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Honda NSX concept unveiled at 2012 Detroit auto show

By Tim Pollard

First Official Pictures

09 January 2012 20:00

One of the biggest draws of the 2012 Detroit auto show is the new Honda NSX concept car. Developed in tandem by Honda's design studios in California and Japan, the new NSX is a svelte-looking supercar with an exciting purpose: it heralds Honda's new supercar.

After years of will-they, won't-they delays, concepts and U-turns, this time Honda is adamant - it really is replacing the original NSX. Even better news, the chief exec confirmed it would be here within three years.

The new NSX has big boots to fill: the 1980s original had a major impact on the supercar arena, bringing ease of use and less fearful road manners to the upper echelons of the sports car market. You could well argue that today's Audi R8 and Ferrari 458 Italia wouldn't  be so biddable if the NSX hadn't existed.

New Honda NSX: the engineering story

The new NSX, 2012-style, will focus just as much on high-tech as the original. That name stood for New Sports Experimental and Honda is equipping its newcomer with a hybrid powertrain.

There's a slew of hybrid supercars coming in the next three years: McLaren, Ferrari, Porsche and Lamborghini, to name but four, are all preparing part-electrified sports cars. You can now add Honda to that list.

The new NSX sports Honda's first mid-engined application of its Super Handling All-Wheel Drive system, as previously seen in the more workaday Honda Prelude and Japanese-market Inspire.

That means the NSX will be four-wheel drive, although the exact workings of the petrol and electric motors on the production car remain to be seen. Honda will be forced to use one of its petrol engines from elsewhere in its global car range, which points to a 3.0 or 3.5-litre petrol engine equipped with direct injection to provide the motive power.

It is likely that the NSX will use the latest lithium-ion batteries; although the entire European hyrbid road car range sticks with nickel metal hydride batteries, Honda has just bought into a Japanese specialist in lithium ion technology.

So when can we buy the new Honda NSX?

That's the $64 million question here in Detroit. This is no longer a pie-in-the-sky concept. Honda has confirmed the NSX is now a live project, as the company tries to claw back its reputation for cutting-edge engineering and exciting sports cars after the death - in Europe at least - of the S2000, Type R models and standalone sports cars.

Takanobu Ito, president and CEO of Honda who led the development of Honda’s first NSX supercar, said: 'Like the first NSX, we will again express high performance through engineering efficiency. In this new era, even as we focus on the fun to drive spirit of the NSX, I think a supercar must respond positively to environmental responsibilities.'

In a surprise move, he also announced the new NSX would be developed and built in a new facility in Ohio, US.

He also told a packed Acura stand to expect to see NSXs racing. 'We will develop race and road specs for this car. You will see this car globally within three years.'

However, a UK official hinted that we might even see Euoprean models earlier than that.

Acura NSX becomes a Honda NSX

The NSX being rolled out at the 2012 North American International Auto Show is badged as an Acura, Honda's upmarket US wing.

Expect to see the NSX appear also at the 2012 Geneva motor show in March, where it will wear Europe and rest-of-the-world-spec Honda badging.

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Toyota Yaris Hybrid (2012) first official pictures

By Ben Pulman

First Official Pictures

09 January 2012 23:01

This is the new Toyota Yaris Hybrid, and although it’s been unveiled on the same day as the world’s motoring media descends upon Detroit for the 2012 North American International Auto Show, it's not there. Instead, the new Toyota Yaris Hybrid won’t actually appear until the Geneva show in early March 2012.

Presumably the Toyota Yaris Hybrid is even cleaner and greener than the pious Prius?

It is, but the Yaris Hybrid has yet to be through the full homologation cycle just yet, as Toyota attempts to drop those fuel economy and emissions figures as low as possible. Still, Toyota promises us that the Yaris Hybrid will deliver ‘segment-leading CO2 emissions’ and its current target is a paltry 80g/km. Honda’s Jazz emits 104g/km, while the cleanest versions of the Auris Hybrid and Prius manage 89g/km CO2.

