that, its a blast to drive this car, even without
the launch control.
While most of the track was allocated for
the drive, I could hoor the car and take fast
corners without hesitating while ensure that
the lines were correct and appropriate braking
and throttle was applied while entering or
exiting corners. I had real fun in ensuring that
the cars low-prohle performance tyres really
worked hard for grip and at the same time
manage to manouevre the car incredibly hard
through and out of corners. Its a uniquely
amazing driving experience and given a bit
more time, four-wheel drifts out of any corner
would be just a natural extension.
The Juke-R is real fun to drive, thanks in part to
the GT-Rs double-clutch transmission, which
requires you to do nothing more strenuous
than grab the gear selector and slot it into A
for automatic shifts or M if you want to use
the steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters.
At just over 1,800kg (around 60kg more than
the GT-R) the Juke-R is no hyweight, but with
all that power and torque it is able to exhibit
similar physics defying feel as Nissans iconic
hagship. The idea of giving the car a shorter
wheelbase and wider asymmetric track does
make it so agile, especially the way it turns
into to corners.
When inquired about any reprogramming in
the cars electronic package, Mallock said that
all the GT-Rs electronic wizardry remained
intact, and its so clever that Nissan had no
problem in adapting its responses to cope
with the Juke-Rs subtly different dynamics.
Verdict
By far, theres no dispute that the Juke R is
one of the most exhilarating vehicles
currently wearing a Nissan badge and this
near-500bhp Juke R is an incredible machine.
While theres Nissans in-house Nismo which
could bring up its own version of a souped
up Juke, while appreciating the fact that for
now, Nissan says this is a PR exercise, we
think it will be hard for Nissan to ignore the
tremendous reception the Juke R has already
received throughout out the world. It would
be a shame if all that development work
werent put toward a limited run road-going
version. Till then, at the very least, the Juke
R is an interesting experiment in adapting
performance engineering.
35
What made Nissan go for this idea?
It started as an idea to add more fun in
the Juke. From the onset it was clear that
the Nissan Juke-R is not a production car
but a special, road legal concept car.
How were you involved?
We were approached by Nissan to create
two versions of the Nissan Juke-R - one in
left-hand-drive and one in right-hand-drive
and as you can see, both cars are here in
Dubai.
How long did it take to complete the
project?
From idea conception, approval and
engineering to final sign off, 22 weeks.
What were the major engineering
considerations?
Since this crossover SUV was to be
performance oriented with the genes
of the GT-R, RML had to design the
engineering package in such a way that
it complemented the packaging over
all as per intentions. We had plenty of
information on the Juke and GT-R, so we
had the ability to figure out theoretical
spring, anti-roll bar, sway bar, and
damping rates needed. Components for
the suspension comes from 2010 and
2011 modes of the GT-R, but firmness was
increased significantly to help minimize
body roll, as everything on the Juke R had
to be stiffer and firmer.
Obviously, this is no ordinary job.
Whats been the most difficult part of
the assignment?
The most difficult bit I would say was
packaging. As you know, the GT-R has
a big driveline, so we always knew that
was going to be a challenge getting that
into the Juke body. Besides floor pan and
bulkhead modifications, we had to reduce
the wheelbase of the stock Juke by 9.8in.
How did the sign off take place?
We worked closely with Nissans Tech
Center in Europe throughout the process.
When both sides were satisfied with the
car, we had experts from Nissan to drive
the vehicle to confirm its findings. Both
companies worked together on the final
sign-off procedure to get the two vehicles
certified for dynamics and safety.
F IR S T D R IV E
36
Q & A with Michael Mallock
Nissan teamed up with Ray Mallock Racing, which has worked closely with the companys motorsport projects for the past two decades,
running the R90C prototype at Le Mans in 1990 and the 90s BTCC team. Ray Mallock also developed the Micra-R in 2003, a supercar with a
Nissan Primera race engine where the rear seats used to be. Its that car which inspires the new Juke-R, says Mallock
38
Ev ol ut i onar y
mas t er pi ece
{ C OV E R S T OR Y }
EDITORIAL NOM INEE
PORSCHE CARRERA S
SPORTS CAR
2012
Al l -new
2012 Por sche 911
Car r er a S makes a gr and
ent r y i n t he r egi on and Aut oman
di scover ed how t r adi t i on met
moder ni t y at Yas Mar i na Ci r cui t i n
Abu Dhabi
39
Author Chandan B Mallik
40
{ C OV E R S T OR Y }
Panamera-Cayenne inspired cockpit
is highly desirable now
Longer, light er, quicker, r oomier, and mor e fuel-ef ficient
t han it s 997 pr edecessor, t he 991 is an evolut ionar y
mast er piece of speed, st yle, and cut t ing edge t echnology
41
F
orty nine years after the original 901-
series rocked the motoring world at the
1963 Frankfurt motor show, Porsches
gift for 2012 is the all-new seventh generation
Porsche 911 Carrera and its S variant. The
new arrivals are the technologically the most
sophisticated, potent and environmentally
friendly models that Porsche has ever
offered.
Porsches chief designer Michael Mauer
said that he was extremely proud to present
the new Porsche 911 Carrera S at Yas Marina
Circuit. Mauer explained the development
agenda had to ensure purity in design while
marrying the current demands of modern
engineering such as lightweight construction,
agile performance and overall efhciency
across all departments. As a result, evolution
continues to be the name of the 911 game,
with the trademark cannon barrel front
42
{ C OV E R S T OR Y }
The spect acular Yas Mar ina Cir cuit pr ovided a per fect backdr op for
Por sche t o showcase it s new 2012 911 Car r er a S ser ies and also allow
us t o push t he car s t o t he ext r emes in a safe and cont r olled envir onment
43
mudguards, extra curved coupe glasshouse and sloping roohine dehning
the hallmark Porsche design DNA along with the horizontally opposed,
rear-mounted powertrain set-up as always.
While Porsche designers made sure the new 991 generation looks the
part with its authentic, the new detailing complements to styling nicely.
The overhangs have been reduced, so the body is 2.2in longer overall.
The mudguard shapes are there, so are the oval headlamps which are
now pushed backwards and fast tail are all too familiar. But at closer looks,
the new detailing such as the new and sharper character lines become
evident. The front end has now a more aggressive lower valance, and the
LED daytime running lights are located above the large intakes while the
side mirrors have been relocated from the A-pillar to the door. Unlike 911s
of yesteryears, the 991s rear end doesnt slope down sharply anymore,
thanks to a new tail lamp design. Meanwhile, the rear end is signed off with
understated exhaust tips which have now replaced the quad arrangement
of the outgoing model.
There some engineering changes and we were told that the drivers
hip point was used as a reference for the change in wheelbase. The front
axle moves forward by 1.2in, and the rear moves aft by just under three.
Meanwhile, the windscreen also moves about three inches forward and
the glass is more rounded than before and virtually wraps the A-pillars.
Aerodynamically, it retains the same drag coefhcient of 0.29 Cd as before
and theres still the retractable rear spoiler arrangement. The cars centre
of gravity is down by 5mm and drag is down by four per cent, while
rear aero lift has been cut by 28 per cent a result of increased rear
downforce.
Under the paintwork of the car, the body shell makes more use of
aluminium and Porsche says this has helped the car shed 45kg. Lighter
material now constitutes about 45 per cent of the new cars shell, including
the hoor, roof, doors, and all structural and exterior sheetmetal forward
of the windscreen. Steel is limited mainly to the piece that forms the
rear quarter-panels and door frames and according to Porsche, the most
complex single part to stamp.
The new cabin has been revisited extensively and the 2+2 seating
layout remains, but prominent is the Panamera-Cayenne inspired central
console running across the tunnel with fewer buttons than the Panamera
or Cayenne. The traditional hve-pod instrument cluster keeps a large
tachometer in the centre, while a useful multifunction colour TFT display
hnds a home to the right of that.
The rear-mounted, hat six cylinder boxer engine in the Carrera S [our
testers] is carried over but tweaked to offer a 400hp from the 3.8-litre.
With the 7-speed PDK double clutch gearbox the Carrera S can accelerate
from 0-100km/h in 4.3sec and in Sport Plus mode shaves another 0.2sec!
This means the new arrival is 0.2sec quicker than its predecessor. The
powertrain set-up is good to meet Euro 5 emissions targets.
One of the energy saving solutions according to Porsche is the new
electro-mechanical power steering which replaces the previous hydraulic
arrangement, and depending on the model, there are other standard or
optional active control systems available as well that further enhance
the driving dynamics. Also available for the hrst time on the Porsche
911 Carrera S is the Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC) active roll
stabilisation system, the innovative system that reduces body roll when
cornering. Also the test cars came with various driver-oriented chassis
settings and driving mode selectors.
The companys Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM)
electronic dampers and Porsche Torque Vectoring system (PTV
consisting of a mechanical rear differential lock that helps vary torque
Fr om t he or iginal car, t he highly covet ed 356 t o t he fir st 911 launched
44
{ C OV E R S T OR Y }
between the rear wheels) are standard on
the S. On the braking front, there is a dual-
circuit system aided by PSM Porsche Stability
Management, with the base car boasting four-
piston aluminium monobloc brake calipers
and 330mm perforated and vented discs
upgraded to 340mm items up front for the
Carrera S. The standard rim size is 19in on the
base car shod with 235/40 ZR rubber up front
and 285/35 ZR1 at rear back while the Carrera
S gets 245/35 ZR [front] and 295/30 ZR [rear]
low prohle on 20in rims.
