Land Rover working on new 8-speed automatic transmission, refinements for fuel economy

Land Rover is set to unveil a newly-revised line of SUVs at the New York Auto Show in a couple of weeks, and we’re expecting to see the latest version of Jaguar’s excellent 5.0L all-aluminum V8 engine underhood, mated up with a 6-speed automatic transmission from supplier ZF. That powertrain combination should be a thorough improvement over the current 4.4L naturally-aspirated and 4.2L supercharged offerings, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see at least a mild improvement in fuel efficiency along with the added power.

According to Channel 4 in the UK, Land Rover is hard at work developing a new 8-speed automatic that should boost fuel economy by over 10 percent over the current 6-speed. Unfortunately, stop/start technology is reportedly still a few years away. Other fuel-saving modifications that are likely to make it to production in short order will include improved aerodynamics and low rolling-resistance tires.

Land Rover is also expected to show off the latest version of its LRX concept in New York, which will reportedly be “the smallest, lightest, most efficient Range Rover ever.” It’s interesting that the LRX will be badged as a Range Rover, which is the firm’s highest-end line of vehicles, so we’d expect it to be extremely well equipped and full of luxurious touches if it does indeed make it into production.

2010 Jaguar new car

Just as the last current model XJ rolled out of Jaguar’s Castle Bromwich factory last week, (in the very British-sounding color of “vapour grey” no less), the company is busy finalizing a thoroughly revamped sedan for 2010. No doubt to the disappointment of many, the new model will be heavily influenced by the styling of the current XF.

Freightliner Innovation Truck

Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) unveiled the Freightliner Cascadia “Innovation Truck” at the Mid-America Trucking Show. The truck made its appearance in flat black and had a very futuristic edge to its look. It features advanced technologies including a set of spats down the side, air dam up front, underbody aero panels and rear-view cameras instead of rear-view mirrors. The truck also uses a “Dual Ride Height” which lowers the truck when its travels at highway speeds to lower drag. The truck also has improved battery power for the cab when the truck is parked overnight. It uses stored energy instead of idling the engine to run the HVAC and entertainment systems.

Koenigseder Aero-Tunes the Porsche Carrera GT

The most exclusive Porsche of the past decade or so may have gone out of production in 2006, but the tuning industry isn’t about to let go that easily. Austrian tuning house Koenigseder has just presented its new performance package for the Porsche Carrera GT that consists of a full bodykit, alloy wheels and a more sonorous exhaust system for the 612-horsepower strong 5.7-liter V10 engine that has been left intact.
Included in the aero kit are a newly designed front bumper that kind of reminds us of the Lamborghini Reventon, a new rear bumper with a larger diffuser and extra air vents, an awkward looking, giga-sizes fixed rear wing that puts to rest the factory pop-up spoiler, chunkier side skirts and a newly styled removable roof panel.

Mercedes-Benz renames diesels, adds hybrids, E350 BlueTec coming early 2010

Mercedes-Benz USA is making some changes to the lineup for the 2010 model year with new and revised diesel models and hybrids launching. First up, the existing diesel SUVs get new names with the ML320, R320 and GL320 getting a bump to ML350, GL350 and R350. As far as we know, nothing has actually changed for the second year of these 50-state legal BlueTec diesels other than the badges and a light cosmetic facelift for the GL that debuted at the New York Auto show.

August will bring with it the initial availability of Mercedes’ first hybrid. The 2010 S400 equipped with a mild hybrid system will be the first widely available hybrid car with a lithium ion battery. Come December, the ML450 hybrid will debut Mercedes’ implementation of two mode hybrid technology. Early in 2010, the new Tier 2 Bin 5 compliant E350 BlueTec with urea injection goes on sale in the U.S. using the same 3.0-liter V6 diesel powertrain found in the SUVs.

Chevrolet Volt-based Saab Fashionista

At this point, it’s not a certainty that Saab or even parent company General Motors will still be in the car business in the year 2012, but let’s not let that tidbit get in the way of an interesting concept car. Authored by Mayeul Walser, a fourth year design student at Creapole-ESDI, the Saab Fashionista is a 2+2 sport coupe that is reportedly inspired by the designs of Karl Lagerfeld and Chanel.

More importantly, this concept is based on the underpinnings of the Chevrolet Volt, which means there’s a range-extended electric powertrain hiding under its shapely bodywork. Since it only exists on paper, Walser took some liberties by ditching the eco-friendly drivetrain’s stock four-cylinder engine and replacing it with a more powerful V6.

In reality, a more powerful internal combustion engine wouldn’t make the Fashionista any faster than the Volt since the electric motor is the only power source driving the front wheels. No matter, it’s an interesting concept nonetheless. We especially like the nine-spoke blade-like carbon fiber rims.

G-POWER BMW M6 Hurricane CS: Fastest BMW Coupe in the World Achieves 370km/h - 231mph

For BMW tuning aficionado G-Power, there’s no such thing as enough power or too much speed. Having already pushed the limits on the M5 Sedan and more recently, the X5 SUV, the German tuner focused its resources on the development of an even more extreme and powerful edition of the 635HP M6 Hurricane. Called the Hurricane CS, the M6 Coupe-based model uses an upgraded version of the M5 Hurricane’s 730HP twin-turbocharged V10 that delivers an output of 750HP allowing the supercar to reach a top speed of 370km/h or 231mph.
To achieve the record breaking speed (for a production BMW coupe), Michelin provided a set of special high performance Pilot Sport PS2 in sizes 255/35 ZR 19 in front and 305/30 ZR 19 on the rear axle. For everyday use, G-Power offers the M6 with 21-inch Silverstone Diamond wheels shod in 255/30 ZR 21 (front) and 295/25 ZR 21 (rear) tires that are for use up to 340 km/h or 211mph.


Further development of the M5 Hurricane’s V10 engine that included optimized mapping of the ECU and redesigned superchargers contributed to the increased power output of 750 horsepower available between 7,500 and 8,000 rpm, and the peak torque of 800Nm or 590 lb-ft at 5,000 rpm.


At the same time G-POWER put the BMW M6 on a diet by replacing the entire exhaust system with one made from titanium that allegedly weighs 24 kg or 53lbs less than the factory exhaust while the new carbon fiber seats in the interior, save another 24kg (12kg or 26.5 lbs each seat).


The 750Hp V10 and the weight saving measures help the Hurricane CS sprint from zero to 100km/h or 62mph in 4.4 seconds, to 200km/h or 124mph in 9.6 seconds and to 300 km/h or 187mph in just 26 seconds.


Stopping power is provided by a Carbon-Ceramic break system with 6-piston calibres and brake discs with 380 mm in diameter, that is 50% lighter than the standard brakes. There’s also a height-adjustable G-POWER coil-over RS suspension with nine selectable settings each for bound and rebound and the G-POWER anit-roll-bar kit for the front and rear axles.


Other modifications on the G-Power M6 Hurricane CS include the multipart widebody aero kit that consists of new fenders, restyled bumpers, hood vents, carbon fiber spoilers and rear diffuser.


In the cabin, aside from the carbon-fiber sports seats, the Hurricane CS also gets a new speedometer with 400-km/h scale, clear-coated carbon-fiber panels for the dash, center console and doors, as well as a new sport steering wheel dressed in perforated Kjerba Nappa leather.


And the price for all of this? According to G-Power, a fully converted Hurricane CS starts at €360,000 or the equivalent of US$477,500.