Rather than using the same 1.8-litre petrol engine found in the Auris Hybrid and the Prius, the Yaris Hybrid is powered by a new 1.5-litre petrol engine. Mated to a more compact electric motor, inverter and battery pack, Toyota claims the Hybrid Synergy Drive system is 20% lighter than that used in the Auris – peak output from the powertrain is 99bhp. And with the fuel tank and battery located under the rear seat, boot space is identical to the conventional petrol and diesel Yarises.  A CVT transmission is standard, and a more aerodynamically efficient bodykit rounds off the list of tweaks.

UK sales commence this summer, and prices are expected to start at less than £16,000.

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Smart For-Us concept unveiled at 2012 Detroit show

By Tim Pollard

First Official Pictures

10 January 2012 03:45

Smart made a splash with its world debut at the 2012 Detroit auto show: its For-Us concept car provides a vision of the Smart as an American icon, a pick-up.

The diminutive truck - just 3547mm long - is longer than a Fortwo, and is supposed to be based on the running gear of the next-gen Smart Forfour, aka the new Renault Twingo.

So if the For-Us doesn't look so much like a Smart any more, from the front at least, that's why. A new front-engined architecture is said to underpin this baby pick-up.

Smart For-Us: the lowdown

Calling it front-engined is a bit of a misnomer; the For-Us is electric, and the 55kW electric motor is claimed to provide decent acceleration.

Smart quotes a top speed of around 75mph; battery capacity is put at 17.6kWh. It's the same running gear you'll find in the Smart Fortwo ED coming in spring 2012.

This remains a two-seater, the loadbay where you'd find a petrol engine in the regular Fortwo given over to a flatbed.

This Smart concept car packs a pair of electric scooters in to the loadbay; they dock to the car, allowing the two-wheelers to be charged up and ready to use when you reach the part of the city that even a Smart can't reach.

After a long, long period of very little new-model activity, Smart is finally about to start a product offensive. While no pick-up truck is in train quite yet, the cooperation with Renault will soon produce a new Forfour and the Fortwo is in line for further development too.

If downsizing is as rife as it appears, it's a good time to offer more small cars.

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Vauxhall Mokka (2012) first official pictures

By Ben Pulman

First Official Pictures

10 January 2012 12:00

This is the Vauxhall Mokka, a B-segment SUV that will be revealed at the 2012 Geneva motor show this March. 

So the Vauxhall Mokka isn’t a move into the hotly contested hot drinks market?

Err, no. Instead it’s a Vauxhall (and Opel) version of the Buick Encore 4x4 that’s just been revealed at the 2012 North American International Auto Show. And before you scoff, the same architecture is destined for the next-gen Corsa too – it’s not just a British version of some antiquated Yank tank.

At 4.28 metres long, the Mokka is bigger than Nissan’s Juke but shorter than the Qashqai, and will take on everything from the aforementioned Nissans, to Mini’s Countryman and the Skoda Yeti.

There is a choice of three engines: a 113bhp 1.6-litre petrol; a turbocharged 1.4-litre petrol with 138bhp and 148lb ft; and a 128bhp/221lb ft 1.7-litre diesel. All are fitted with a stop/start system, the latter two can be mated to either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic, and while four-wheel drive is an option, all models come with hill descent control as standard.

What else?

A new bonnet, a revised grille and different bumpers differentiate the Mokka from its America sibling, but it doesn’t have the same stylish good looks as Vauxhall and Opel’s most recent European-focused offerings.

But it does boast swivelling headlights, a rear view camera, and Vauxhall’s new front camera system that enables the Mokka to be optioned with lane departure warning, forward collision alert and traffic sign recognition. Fold the seats and there’s up to 1372 litres of load space, and there’s also the latest version of Flex-Fix, a bicycle carrier that slides out of the rear bumper.

UK sales begin towards the end of 2012, and prices should start around £16k.

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Toyota NS4 plug-in hybrid unveiled at 2012 Detroit show

By Tim Pollard

First Official Pictures

10 January 2012 14:00

The new Toyota NS4 was one of the surprises of the 2012 Detroit auto show. It's the Japanese car maker's vision of what a new family car will look like in 2015. That's not so far off, and nor does this show car seem too other-worldly.

Toyota is, however, at great pains to say the NS4 plug-in hybrid is quite distinct from the Prius family.