Driving impressions
Porsche Middle East organized a two-day
media ride and drive event in UAEs capital city
of Abu Dhabi. On the hrst day of the event,
for us who reached the capital late morning
were offered a leisurely afternoon drive in the
Carrera S. And as the landmarks hashed by
you begin to realize the Carrera S has become
more of a drivers car. However, this was
merely a clinical teaser for Day Two, which
was to be with the car at the track.
Day two, Porsche divided the media invitees
into two groups at Yas. The purpose was clearly
to ensure that the assigned groups became
familiar with the technical aspects of the cars
via various exercises. Here we got more time
to examine the car at standstill under the
sunny skies. The hrst thing we noticed on this
Zuffenhausen-built newcomer is that it has a
familiar prohle, but in reality no more than hve
per cent of components have been carried over
from the 997s body shell. However, the car
appears to sit lower overall as its stretched by
3.9in wheelbase helps gives it a lower stance,
also complemented by the wider front track.
Front and rear overhangs are now shorter,
maintaining the compact footprint that has
been a longstanding 911 attribute.
Electric power steering set ups in sports cars
has been something that we have been wary of
and hence wondered how did it live up to the
game in the name of efhciency? We have been
consistently bickering about electric power
assist steering (EPAS or EPS) for its usually
numb effect on handling. We can understand
the application in non sports cars as a cost
reduction exercise but wonder why theres
such an explosive growth of these systems
in sports cars such as Porsche. A Porsche
technical expert mentioned that the steering
set-up specihc to the 911 was one of the most
important engineering-led considerations.
We made it a point to specihcally check this
aspect on track.
On track, even sitting low, the seats are
great, offering excellent support without the
usual back-breaking hardness found in some
sports cars. On track, our hrst impressions of
the steering feedback are impressive. The Ss
steering is beautifully weighted and detailed
t he gr ound-br eaking 1964 911 Coupe, each gener at ion has been
pr esent ed as a t est ament t o t he genius of it s design and engineer ing
45
and its more exploitable and friendly than
its outgoing predecessor. And depending on
options theres the optional Sport Chrono Pack
which has buttons to sharpen the throttle
response and turn the PDK gearbox into a
super-sharp unit on demand.
We were genuinely impressed at how
dramatically unrelenting and incredibly linear
this cars performance is, streaking seamlessly
beyond 200km/h.Turns at Yas Marina are
enjoyable usually in a good car and this one
we noted head into the sharper turns with
mild understeer. Thats not a frightening
prospect as theres always help at hand -- the
appropriate nannies keep the car planted as
it should be nicely. As we became friendly
with the cars set up, it encouraged us to push
harder without fear of swapping the rear.
Most of the track was easily covered in third
and fourth gears and for added excitement, I
opted for the sport button for a throttle remap
and higher gear holding. The results couldnt
have been better.
What we also liked was the availability
of proper set of paddle shifters and not the
push buttons as some cars have these days.
The car rides on a familiar suspension kit of
MacPherson struts with coilovers in front, and
an independent hve-arm setup with coilovers in
the rear. It is easily controlled through throttle
steer when combined with the PSM system.
During track runs at Yas Marina, we found that
it can be easily controlled and rewarded the
drive with good behaviour as well.
A thing I noted from the technical brief
was that the new 911s front-end has been
the subject of substantial tweaking and with
a more stiffened chassis and torque vectoring,
the feel and behaviour was to be quite different.
I remember the 997 Series II had actually lost
a little of its lightness in the name of a more
planted feel, but thats not a concern in the
new car. The second demonstration included a
couple of runs through autocross styled cones
at 50-60km/h to get a feel of the minimized
body roll, thanks to torque vectoring at work.
Frankly, at these speeds we didnt expect much
roll with the revised set-chassis up [unless the
cars chassis has ultra luxury settings]. The car
appears controlled as expected, but the roll
factor exercise wasnt that too convincing.
Verdict
Over all, there is no 911 better suited to
defend that position than the all-new, seventh-
generation 991 Carrera S which extends yet
further the span of apparently contradictory
attributes such as performance and efhciency,
sportiness and everyday usability that has
always typihed the Porsche 911. For many
Porsche purists it is this quintessential Porsche
model that perfectly complements the historic
milestone again.
{ R OA D T E S T }
46
And her e
comes t he 3 0 0
47
The iconic Chr ysler car is in t own as t he
complet ely r evamped 2012 model. Does it
have t he same appeal as it s Dodge sibling
t he Char ger, which won our Car of t he Year
last year ? We put it t hr ough a lit t le mor e
t han 300 paces.
Author Raj Warrior | Photographs: Raj Warrior
EDITORIAL NOM INEE
CHRYSLER 300C
LARGE SALOON
2012
{ R OA D T E S T }
48
W
e had driven the 300 and the Charger
at the same event more than a year
ago in the United States. It was the end
of January and almost Super Bowl time and for
an American audience there is almost nothing
to match the appeal of Super Bowl excepting
a presidential race or perhaps a moon landing.
The new Chrysler that had resulted from Italys
Fiat group buying into a bankrupt old Chrysler
had a raft of new models to showcase across
the brands most signihcantly in the Chrysler
300 and the Dodge Durango, Challenger and
Charger. And what better way to get peoples
attention than to go live with a branding
exercise that used music icon Eminem and a
tagline of Made in Detroit?
At the time of the original deal happening
between the US government, creditors and
Fiat, the author had expressed it as seeming
like a marriage between an Italian playboy and
a Kansas farm girl. How long could it last? And
what would the family be like, considering the in-
laws? Well, all seems to be going well in Detroit
at least, with the new Chrysler group having
consistently delivered new products, revamped
existing product lines and announcing new
cars that build on the strengths found in this
partnership of mismatched backgrounds.
However the 300 itself was the progeny of
a previous marriage one that this farm girl
had with a German suitor before. Based on
the E-class platform, the 300 and Charger
were both quite successful adaptations that
used strong engineering base compounded
with the brilliant compromise of the 5.7-litre
Hemi engine to produce cars that suited
49
Wit h t he r evisit ed 300C, it seems Chr ysler
Gr oup has r edefined t he USP of t he model
ser ies especially in t he execut ive class wit h an
upmar ket and lavishly kit t ed lifest yle ver sion
{ R OA D T E S T }
50
middle America. Large, true to the tradition of
American cars built in Detroit and backed by
solid German engineering. However, the sham
that that marriage was built on added to the
problems Chrysler faced during the break-up.
Chryslers Detroit factories were nothing like
the German plants of Mercedes. They had an
American approach that thrived under volume
production but accepted signihcant error-
margins, hence quality was just never up to
new global expectations. And they didnt have
access to any of the quality smaller engines that
Daimler made, passing off with adaptations
from Korea and Japan that were part of the
broader alliance.
Perhaps more than anything else, that
was what typihed the outgoing 300. It was
built to the highest expectations, but was not
resourced adequately. In this generation the
cars designers have tried to put together the
missing links the car still looks as beefy and
intimidating as before and yes, you can still see
the pop-idol, rapper or basketball player taking
out a fully blinged car, but now it is targeted
more at middle-class zones with a luxury
aspiration.
The 300 has not changed materially in size
it sits on a wheelbase just over 3 metres in
length and a rather wide track (1,611mm at the
front and 1,620mm at the rear). The proportions
are just right, the overhangs balanced well in
a car that tops the 5 metre length charts and a
high shoulderline. However its squat stance is
offset by large wheels (with a choice of a 20in
at the top end) and an almost chopped roof hot
rod prohle.
In the redesign, the 300 managed to change
the arrangement of its greenhouse as well as
gain some amount of additional character on
its fenders and outer skin. Which brings us to
the hrst point of contention the 300 looked
so much like a Bentley in your rearview mirror.
Now with the new treatment of the grille and
the rearranged headlights it no longer does. Of
course Bentley has also moved on but the
hints of Psuedo-luxury have to now be earned
by the car on more than a passing resemblance
to the big British marque.
The interiors have also been spruced up and
you can see that the Chrysler group has wisely
chosen to spend its efforts on getting the
touch and feel points right. The whole centre
console has been revamped with a larger
interface, modern electronics, clearer screen,
media player and phone interconnectivity and
a sound system. And the roof and A-pillar have
been tweaked so that the car gets a bit more
of a rake while improving visibility for the driver
around the A-pillar area.
The 300 is still shipped with the 5.7-litre V8
engine with all its glorious torque of 534Nm and
a peak power output of 363bhp. However this
engine is under threat from a rather unlikely
source. The combination of the torquey Hemi
with displacement on demand that deactivates
half its cylinders when not needed coupled with
the 5-speed auto gearbox with overdrive in 4th
and 5th and a low gearing of 3.59 cannot be
faulted except when you see the new entrant.
The 300 now ships into the GCC countries
with the by now ubiquitous 3.6-litre Pentastar
V6 with a peak power output of 292bhp and
353Nm of torque coupled with an 8-speed auto
gearbox that offers adaptive electronic control
and a torque convertor lock with a turbine
torsional damper for low lock-up speeds. The
gearing on this larger spread of gears changes
the expected results at the wheels low gear
starts at a 4.71 ratio and overdrive ratios are in
use through gears 6, 7 and 8.
This second powertrain is the one to look
out for and we see the manner in which it is
creeping into most CJD products as indicative
of its future potential after all the Pentastar
engine has already crossed a million installed
units.
We were testing the larger engine and the
5-speed gearbox. As expected the 300 is a
different creature to the Dodge Chargers
boisterous beast. The overwhelming sensation
you get is that the car does not really want
to be bothered with screeching off into the
distance. It is quiet, sedate and exudes peace
and calm except from the exceptionally well
put together sound system. But thats till you
take the accelerator a little lower than the hrst
of an inch of play hitting the stops reminds
you just how powerful the engine is you get
grabbed by the base of your spine and thrown
ahead with wheels screeching (you ask yourself
where the so called traction control is?). Try
doing this as you enter a T-junction and you
get the next vicarious thrill of the skid that
the Hemi on all 8-cylinders and low gear can
impart to your rear wheels. Did we say that the
Charger and 300 were different? Lets change
it to a level of breeding then, the 300 does all
the Charger does in a Tuxedo.
So does Chrysler have a winner on its hands in
the nature of the Charger? At this point it seems
like the 300 will continue to build on its proven
lineage, will overcome the disappointment that
folks have with it losing its Bentley aura and will
gain many new customers from among large
sedan users across the spectrum. But it doesnt
quite bridge the gap into E-class territory
despite its underpinnings making it a value
buy of a feature packed performer that aspires
to the premium segment. We know that the
Pentastar variants are priced quite competitively
and come complete with paddle shift, high-
end navigation and sound features, rearview
camera and the works. And the 300 now is
perfectly balanced offering itself to customers
both as an owner-driven and chauffeur-driven
entry-premium sedan.
Daily,Weekly,Monthly rentals.
Get the
best rates!
New Eight-speed gearbox
The Pentastar engine gets a ZF 8HP45 eight-
speed automatic that adds three extra gears
in the traditional layout, thereby reducing the
ratios between stops as well as allowing to get
a signihcantly lower gearing for the hrst gear.
The engine now delivers a top-in-class fuel
efhciency of 31 mpg on the highway, which is
quite impressive in an E-segment car.
{ R OA D T E S T }
52
Imp ro v in g
o n a w in n in g
p a c k a g e
Af t er winning Aut omans COTY for Lar ge SUV in
2011, t he Land Cr uiser debut s wit h a new engine and
modificat ions t o it s per for mance
Author Raj Warrior | Photographs: Raj Warrior & Sawsan Almuharbi
EDITORIAL NOM INEE
TOYOTA LAND CRUISER
LARGE SUV
2012
53
T
he large SUV seems to be an
anachronism is many parts of the
world. Thankfully for the category
there are still areas that appreciate the
breed. Of course the United States of
America was the main market for the
breed, but now the afhuence, the terrain
and lifestyles of the Middle East seems to
be more suitable for the category than
urban afhuence. In a day and age of rising
fuel prices and better connectivity by
roads in many parts of the world, the SUV
is heading into crossover territory but the
large SUV still lives on in some much loved
platforms like Toyotas Land Cruiser.
We had performed a full test of the SUV
last year when it debuted the 5.7-litre to
bring it completely in competition with
the Nissan Patrol. The engine remains
available in the new year but the main
petrol engine is nominally smaller at 4.6-
litres from the previous 4.7 and the vehicle
gets tweaks that set it up nicely as a mid-
generation upgrade.
Most owners of these 4WDs have
tracked their evolution through the years.
Despite being best-sellers the relatively
lower volume of sales of the category
resulted in product life cycles stretching
across a decade. After all the temptation
to change a winning formula has to be
resisted. Pressure from other segments
and categories that are rolling out new
technologies has nevertheless taken its
toll upgrades are necessary now to
keep abreast of rapidly developing and
affordable technologies.
{ R OA D T E S T }
54
Crawl Control with world-rst off-road Turn Assist
When the transfer switch is in L4 range and vehicle speed is below 25 km/h, the Crawl Control function
may be used either on its own or in conjunction with MTS, helping the driver slowly descent or ascend
slopes at a walking pace, or free the vehicle when stuck, without the need to touch the pedals. Crawl
Control now offers drivers a choice of hve vehicle speed settings.
An independently switchable Turn Assist function has been added to Crawl Control, allowing drivers to
execute even the tightest turns without the need for reversing mid-bend. Operable at speeds below 10
km/h, Turn Assist reacts to the drivers steering inputs, braking the rear wheel on the same side of the
vehicle as the direction in which it is turning. Wheel braking force automatically increases with steering
angle, reducing the new Land Cruiser V8 2012s turning circle radius.
Multi-terrain Select MTS
The new Land Cruiser V8 2012s Multi-terrain Select system (MTS) automatically modihes the vehicles
throttle, braking and traction control systems to suit off-road conditions, providing the driver with
maximum traction and vehicle control for any given scenario.
MTS offers drivers a choice of hve terrain modes in the L4 four-wheel drive transfer range: Mud and
Sand, Loose Rock, Mogul, Rock and Dirt, and Rock. The new Multi-terrain Monitor will automatically
display the view around the vehicle on the 8 multi-information screen when MTS is in operation.
In any of the hve MTS modes, the centre differential may be locked for added traction. The rear
differential may also be locked for maximum traction.
Multi-terrain Monitor
Used in conjunction with MTS, a new Multi-terrain Monitor displays images from four external cameras
on the 8 multi-information screen. Operational when MTS is activated, the system gives off-road
drivers a comprehensive view of the areas immediately adjacent to the Land Cruiser V8 2012 which
would otherwise be obscured from sight, whether driving forwards or in reverse.
In addition to front and rear cameras, the system features left and right door mirror mounted cameras
capable of projecting either a front or a rear side view. The Multi-terrain Monitor features a versatile
display mode capable of showing either independent or combined, front and/or side views. When the
shift lever is moved to the R position, the display will automatically switch to the rear view.
The front camera uses a wide angle lens to display the widest possible forward view. Areas traditionally
out of sight, such as immediately in front of the bonnet, to within 50cm of the bumper, are now
viewable.
The Multi-terrain Monitor also displays a comprehensive range of additional front and side view
information, including the view range of the cameras and the locations of obstacles detected by the
clearance sonar.
In addition, the position of the front and rear tyre contact patches, steering linked guide lines which
predict the path of the front tyres, and vehicle width and length parallel lines are also displayed to help
the driver judge distances and avoid obstacles.
Tyre Angle Display
Complimentary to the Multi-terrain Monitors predicted tyre path guidelines, the new Land Cruiser is
also equipped with a Tyre Angle Display. Selected through the multi-information switch when MTS is
activated, steering angle-linked guidelines are projected in real time onto the TFT multi-information
display. Moving through seven steps, they constantly inform the driver of changes in steering angle
between 0 and 45 degrees. The Tyre Angle Display is also convenient when parking, offering drivers an
at a glance reminder of steering angle and tyre direction.
55
The Land Cruiser remains dimensionally
the same as the previous years. But there
are suggestive visual changes that could be
missed if you werent looking out for them.
Place a new unit with the previous years one
and you will see that the LC gets a refreshed
grille, restyled headlights with high-intensity
low beams and LED daytime running lights
and a reworked outer skin character lines
have been introduced to make the LC look
more rugged and that goes well will a large
but reworked bumper as well. The bumpers
lower prohle gets raked back so as to improve
the approach and departure angles. The
lower sill and skirting along the doors has got
a chrome highlighting, while the mirrors get
integral turnlights with the higher end models
getting the sideview camera positioned in
them too. At the rear end of the car, the
taillight assembly is now LED based, as are
the turn indicators and gets a small hn to
match the protrusion on the front assembly,
claimed to be an aerodynamic stabilising hn.
It is hard to believe that something so small
has much of an effect on the performance of
the large SUV!
Under the body, new protection panels have
been put in place to protect the engine and
geartrain from damage on traversing rocky
terrain as a result of the sharper approach
and departure angles. And a new choice of
wheels is available ranging from an 18-inch
to 20-inch.
The interiors have been revisited and
reworked, leaving some things looking like
carry-over but at the same time putting in
enough change to appeal. The instrument
panel gets a black piano hnish, modihed audio
controls and a large combination console in the
VX-R that moves most of the comfort features
around a bit. For instance air-conditioning
temperature control is through an up and
down button on the panel while blower speed
control is through the touch screen.
The speedo binnacle has also received a
new Optitron meter with blue highlights and
white backlighting and a large TFT multi-
function display between the speedo and rev
meters. Other small changes are visible in the
second and third row of the seats as well as
the presence of ventilated leather seats in the
VX-R.
The biggest news of course is the choice
of a new 4.6-litre unit that has made its way
into Europe and the rest of the world, largely
because the US is still seen as a 5.7-litre
only market. The 4.6-litre petrol V8, partners
with a 4.5 V8 biturbo-diesel and the 4.0-litre
6-cylinder petrol at the bottom end of the
range. In terms of the diesel engines, grades
now cover the engine without an intercooler,
then move on to a version with a little higher
output with an intercooler and manual gearbox
and then a signihcantly more powerful and
torquey version with a larger turbo mated to
the 6-speed automatic.
The V8 4,608cc petrol unit generates 304hp
and 430Nm of torque and comes mated
to the 6-speed auto gearbox. This unit is a
Euro5 rated engine, with friction-reduction
technologies and the adoption of Dual VVTi
on both the inlet and exhaust ports.
For 2012, the LandCruiser comes with a
series of modihcations that include a minor
facelift front and rear, better safety and more
comfort. The cars practicality quotient gets
better with each refresh.
The biggest news of course is the choice of a
new 4.6-litre unit that has made its way into
Europe and the rest of the world.
In addition to new interior colours and
trim, key revisions include new headlamps,
foglamps, grille, bumpers, taillamps, mirrors
and wheels.
{ R OA D T E S T }
56
57
Off-road improvements
All these changes are just the icing on the
cake when you take the changes in the
4WD system into account. The LC now
gets a claimed world-hrst off-road turn
assist, Multi-terrain select, multi-terrain
monitor and tyre angle monitor, which we
had seen debuting in the Prado.