Designers have been talking for some time of developing a new stylistic language for the company's electrified cars; the NS4 seems to provide many of those answers.

Toyota NS4: in detail

The NS4 seems tantalisingly achievable. It's a five-door liftback with a very short front overhang and an aero-friendly, sleek fastback style. The headlamps are wedgily styled to shape the face of the NS4 and combine with gaping Lambo-spec air intakes in the front spoiler to make this quite unlike any other hybrid we've seen before.

Check out also the headlamps motif at night time; this is hardly a bland Toyota hybrid. The rear lamps too are pencil-thin and positioned high-up to help create a rear spoiler for superior drag resistance and stability.

NS4: not just about hybrid

Toyota says the NS4 also premieres the company's latest safety and connectivity solutions.

That's why the dashboard controls are more akin to a smartphone than a car centre console. It's a touchscreen which operates the multimedia systems, climate control, battery-charge system and sat-nav. Toyota claims it learns a driver's preferences to simplify choice and present their most likely alternatives in any given situation.

We haven't yet been able to sit in the Toyota NS4 to test out those claims. We'll try and sneak past the security guards on the Toyota stand at the NAIAS.

Those NS4 safety gizmos

This Toyota concept car is bristling with safety gadgets: adaptive headlamsp which automatically flick up to full beam wherever possible, and then trim the beam to avoid dazzling other road users.

Anyone worried about drivers becoming optional should look away now: the NS4 also uses radar and cameras to anticipate a crash, and will autonomously apply the brakes - and steering - of its own accord to avoid a collision.

Perhaps most interesting of all is a new type of glazing in all the car windows. They have a hydrophobic and anti-fog coating, to repel water from outside and mist inside. The glass also filters out UV rays to prevent harmful rays entering the cabin and keep the temperature inside at a comfortable level.

Jim Lentz, the US president and CEO of Toyota, said 'The continued success of our conventional hybrid vehicles laid strong groundwork for market acceptance of future advanced technologies. NS4 demonstrates Toyota’s ongoing commitment to enhancing the safety, efficiency, and convenience of future mobility for people everywhere.'

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Toyota reveals new Le Mans car as Peugeot quits

By Ben Pulman

First Official Pictures

19 January 2012 12:45

Peugeot has announced that it’s closing its Le Mans and endurance racing programme with immediate effect. The unexpected announcement is a blow to the world-famous French endurance race, as the diesel-powered 908 HDi LMP1s have been the only cars able to challenge Audi’s dominance over the past few years – Peugeot won the Le Mans 24hrs in 2009.

On the same day that Peugeot Sport announced the closure of its endurance racing programme, Toyota revealed its new 2012 Le Mans racer. Just two single shots appeared on Twitter, but Toyota is expected to mount a series challenge to Audi over the coming years with its hybrid-powered racer.

Although Toyota has never won Le Mans, its GT-One racers were often the fastest at the 1998 and 1999 events.

Why has Peugeot closed its Le Mans programme?

This is the official line: ‘This decision has been taken against the backdrop of the challenging economic environment in Europe coupled with a particularly busy year for the brand in terms of new vehicle launches. In this context, Peugeot prefers to concentrate its 2012 resources on its commercial performance and, in particular, ensuring the successful launches of the 208, 3008 Hybrid4, 508 RXH, 508 Hybrid4 and 4008 which will take forward the brand's strategy of moving upmarket and extending its global presence.’

Peugeot was victorious at Le Mans in 2009, and has won the Intercontinental Le Mans Championship for the past two years. But all its cars retired at Le Mans in 2010, and despite two of the three Audi R18 TDIs crashing out in 2011, Peugeot failed to win the race and was criticised for its cars blocking the remaining Audi.

How does this affect the 2012 Le Mans race?

The Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO), which organises the Le Mans 24hrs, is remaining bullish despite the withdrawal of a French team from France’s most famous race. It promises that the grids for the 2012 Le Mans 24hrs – and the recently announced FIA World Endurance Championship – will be full. 'It is a big disappointment for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the FIA World Endurance Championship​​, a competition created at the request of manufacturers in general and in particular Peugeot,' said ACO President Jean-Claude Plassart. ‘No doubt the hundreds of thousands of fans who flock to the 24 Hours of Le Mans each year and millions of viewers who follow will regret the absence of the Peugeot "lions"'.