The new 5-speed crawl control covers
a similar speed range to the older 3-stop
one however it gives hner control. You
could always argue that the provision of an
analogue controller would make for a hner
control but this is an excellent compromise.
We checked out the turn assist function
on sand and frankly werent able to judge
if the braking on the rear wheel was the
reason for the small difference we found
in perceived turn angle. There must be
some test that would prove it!
Quick pickup from the Eco mode that the
engine cruises on is one of the highlights
of the LCs on-road performance. Braking
is fade-free and you can really scare
the wits out of other road users if you
so choose. Because of the new acoustic
panelling and better NVH around the
A-pillar and drivers cab, you cant actually
hear anything unless you thrash the
engine at high revs. But if it is sound that
you want the VX-Rs 14-speaker JBL sound
system does the job, with a claimed 80%
reduction in on-board power consumption
using GreenEdge technology.
If its power and performance you want
then the Land Cruiser still stays top of the
heap. Its hard to displace this powerhouse
from its leadership position and Toyota
has the depth and breadth to keep the
Land Cruiser as the volume leader in the
segment.
58
P R E V IE W
59
BM
W
has offi ci al l y unvei l ed the new M
versi ons of the 2012 6 Seri es Coupe and
Converti bl e
60
P R E V IE W
T
he new 2012 BMW M6 Coup and
Convertible models represent the
most recent updates of the BMW M
philosophy and technology applications. The
new arrivals come at a time when the key
mantra is efhciency across the board in the
industry be it day-to-day transportation or
power machines like the M-badged models.
As a result, the hottest arrivals from BMWs
M-division are powered by the latest V8 M
TwinPower Turbo charged 4.4-litre engines
producing 560hp. The powertrain package
is endowed with BMWs EfhcientDynamics
technologies and the range of measures
to help both models to be cleaner and also
30 per cent more fuel-efhcient than their
predecessors, despite being signihcantly
faster and more powerful. Both cars also get
seven-speed M Double Clutch Transmission
[DCT] with DRIVELOGIC and launch control.
The DRIVELOGIC control offers three separate
shift programs, both in automatic and manual
modes, providing the driver with the best of
both worlds whether they are looking for the
sportiest selection of gears or driving comfort.
M DCT also includes a Launch Control function,
while in manual mode gears can be changed
via either the M gear selector or via paddles
on the M Sport steering wheel.
This enables the coupe to accelerate from
0-100 km/h in 4.2secs, while the convertible
does the same task in 4.3secs. Both have an
electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h,
but that can be increased to 305km/h with the
M Drivers Package. The convertible returns
10.3-litre/100 km and has CO2 emissions of
239 g/km. Actually, the power band is now
three times as wide as the former V10 engine
so downsizing has been successful without
compromise.
In a familiar
prohle,
both variants come with aggressive design
features as dehned by the technical
considerations. The need for appropriate
cooling air means bigger intakes, the revised
chassis for performance and aerodynamically
prohled components for hawless handling
complement the additional touches such as
the 30mm increase in the front track has
resulted in a signihcant swelling of the front
wheel arches, with the familiar M gills behind
them featuring chrome hares and indicator
bars with the M logo. At the rear, the now-
traditional twin pairs of exhaust pipes sit
either side of the aerodynamically optimised
diffuser.
Trademark features include sharply contoured
headlamps featuring the
61
characteristic corona rings shine and the latest
in adaptive LED headlight technology. Theres
also a new M kidney grille with its black slats
and shape inspired by the double spoke alloy
wheels which are now 19in standard and 20in
optional.
Performance comes with luxury conveniences.
Inside, the cabin is luxuriously appointed with
Merino leather sport seats, a bespoke gear
knob and a unique steering wheel with paddle
shifters. Theres also a revised instrument
cluster, carbon hbre trim, illuminated sill plates
and ambient lighting. Options include a heated
steering wheel, GPS navigation and a Bang &
Olufsen audio system.
In the tech department, the models can be
equipped with a head-up display, high
beam assist and BMW Night
Vision with pedestrian
r e c o g n i t i o n .
Cus t omer s
c a n
also order a lane change / lane departure
warning system, a rear-view camera and an
internet-connected infotainment system with
apps for Facebook and Twitter.
To meet the expectations of the most
demanding drivers, the rear axle subframe
has been bolted directly to the body, the front
axle kinematics redesigned with M-specihc
settings, and a number of 6-Series suspension
components replaced with forged aluminium
items. The electro-hydraulically controlled
dampers feature BMWs Variable Damper
Control (VDC) with a choice of three settings.
Unlike the trend to introduced electric-
mechanical power steerings, the new M6
continues with the hydraulic rack and pinion
system with a variable ratio to increase low-
speed agility while offering outstanding
stability at speed. M-specihc Servotronic
power steering offers ideal weighting for
the driver, with a choice of three settings for
further personalisation.
BMWs Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) uses
many of the cars electronic systems - such as
ABS, CBC and DBC - to provide an effective
safety net. However, drivers can select the M
Dynamic Mode (MDM) that overrides the basic
settings, allowing for greater wheel slip and
even more sporty driving characteristics.
The settings for the DSC, the engine
characteristics, DDC, Servotronic and M DCT
DRIVELOGIC can all be adjusted via the
buttons on the centre console or from within
the BMW iDrive system. However, M6 drivers
can also assign particular conhgurations to the
M1 and M2 buttons located on the steering
wheel. This way, for example, the driver can
store a sporty set up and a comfort-biased
set up that can be accessed immediately at
the touch of button. With near 50:50 weight
distribution and optimised aerodynamics the
latest BMW M6 should offer drivers the thrills
without the spills.
62
P R E V IE W
Now i n i ts tenth generati on, Ni ssan has rai sed the f l ag on
al l -new 2012 Ni ssan Sunny i nsi de out
63
C
onsidered as one of the most affordable model names in the GCC region for many years,
Nissans C-segment entry-level compact saloon, the Sunny has been resilient even at
times when other segments suffered sales.
Acclaimed by consumers for its combination of quality, space and driving performance, the
Sunny quickly help establish a foundation for the Nissan brand in the passenger vehicle market
and this aspect dehnitely gives Nissan an advantage with the Sunny, which till now was
imported from Korea and Japan in the region. Between the ninth and tenth generation Sunny,
Nissans production and marketing footprint for the Sunny has also extended to include two
more important emerging volume markets for this model India and China. This means the
Sunny is now more of a global than just a region specihc model and will be sold in 170 countries
worldwide under different vehicle brand names.
64
P R E V IE W
In keeping in line with market
developments, intense competition
and new players in the C-segment
cars worldwide, Nissan has given an
extensive makeover for the Sunny
line-up while also factoring in the
price points by investing in new
production facilities in countries like
India and China. Nissan builds the
new Sunny in Chennai, Madras, India
and in Dongfeng Nissans Huadu Plant
in Guangzhou, China.
The incoming car is built on Nissans
front-wheel drive global V platform.
V stands for Versatile and it utilizes
nearly 20 per cent fewer platform
components and weighs around 150
pounds less than the previous B
platform. While retaining the same
2,601mm wheelbase and 1,694mm
width as the previous generation
Sunny, the new model is 30mm lower
in height at 1,514mm with an overall
length of 4,425mm. The biggest
dimensional gain, however, is in the
visible gain in boot length facilitated by
a more compact engine/transmission
architecture that allows for a 69mm
increase in rear overhang. Nissan
claims that passenger and cargo
spaces have been conhgured for real-
world use and hence the incoming
model has more rear legroom than
some mid-size saloons.
The cars exterior design is a
departure from the past and its
refreshed design character is bold
with sophistication and character.
Up front, the car features Nissans
new signature grille design and
jewel-like headlamps. The interior
has been enhanced with a range of
advanced and innovative features
including Bluetooth hands-free phone
capability with steering wheel control,
rear comfort fan integrated LED turn
signals in door mirror and rear parking
sensors.
The car is offered in the region with
a 1.5-litre HR15DE 4-cylinder engine.
This normally aspirated engine comes
with variable valve timing and offers
peak power of about 110PS at 6,000
rpm and torque at about 145Nm
when mated to four-speed automatic
transmission [Chinese-versions get
X-CVT transmission].
New features across the range
now include drive computer, while
at the top end of the range, the SL
grade gets parking sensors, steering
wheel-mounted audio controls and a
Bluetooth hands-free phone system,
15in alloys and front and rear electric
windows and fog lamps.
MacPherson struts are used for
the front suspension and a torsion
beam for the rear suspension, making
for sporty and agile driving at low
speeds, and steady and stable driving
at higher speeds. Safety equipment
including twin airbags, anti-lock
brakes (ABS) and Electronic Brake
Distribution (EBD).
65
66
P R E V IE W
2012 Peugeot 508 wi l l appeal to l oyal i sts and new customers al i ke wi th i ts swanky
desi gn and ul tra effi ci ent packagi ng and sweet turbo charged engi ne
67
I
ts no secret that Peugeot has been
preparing a lot of surprises as part of
its aggressive business strategy for the
coming years. The hrst newly crafted model
in the family car segment that replaces the
407 and to some extent the 607 is the all-new
508.
The SR1 concept inspired production
package has its role cut out for Peugeot
and the 508 in particular. In Europe and in
markets that matter this newcomer will
compete against everything from the Toyota
Camry to the Holden Calais [in Australia], and
also tackle premium medium players such as
the Honda Accord and Volkswagen Passat [in
Europe]. In Middle East, the 508 will hnd itself
it very interesting company.
The way Peugeot have gone about
engineering the 508 clearly indicates some
rational and forward thinking with innovative
solutions that offset several criticisms that the
407 had. In its construction, the 508 shares its
platform with the current Citroen C5 and uses
a mix of ultra-high strength steel, aluminium
68
P R E V IE W
and plastics in its construction overall according to Peugeot, it is
about 100kg lighter than the equivalent VW Passat or C5.