FIA President Jean Todt: 'The loss of a competitor as strong as Peugeot is bad news, which shows how the current period is difficult for the automotive industry, and this particular group. I think, especially in these difficult times, it would be good to stay engaged, rather than withdraw. But we must respect their choice and hope they can soon return to the highest level of motorsport.'

Brit and Peugeot driver Anthony Davidson: 'It was a huge disappointment to hear. I am devastated for the Peugeot team and all those who worked so hard over the last two years'.

Audi driver and eight-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen: 'Very surprised of the sad news that Peugeot Sport will not compete in the World Endurance Championship in 2012. Thank you for the competition, great racing and good battles over the last five years'.

What do we know about Toyota’s new Le Mans entry?

Toyota announced in late 2011 that it would be entering the 2012 Le Mans 24hrs, and a select number of other endurance races. Toyota Motorsport GmbH, based in Cologne, Germany, has designed, developed and built the LMP1-spec chassis, and the petrol-hybrid powertrain is being produced by Toyota in Japan.

Toyota has chosen a closed-cockpit design for its new racer (Audi switched to a closed-cockpit design last year, while Aston Martin’s massively uncompetitive AMR-One went the other way) and the huge ‘shark fin’ stretching from the cockpit back to the rear wing is mandated by race regulations and is an attempt to stop the cars flipping during high-speed spins.

Toyota hasn’t yet revealed the exact specifications of its hybrid powertrain, but the race regulations limit naturally aspirated petrol engines to a maximum capacity of 3400cc, while forced induction engines are set to a 2000cc maximum – turbodiesels are set to 3700cc. All vehicles must weight at least 900kg whatever their choice of fuel, and petrol-hybrid racers have a maximum fuel tank capacity of 73 litres (it's 75 for petrol cars, 65 for diesels, and 71 for diesel hybrids).

The 80th running of the Le Mans 24hrs is 16-17 June 2012.

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Audi A6 Allroad (2012) first official pictures

By Ben Pulman

First Official Pictures

11 January 2012 12:00

This the new Audi A6 Allroad, the third and final addition to the A6 range. It’s Audi’s third generation of A6 Allroad, and this new model will be officially unveiled at the 2012 Geneva motor show in March.

Is the new Audi A6 Allroad just a jacked-up estate?

Audi would prefer you to call it ‘the Avant for any kind of road’, but in essence the Allroad is a high-riding A6 Avant with some additional body cladding. The Allroad sits six centimetres higher than its Avant sibling, and thanks to flared wheelarches and additional bumper addendum, it’s also minutely bigger too. Plastic side sills, a vertically slatted grille, twin exhausts, roof bars and stainless steel underbody protection round off the Allroad-specific changes.

Inside it’s mostly standard A6 fare, but the MMI multimedia system now depicts the pitch of the A6 Allroad, the kick plates say ‘Allroad’ and the carpets and instrument panel are black.

And power?

Four V6 engines are offered, and unless you live in a land where fuel is cheap, the 3.0 TFSI supercharged petrol unit probably isn’t for you. Peak power is 306bhp, total torque is 325lb ft, 0-62mph takes 5.9seconds, but the combined fuel consumption figure is 31.7mpg. Best to opt instead for one of the three 3.0 TDIs…

3.0 TDI 201bhp/332lb ft
3.0 TDI 241bhp/428lb ft
3.0 TDI 308bhp/479lb ft

The least powerful engine can achieve 46.3mpg and 159/km CO2, while the twin-turbo 308bhp TDI can hit 62mph in 5.6 seconds; the latter is mated to an eight-speed automatic gearbox while the other three engines use Audi’s seven-speed dual-clutch S-tronic transmission.

All models features Audi’s Quattro four-wheel drive system, mated to a torque vectoring system that brakes the inside wheels in a bend to aid traction and cornering. Adaptive air suspension is also standard, and can raise the A6 Allroad 10mm higher than its predecessors – the system also lowers the car by 15mm at high speeds.

UK sales start in summer 2012.