The platform it has created can accommodate a variety of
powertrains and even hybrid modules. At 4,792mm long,
1,853mm wide and riding on a 2,817mm wheelbase [an increase
of 101mm, 42mm and 92mm respectively over the 407], the 508
is the largest Peugeot saloon ever sold in Oman.
This 508 aptly projects Peugeots new corporate look forged
under design head Gilles Vidal and theres a good amount of
detailing to look for. A more cab-forward prohle combined with
43mm less front overhang also results in a much roomier rear
section which was one of the 407s biggest user criticisms.
While front legroom, rear hip space and total headroom hgures
are down marginally, the hip side is that rear legroom is now
increased and the 497-litre boot is bigger.
Advanced features include Open & Go system which
automatically allows the customer/owner [while being within the
electronic zones] to unlock the car and start the engine without
physically taking the key out of the pocket.
The cars interior is simple and elegant, typical of Peugeot.
Meticulous attention has been paid into build quality, ht, hnish
and type of materials used. Modern conveniences include colour
heads-up display, four-zone air-conditioning and supersized
545-litre cargo space which can be increased to 1,865 litres
with rear seats folded, more than enough for four travellers with
luggage.
For the region and Oman in particular, the car will be offered
with a forced-fed four-cylinder engine which displaces 1.6-litres.
Featuring direct-injection twin-scroll turbocharger and variable
valve timing system on the intake camshaft it produces 154bhp
at 6,000rpm and 240Nm of torque between 1,400-4,250rpm.
Interestingly, this high pressure turbo charged engine was
co-developed with BMW for its front wheel drive MINIs and
forthcoming models. In the 508, it is mated to six-speed
automatic transmission. On the safety front, the car has hve-star
ENCAP crash-test rating.
An impressive list of standard executive class features on the
508 are offered which include keyless entry, electric adjustable
and heated front seats, heads-up display, 18-inch alloy wheels,
high-end sound system and satellite navigation.
p p g g y
and its well-known lion logo in 2010. The SR1 has captured the new design
directions and gives a clearer indication where the brand would position itself in
terms of design in future.
69
70
T e c h T a l k
T
hrough the years readers of this
magazine would have read of references
to a cars ability to torque-steer. This is
a concept that thankfully did not need much
in terms of explanation. Typical found in deep-
throated front-wheel drive cars where the
huge torque on tap was delivered to the same
wheels that steered the car, torque steer is
a phenomenon resulting from an unequal
delivery of torque to each wheel. The wheel
that gets greater torque moves ahead and on
a system that allows wheels to be steered you
can feel the torque vectoring as a function of
the car pulling to one side as you accelerate.
The lay reader should start with the
knowledge that the two output parameters
we highlight on an engines performance
are its power and torque, which are broadly
connected but not dependent on each other.
So you can tune engines for higher power at
the cost of torque or vice versa. Power is the
rate at which the engine can do work, torque
is its ability to provide a turning force on the
wheel axle.
One additional feature we need to know
about is the function of the differential in
delivering power to the wheels. When a car
turns, the outer wheel needs to turn at a
faster rate than the inner wheel since the arc
that the outer wheel follows is longer. Without
a differential in between the two wheels the
wheels would not be able to do this especially
on a powered axle (the rear in the RWD and
so on). But the function of the differential is
to deliver power equally while balancing the
torque. Hence a differential by its nature is
designed to avoid torque-steer.
Coming back to the phenomenon of torque
vectoring, imagine a car in motion. The car is
steered by its front wheels. When you brake
the car and steer at the same time, you hnd
most cars showing understeer characteristics,
namely following a wider arc than the wheels
are aimed at due to the shift of weight. But
that is when all the wheels are braked at the
same time.
Now imagine a tank driver steering a tank.
There are no driving wheels to inhuence a
turn, instead the tanks turn is controlled by
varying the speeds of the two tracks, with the
tank turning to the side that moves slower.
Can we do something like this in cars?
Theoretically yes, since the ability to
individually brake wheels has existed for
sometime now. So you can steer a car by
deciding which wheel to brake under specihc
conditions. The problem is that most human
This is a cut-away depic
torque-vectoring arrang
BMWs different
71
I n thi s month s
i ssue we have
featured three
vehi cl es that use the
basi c concepts of
torque-vectori ng.
Here we try to
cl ari fy the concept
for the l ayman.
beings can only handle one brake pedal at a
time and are quite incapable of calculating
the complexities of three-dimensional motion
variations and pumping four pedals. We
already have one variation of this available
in car systems ESP functions, using diagonal
braking circuits to selectively brake wheels
to bring a car back under control as it loses
stability and starts skidding.
Three vehicles in this issue use variations of
the system, with both Porsches new 911 and
Fords Focus having torque-vectoring while the
Land Cruiser has turn assist. And depending
on the system other manufacturers use it too
- some of them in the simpler two-wheel drive
torque-vectoring and others in an all-wheel
drive format. Also some manufacturers use
only braking to effect the change in direction,
while others use actual variation of torque
to the outer wheels or a combination of the
two. So 2-wheel drive systems are simpler
than 4-wheel and brake-only systems simpler
than a electronic override on the mechanical
systems that torque variation need.
In the case of torque-vectoring in the
Porsche and Ford, the braking system
selectively applies brake-force to the inner
rear wheel, while a addition on the differential
allows for unequal delivery of
torque to the inner and outer
powered wheels so that the car
gets steered that much tighter.
In the case of the Land Cruiser
the inner rear wheel is still the
one that gets braked thereby
providing a pivot point that allows
the vehicle to turn so much tighter.
The difference is that in the Land
Cruiser the function is needed at
slow speeds, while in the road cars
the effect is leveraged better at higher speeds.
But try hnding out the difference in normal
steering and torque-vectoring in a car like the 911.
It is already top-of-the-heap in handling and the
handling tests meant to demonstrate this feature
included a rather slow-speed slalom. The Focus
should gain most from the additional assist available
on an already solid platform and the Land Cruisers
turn assist needs activation of its crawl-control and
unlocked rear differentials.
Some of Hondas all-wheel drive systems
already use a degree of torque-vectoring as
does Audis next-generation quattro systems
and Mercedes-Benz uses braking.
72
Por sche GT3 Cup ser i es
r aces i nt o r ecor d books
i n Qat ar
D
ubai. The Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East will
create its own chapter of motor racing history when
the regions headline series makes a spectacular night-time
debut at Qatars Losail International Circuit next month.
It will be the hrst Porsche GT3 Cup night racing event
staged anywhere in the world since the one-make
championship was introduced seven years ago, running
initially in Brazil, New Zealand, and the US.
At the same time, a guaranteed starting line-up of at
least 18 cars for Rounds 9 and 10 on March 2-3 will
be the biggest since the Middle East
version of the Porsche GT3 Cup series
was launched in December 2009.
The Losail circuits permanent
outdoor lighting will add a new
dimension to the 12-round
championship as the 2011-12 season
heads towards its climax, and there
is plenty of excitement in store for
competitors and spectators alike.
All of the drivers, and everyone e l s e
connected with the Porsche GT3 Cup series, are genuinely
excited about our hrst visit to Qatar, said Walter Lechner,
owner of Lechner Racing, who run the championship on
behalf of Porsche Middle East and Africa.
This is something that weve been looking forward to
ever since we started planning this championship several
years ago, and were especially pleased to be racing at
night for the hrst time, thanks to the fantastic lighting
system at Losail.
Lechner conhrmed that Qatars Abdul Rahman Al Thani
will make his Porsche GT3 Cup debut at Losail, joining
Saadon Al Kuwari and Doha-based team-mates Rob Frijns
and Manfred Ender on the starting grid.
While Saudi Arabias Abdulaziz Al Faisal looks to be
heading for his second Porsche GT3 Cup title success in
three years, former Qatar rally champion Al Kuwari, whose
son Abdulaziz won last months Qatar International Rally,
holds a strong lead in the Michelin Silver Trophy for the
intermediate class.
Meanwhile, Dutchman Frijns and Austrian Ender are both
contesting the Mobil 1 Trophy for rookies or drivers over
the age of 45.
The full driver line-up for Qatar will be announced shortly,
and it will be headed by leader Abdulaziz, and also feature
Saudi drivers Bandar Alesayi and Saeed Al
Mouri, currently lying second and third
in the championship, and fourth-placed
Clemens Schmid, who has three race
wins to his credit this season.
One of the big attractions of the
Porsche GT3 Cup series is that we have
gold, silver and bronze categories for
each driver to ht into, depending on their
level of experience and commitment
to racing, said Lechner. While its
a series that accommodates professional racing drivers
at the top end, we also have two other levels, and the
silver and bronze categories are equally competitive in
their own right, making it a very exciting and interesting
championship overall.
The arrive and drive nature of the series, which means
competitors simply turn up at the track, swap their day
clothes for a race suit, and jump behind the wheel of one
of the latest Porsche GT3 Cup cars, is a major attraction
for those who have limited time for race preparation or
practice. We have a hrst-class team of race engineers,
technicians and mechanics, and were looking forward
to welcoming more Qatari drivers into the championship
because we believe we have a great deal more to offer than
any other race series in the region, said Lechner.
Audi Oman has announced the launch Quattro Cup Golf Tournament
for the countrys best amateur golfers, is to be held on March 8 for
the hrst time in the Sultanate. Zubair Automotive Group General
Manager Serdar Toktamis said: We are looking forward to the
Quattro Cup becoming a major event in the Omani golhng calender.
The event will be one of the biggest international golhng challenges
ever staged in Oman and the winning team will compete in the
World Final that will be held in South Africa in November.
Audi Oman l aunches
Quat t r o cup
b
r
e
a
k
i
n
g

n
e
w
s
73
M OT OR S P OR T S
74
W
ith just two rounds to go in the Maserati
Trofeo JBF RAK race series, there is no let up
in the pressure that each of the drivers is under as
the cars arrived in Dubai for Round 5. Five drivers
are in contention to be crowned the overall Trofeo
Championi for the 2011-2012 Maserati Trofeo JBF
RAK series. Lebanons Joe Ghanem is currently
leading the series on 187points after a slew of
victories in Bahrain, Abu Dhabi and Qatar. However,
he cannot relax as fellow countryman Zeehog has
overcome a poor start to the season to create a
strong challenge in second position. With 104points
still up for grabs in the series, Zeehog can still take
victory with his current tally of 114points.
Teammates from KSAs GR8 Racing Faisal Shaker
and Mohammed Jawa are sitting in 3rd and 4th
position respectively with 112 and 107points but
a considered effort from either driver could easily
see them topple Zeehog and chase down Ghanem
for overall glory.
Last, but by no means least, is Khaled Al Mudhaf
who is sitting in 5th position on 96points. The
Kuwaiti driver has had his fair share of battles in all
of the races so far, but holds an advantage going
into the hfth round at the Dubai Autodrome. Few
of the gentlemen drivers in the series have raced at
the FIA-accredited track on the outskirts of the city,
so Al Mudhaf will be using his past experience to try
and gain the upper hand.
Joining the ranks of drivers in the Maserati
Trofeo JBF RAK series this weekend will be UAE
driver Humaid Al Masaood. Al Masaood has a great
experience of racing at the Dubai Autodrome having
won his class in the Dubai 24hr endurance race
and previously drove the Maserati GranTurismo MC
Trofeo during the 2010-2011 UAE GT Championship.
The twelve-strong held battled over two
30-minute long races on the afternoon of March
2 after securing their grid positions in morning
qualifying.
Maser at i heads t o Dubai f or
penul t i mat e r ound
of t he r egi ons most exci t i ng
r ace ser i es
75
M OT OR S P OR T S
Yamaha Factory riders Jorge Lorenzo and Ben
Spies completed the hnal session of the three
day IRTA test at the Sepang International circuit
in Sepang. The second outing for the 2012
1000cc YZR-M1 proved to be a great success
with the riders getting the opportunity to work
through a number of updates including chassis,
electronics and set up in both wet and dry
conditions.
Both riders suffered crashes in the morning but
were unhurt. Lorenzo spent the hnal afternoon
engaged in a race simulation run, pleased with
the results having been able to deliver consistent
fast laps over an extended period around the
201 second mark. He hnishes the second Sepang
test in fourth position, 0.404 seconds behind
Casey Stoner. Spies leaves Sepang in conhdent
mood having bonded well with the 1000cc bike
in both wet and dry conditions, taking his hrst
ever wet laps of the circuit yesterday afternoon.
The Texan wrapped up the test in eighth place,
0.959 seconds from hrst.
Fourth placed Jorge Lorenzo said, Well,
this afternoon was one of the hardest race
simulations of my career because the 1000 is
more tiring to ride and the rear tyre seems to
drop a lot after three or four laps. After this the
feeling stays the same but its very different
to last year, its almost like racing in the rain
trying to control the rear in the corner exits and
acceleration. I managed to hnish the simulation
with a good pace so all in all it has been a very
positive test, thank you to Yamaha for their hard
work.
And an 8th placed Ben Spies added, Today
was good, we unfortunately had a small
crash but we learnt a lot and got to test some
new electronic settings which were a big
improvement. We also tried some different
shock settings which were a big step forward.
Its a shame we crashed but we know from this
test that the bike has great potential so we can
go to Jerez with conhdence.

C
asey Stoner set the fastest time of the
day with a hying lap of 200.473 and team
mate Dani Pedrosa recorded the second
fastest time with a lap of 200.648, just 0.175
from Stoner.
Despite missing the previous day, the
two Repsol Honda riders have been able to
complete their testing program planned for
Malaysia. Casey and Dani spent the test
working on their RC213V chassis, focusing
on reducing the chattering and both reported
a slight improvement.
The next test will be held at the Jerez circuit
at the end of March, a different track where
they will be able to hne tune their machine
in preparation for the hrst race in Qatar on
April 8.
Dani Pedrosa said, In general weve been
working a lot on the chassis at this test, to
hnd the best compromise. We tried different
ideas and set ups and we leave quite happy
with the feelings.
This is a very specihc track, so its important
to have clear ideas for the future. We also
made some progress on the braking and the
chassis feels a little better because we have
a less chatter compared to the hrst test. We
need to keep improving on entry and middle
of the corner, but I think that we can expect
improvements when we start to work more
in depth with the engine and the electronics,
which we will do in the Jerez test.
Today I also used a different screen to be
more comfortable on the straight which felt
better.
Casey Stoner added, Again weve been
unable to proht from the full three days of
the test here in Sepang, the hrst day we only
manages about 16 laps before the rain came
and then yesterday we werent able to get
out at all.
So today its been good to have some nice
weather, get out on track and hnd some
different solutions on the bike, weve been
trying a few different things with electronics
to have the engine character the same way
we like it. Weve also tried shortening the
wheelbase, aiming to reduce the chattering
and weve been successful in decreasing it
slightly but at the moment were unable to
eliminate it completely, so we still have quite
a lot of work to do.
The chassis balance feels good as does the
traction on the bike, its turning well but we
really need to get rid of the chatter, in general
we are happy with the bike.
6WURQJQLVKIRUWKH5HSVRO+RQGD7HDPLQ6HSDQJ
Yamaha Compl et e Successf ul
Second Sepang Test
The Repsol Honda Team leave Sepang circuit in satisfaction of a job well done.
Redbull
Unlike most of its rivals who
have had to incorporate
signihcant change,
Redbulls RB8 looks
similar to the RB7, which
last year showed its dominance by
winning 12 of 19 series races. Visibly only
the nose and exhaust design have changed,
to accommodate changes in legislation for
the 2012 season.
McLaren
According to McLaren,
the new car features
narrower rear bodywork,
to improve airhow at
the rear of the car. The
revised cooling system
re-directs air to the gearbox oil-cooler.
The distinctive U-shaped sidepods of the
2011 car are gone, which McLaren say is
a consequence of the FIAs new exhaust
regulations.
Ferrari
Also having to change
their classic shape to
match the new height
regulation, the F2012
went through a bit
of controversy after
a revolutionary new anti-dive mechanism
banned because it would contravene
aerodynamic regulations.
Mercedes
The W03 replaces the
W02 as the newly
named Mercedes
AMG Petronas
teams contender
and is powered by a
Mercedes FO 108Z engine.
Lotus
Moulded carbon hbre and
aluminium honeycomb
composite monocoque,
manufactured by Lotus
F1 Team with Renaults
RS27-2012 V8 engine
installed as a fully-stressed member.
Force India
The VJM05 is the second
car from Sahara Force
India to be created under
the direction of Technical
Director Andrew Green,
who joined in June 2010.
For a fourth year the team is using a
Mercedes engine and a gearbox supplied
by McLaren Applied Technologies, while this
will be the second season with the Mercedes
KERS, which was used for the hrst time in
2011.
Sauber
The Sauber C31 has
had changes to raise
the exhaust from the
Ferrari 056 engine. The
rear suspension is now
a pullrod design. It
shows a long pullrod towards the front of the
gearbox and wide angled wishbones.
Toro Rosso
Redbulls second team
unveiled the STR7 with
the common stepped
nose treatment with a
Ferrari 056 series engine
as well. Also following the
FIA directive the front wings are stiffer and
the stepped nose now is in line with the the
monocoques anti-intrusion panels.
Williams
Revised FIA technical
regulations - of which the
most signihcant are bans
on exhaust blowing and
exotic engine mapping
and a drop in nose
height, the FW34 carries fewer than hve per
cent of the parts from last years FW33. In
addition the car has new design leadership
under Mike Coughlan.
Caterham
Running a Renault V8
RS27-2012 engine the
newly named Caterham
team has unveiled the
CT01 as its challenger for
2012.
HRT
At the time of going to
press, HRT had yet to
test its car before sending
it off to Australia. They
were parked at the Circuit
de Catalunya in preparation for a quick
couple of days before their testing window
closed. Pedro de la Rosa revealed that the
F112 was designed to run KERS, though they
wouldnt start the season with it. The car is
powered by a Cosworth V8 2400cc CA2012.
Marussia
After failing an FIA crash
test, Marussia have been left
without an opportunity to test
in Barcelona before going to
Melbourne. The Marussia team
have conhrmed that they would
instead try to get the car to pass the crash
test in the week before the race.
76
New r egul at i ons beget new f aces
The motorsport enthusiast is in for a bit of a surprise this year with cars across the teams being adapted to ht in with new regulations regarding height and the
presence of DRS as well as rerouting engine exhausts. This has given us a gallery ranging from the weird to the sublime depending on the viewers taste. The
FIA has banned exhaust blowing of diffusers, so exhausts now have to be routed away from the hoor. In addition, the front of the nose can only be 550mm
high, which has led to a very different look for all 2012 cars.

?
Lotus say they have resolved the chassis
problem - conhrmed as an issue with the
mounting of the upper front wishbone rear
arm - that caused them to abandon the
second pre-season test in Spain after only a
few laps.
The team were using their second E20 car for
the hrst time and after driver Romain Grosjean
reported a problem their initial suspicion was
a manufacturing fault specihc to that chassis.
However, subsequent investigations showed
that changes were required to both chassis.
Its been an intense few days, but I have to
say that everybody has completed their tasks
in tremendous fashion, technical director
James Allison told the teams website ahead
of this weeks hnal pre-season test, which
starts in Barcelona on Thursday. On the hrst
day back at the factory, I spoke to the entire
Enstone personnel and clearly explained what
happened. Everybody understood that the
situation was unfortunate, but under control.
We designed the new parts, manufactured
them, and htted them to the chassis. We then
completed the necessary tests satisfactorily
and the chassis left for Spain.
As a result of the changes, the E20 is
now slightly heavier than before, but Allison
insisted the weight gain is not an issue and
the chassis does not need to be crash tested
again. Perhaps more signihcant is the track
time that Lotus lost because of the problem.
Were only talking about 1kg, which is
manageable, he added. It wont have any
signihcant impact on handling or performance.
Of course, missing four days of testing is not
ideal. We need mileage at this stage of the
year, as does any other team.
Williams have announced that former
driver Alexander Wurz will return to the
British team as a driver mentor. Wurz will
start his new role at the Barcelona test
and also plans to accompany the team to
Grands Prix this season to assist racers
Pastor Maldonado and Bruno Senna.
This is a great initiative by Williams
and highlights just how hard the team
is pushing to optimise its performance,
said Wurz. Throughout my career as a
sportsman, which started at the age of 12
in BMX racing, includes over a decade in
Formula One and is still ongoing (racing in
the World Endurance Championship), I am
lucky to have gained so much experience.
I grew up in a family business of driver
training and naturally I enjoy helping fellow
athletes to operate at their best. Im really
looking forward to using my expertise to
help Williams at this important stage in its
history.
Mark Gillan, Williams chief operations
engineer, added: I am delighted to be
working once more with Alex and look
forward to his valuable input with the
drivers as the whole team strives to
continuously improve in all aspects of its
operation.
The Austrian made his Formula One debut
in 1997 with Benetton and has also driven
for McLaren. He joined Williams as a test
driver in 2006 before taking on a race seat
for the 2007 season. During the year he
scored 13 points, and one podium hnish,
before retiring from the sport.
77
M OT OR S P OR T S -F 1
Lotus back on track after
chassis issues
Wurz returns to
Williams as driver
mentor
Marussia to delay car launch after failed
crash test
Marussia have had to postpone the launch of
their 2012 car after it failed its hnal FIA crash
test. The team had originally planned to debut
the MR01 at the last pre-season test, which gets
underway at Barcelonas Circuit de Catalunya on
Thursday.
All cars are required to pass 18 FIA-observed
tests for homologation to be granted, explained
Marussia in a statement. Despite the fact that the
MR01 has passed all 17 of the preceding tests,
the regulations require the car to have completed
all of the tests before running commences.
The team will now not take part in the hnal
pre-season test in Barcelona later this week
(1-4 March) and will instead focus its efforts on
repeating the crash test at the end of the week.
Marussia were in attendance at the Barcelona
test with their 2011-spec car. Both Timo Glock
and new signing Charles Pic enjoyed time behind
the wheel during the four-day session.
Caterham have
announced that
Vitaly Petrov
will race for
the team in
2012, replacing
Jarno Trulli
with immediate
effect. Petrov
attended a seat
htting at their UK factory in Hingham and will
make his debut in the CT01 at the second pre-
season test at Barcelonas Circuit de Catalunya,
alongside new team mate Heikki Kovalainen.
This is a very exciting day for me, said the
Russian. I would like to thank Tony (Fernandes),
Kamarudin Meranun and SM Nasarudin for giving
me the chance to join a team that made its F1
debut at the same time as me, and has grown
from one of the new teams to a serious force
for future honours. The passion and spirit that
Tony and the whole team have to keep moving
forwards is infectious, and I am honoured to be
able to join them and play my part in helping
the team mount a serious challenge to the teams
ahead in 2012 and for many seasons to come.
Petrov began his Formula One race career with
Renault in 2010 and hnished 10th in the 2011
championship, after securing a podium hnish
in Australia. He was runner-up in the 2009 GP2
Series after spells in GP2 Asia, F3000, Formula
Master and the Le Mans Series.
78
Pirelli, ofhcial tyre suppliers to the FIA
Formula One World Championship, have
announced the compound allocations of their
dry-weather P Zero tyres for the hrst three
rounds of the 2012 season.
For the season-opening Australian Grand
Prix, at Melbournes Albert Park from March
16-18, the teams will be provided with the
Italian manufacturers medium and soft
rubber. Pirelli will then take their hard and
medium compounds to the Malaysian race
a week later, before switching back to the
medium and soft tyres for Aprils Chinese
round. The rules stipulate that each team
will receive six sets of the harder compound
and hve sets of the softer compound over
each race weekend. Pirellis Cinturato Green
intermediate tyre for damp track conditions
(four sets per driver) as well as their Cinturato
Blue rain tyre (three sets per driver) will also
be available at each race.
Last season Pirelli took their 2011-spec
soft and hard compounds to the Australian,
Malaysian and Chinese rounds.
Narain Karthikeyan will partner Pedro de la
Rosa in HRTs line-up for the 2012 season.
Karthikeyan competed at the hrst eight 2011
Grands Prix for the Spanish team, before
stepping aside for Red Bull protege Daniel
Ricciardo, but made a one-off race return at
his home Grand Prix in India in October.
It has taken a lot of hard work to make this
happen but I am absolutely elated to feature
on the 2012 grid with HRT F1 Team, said
the Chennai-born driver. I was pleased with
our strong performance at the Indian Grand
Prix, in front of my passionate home fans
and I look forward to building on this result
in 2012. I have been training hard since the
end of 2011, ensuring I was ready for the
rigours of F1 if an opportunity arose.
I am delighted to have signed with HRT
F1 Team. With the new management, Pedro,
and the team, there is dehnite potential for
progress. We need to understand that F1 is
new to India, we hosted our hrst race only
last year which was a resounding success.
To build on that momentum, an Indian driver
will certainly keep the interest engaged
throughout the season. I am proud to
secure an opportunity to forge a stronger
connection between India and Formula One
once again.
Karthikeyan competed in the sport in
2005 for Jordan and tested for the Williams
team from 2006 to 2007. He remains the
only Indian driver to have scored world
championship points after hnishing fourth at
the 2005 United States Grand Prix. He has
also competed in Formula Three, Formula
Nippon, Formula Vauxhall, the Nissan World
Series, A1GP, Le Mans and the Superleague
Formula.
Just three days before the launch of their
2012 car, Sauber have announced that
technical director James Key is to leave the
company. His role will instead be covered
by the Swiss teams department heads for
aerodynamics, design, performance and
operations.
Englishman Key joined Sauber from
Force India midway through 2010, taking
over from Sauber stalwart Willy Rampf
during the teams hrst season following
the exit of former partners BMW. He is
now returning home from Hinwil to take
on a new role in the UK.
Over a period of almost two years,
James has accomplished a lot for our
team, said team boss Peter Sauber.
Especially in the difhcult transition period
from a manufacturer team into a private
enterprise, he contributed signihcantly to
ensure the team regained stability. We
would like to thank him for his efforts and
wish him all the best for his future.
Pirelli reveal tyre
choices for opening
three rounds
Karthikeyan
completes HRTs
2012 line-up
Technical director
Key leaves Sauber
Petrov replaces Trulli at Caterham for 2012
There was a drama on the nal afternoon of the
rally when you picked up a puncture: how did you
cope?
JML: I think I need to get to hospital to check my heart
rate... its incredible how exciting this sport can get. We
had a good lead on Saturday night, but then it changed
like a thunderstorm and we only had an eight-second lead
at the end. I knew Mikko would push and we really had
to go hard, but then we managed to take another four
seconds on the penultimate stage, so we could breathe a
little bit! To win here for the second time felt very special;
the feeling now is just a big relief.
So was it maximum attack through those last two
stages?
JML: Yes. I got zero points in Monte Carlo and I knew
Sebastien Loeb was not having a great weekend. Points-
wise, this was very important and so there was a lot of
pressure. The team has done so much good work and
there was no way I was going to disappoint them. I needed
to make it work. Somebody mentioned to me yesterday
that it was going to be the 50th win for Ford with M-Sport,
but I tried just to put that to the back of my head and
concentrate on the job I needed to do.
Does this result make up for the disappointment of
retiring from Monte Carlo?
JML: Of course, things would be different if I had taken
away points from Monte Carlo but we have to forget it.
Thats history, and Ive already learned from it. This victory
takes the pressure away from the disappointment of
Monte: it feels like a heavy weight has been lifted from my
shoulders now. Ive learned to stay calm when things go
wrong and that paid dividends.
What is your aim this season?
JML: I guess our target is to really challenge Citroen in
the manufacturers and drivers championships. I will be 27
years old and driving more than 100 rallies now so I need
to be in the position to hght for the drivers title. Its a long
year and many things can happen, but if I can beat these
guys then its okay whatever happens!
Jari-Matti Latvalas victory in Sweden marked the
50th World Rally Championship win for the Ford
and M-Sport partnership since it started in 1997.
Sweden was also the place where the Finn took his
very hrst world championship win in 2008, when
he became the youngest driver ever to triumph
on a WRC round. So this rally win is very special
to Latvala, as he explained back in Rally HQ at
Karlstad...
I nt er vi ew wi t h
Jar i -Mat t i Lat val a
79
M OT OR S P OR T S -F 1
Lat val a wi ns i n Sweden
I
t wasnt exactly an easy run to the hnish for
Jari-Matti Latvala, but the Ford number one
kept his head through a tense hnal morning to
claim Rally Sweden victory and get his 2012
FIA World Rally Championship powered by
Nokia title challenge properly underway.
Latvala came into the leg with a 23-second
advantage over Mikko Hirvonen, and quickly
extended that to over half a minute as his
Citroen rival realised that a set-up change
intended to ease tyre wear worries actually
cost him conhdence in the DS3 WRC.
It was just as well Latvala had built that lead,
though, as on stage 22 he struck a rock and
picked up a right-front puncture, leaving him
only eight seconds in front of Hirvonen.
The incident left Latvala kicking himself and
anxious to regain his focus, but it didnt take
him long to regain control, as he quickly pulled
away again - Hirvonens tyres being too worn
to let him truly hght - and went on to win by
16.6 seconds and collect a Power Stage bonus
point too.
It is amazing. Four years ago I won this rally
and now I got it again, he said.
The hrst time I won this rally I became the
youngest ever winner of a world championship
rally and beat my hero Henri Toivonens record.
Its fantastic to win it again.
We got a lot of pressure after Monte and
I felt the pressure coming to this event. This
has taken a lot of pressure out of the coming
events.
I think were really going to challenge
Citroen. Were working very hard.
Hirvonen said he still had plenty to be pleased
with despite just missing out on the win.
Its not too bad. I think we learned a lot this
weekend, he said. Okay, I really did want to
win this rally for the team but Jari-Matti was
very strong this weekend. We had a fantastic
hght and I really enjoyed it, but its second
this time.
Incredibly both factory Fords suffered tyre
damage on the same rock on stage 22. While
it ultimately didnt cost Latvala any positions,
for Petter Solberg the delay was enough to
see him lose third place to Mads Ostberg after
a rally-long battle. The Adapta Ford driver
had been getting ever closer to Solberg even
before the incident, though it made his quest
rather easier.
Third place this time is like second place
last time, its a very good result, said Ostberg.
I was not able to hght Jari-Matti and Mikko
this year. Theres only one posiiton left on the
podium [hrst] and well try to get that next
year.
Sebastien Loeb retained the championship
lead by hnishing sixth and winning the Power
Stage. After his multiple delays earlier in
the weekend, Loeb just had to consolidate
his points hnish today, with Evgeny Novikov
putting on an early charge to make sure there
was no chance of the Citroen number one
catching him for hfth.
Henning Solberg tried his best to hang on
to Loeb today but knew it was realistically a
forlorn hope. He settled for seventh in the Go
Fast Ford.
Patrik Sandell quickly pulled clear of Martin
Prokops Czech Ford this morning to ensure he
hnished eighth in the leading MINI.
Overall it was a perfect weekend for me,
said Sandell. Its been absolutely fabulous. I
really like this car. Its fantastic to drive. Weve
been adapting step by step and now we are
setting good times.
Ostbergs team-mate Eyvind Brynildsen
completed a quietly impressive World Rally Car
debut by claiming the hnal point.
Just outside the top 10, the intra-team battle
between Volkswagen Motorsport Skoda duo
Sebastien Ogier and Andreas Mikkelsen was
emphatically resolved in the formers favour
when Mikkelsen picked up a puncture on the
same stage 22 rock as the works Fords.
80 80 80
I w as st at i on ar y at a t r af f i c si gn al t h e ot h er day w h en my at t en t i on w as dr aw n by a pai r of
eyes peepi ng at me over t h e w i n dow si l l of t h e car besi de me. Th e mi sch i evou s gl i n t i n t h e eyes
of t h e car s f i ve year ol d f r on t seat occu pan t of f set t h e f ar aw ay l ook i n h er f at h er s eyes as h e
l ooked ar ou n d at t r af f i c an d per h aps t h ou gh t of somet h i ng t r i vi al .
I t w ou l d h ave t o be t r i vi al h e obvi ou sl y h adn t pai d any at t en t i on t o t h e saf et y of h i s ch i l d
al l ow i ng h er t o si t i n t h e f r on t seat , u n r est r ai n ed. An d as i f i t pr ove my poi n t , t h e ch i l d
ch ose t h at momen t t o st an d u p, l ook i ng ou t over t h e dash boar d as t h e l i gh t s t u r n ed gr een .
Does anyon e car e t o pl ay t h e w h at - i f game h er e? W h at i f h e h as t o br ake su dden l y? W h at i f
someon e r ams i n t o h i m? W h at i f t h e l ef t t u r n h e w as t ak i ng r esu l t ed i n a sk i d? Th e r esu l t i n
ever y case i s bor n e by t h at ch i l d.
I h ave been asked many t i mes w h et h er peopl e h ave become w or se at dr i vi ng an d i t seems
l i ke t h at i s t h e case. A decade ago, I w as con st an t l y amazed at t h e cou r t esy t h at a t ypi cal dr i ver
i n Oman sh ow ed w e st opped f or pedest r i an s, h ar dl y t ai l gat ed at al l an d u su al l y h ad a smi l e
as you cau gh t a f el l ow dr i ver s eyes. Today, w e can say w i t h some du bi ou s sat i sf act i on t h at
Oman s r oads ar e t r u l y w or l d cl ass. We h ave gon e f r om bei ng u n i qu e t o bei ng t h e same as
ever yon e ou t t h er e .
I s i t becau se ou r veh i cl e popu l at i on i s r i si ng f ast er t h an t h e avai l abi l i t y of r oad su r f ace? Or i s
i t j u st t h at t h e r el ax ed w ay i n w h i ch w e appr oach l i f e i n t h e Su l t an at e h as been over come by
a sen se of u r gen cy t h at per meat es ou r dr i vi ng as w el l ?
For n ow, on an al most dai l y basi s, I n ot i ce t h at dr i ver s i n Oman ar e t ak i ng ou r r oad man n er s
dow n t h e dr ai n . Of al l t h e bad beh avi ou r I most depl or e ou r t ai l gat er s. I r ef u se t o t r y t o
t ypecast t h e per pet r at or s i n t o r ace, gen der or age gr ou ps an d I don t n eed t o I h ave seen
al l t ypes. Even w h en I am t r avel l i ng 1 0 k mph over t h e speed l i mi t i n t h e passi ng l an e, I get
t ai l gat ed by someon e w h o bel i eves t h ey h ave a God- gi ven r i gh t t o r each t h ei r dest i n at i on
2 0 secon ds ear l i er . To t h at en d t h ey dr i ve w i t h a cou pl e of f eet of ai r separ at i ng t h ei r gr i l l e
f r om my bumper , ex pect i ng me t o pl ay ch i cken and move over . Th e cat ch i s t hat i n t hi s ent i r e
equ at i on , i t i s t h e i n ex per i en ced dr i ver w h o get s t ai l gat ed an d t r i es t o move over , w h o w i l l
cau se an acci den t . As f or me, I l ook i n my r ear vi ew mi r r or , t h i n k On e mor e i di ot an d i gn or e
t h e t ai l gat er al t oget h er .
Of cou r se t h at doesn t mean t h at ot h er pr obl em dr i ver s don t ex i st t h ey ar e apl en t y. M eet
t h e r ogu es gal l er y t h e gu y w h o over t akes f r om t h e w r ong si de, t h e dr i ver s w h o u se t h e
emer gen cy l an e t o beat t h e t r af f i c sl ow dow n , t h e car t h at dr i ves at 7 0 i n t h e mi ddl e l an e of t h e
h i gh w ay cau si ng a t r ai n of car s t h at st r et ch al most a mi l e beh i n d. Of cou r se t h e pedest r i an
h as t o n ow be ex t r a car ef u l w h en cr ossi ng t h e r oad even at a zebr a cr ossi ng t h e on l y r i gh t of
w ay you get i s t h e r i gh t t o w ei gh you r ch an ces of su r vi val . I am n ot even goi ng t o st ar t on t h e
gu y on t h e mobi l e ph on e i n t h e car or t h e pedest r i an s w h o t h i n k t h ey ar e mast er s at j u dgi ng
r el at i ve vel oci t y so t h at t r ai psi ng acr oss 6 l an es of t r af f i c i s doabl e .
I pu r su e a pr of essi on w h er e I see many bad dr i ver s among my coh or t s, bu t i t i s t h e r u n of t h e
mi l l commu t e t h at r eal l y get s t o me. Road r age i s a r eal i t y t h e on l y qu est i on i s h ow f ar dow n
i s i t su ppr essed i n t h e best Jek yl l i an t r adi t i on ? I w as speak i ng on r adi o t h e ot h er day an d h ad
t o ex pl ai n t o t h e h ost t h at i t w asn t t h e car or i n deed speed i t sel f t h at w as at f au l t bu t t h e n u t
beh i n d t h e w h eel t h at mat t er ed.
Th e acci den t r at e i n Oman i s n ot goi ng t o come dow n u n l ess dr i ver s ch ange t h ei r mi n dset .
Rel ax , t h e i dea i s t o r each h ome i n on e pi ece. Al ong t h e w ay l et s t r y t o r emai n f r i en ds an d
keep ou r l oved on es al i ve t oo.
Pet peeves
Raj War r ior is editor of Automan and has been in the thick of the
Automotive jour nalism field from the past 15 year s.
Want to comment or have your say?
Email at raj@alroya. net.
Identify your self or your message
will be trashed and your id blocked
{ CHICANE}

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P
M
* 3-year manufacturer warranty with a 2-year extension
For more information call 24 500 600.
Email: customer@em-oman.com
SMS: 80110.
NEW PEUGEOT 508
The all new Peugeot 508. Quality time.
www.peugeot.com