MINI Spirit returns

British legend's big plans for new small car are exclusively revealed

It’s MINI’s biggest ever secret – and autoexpress.co.uk has all the details.

We’ve uncovered a bold plan by the British car maker to develop a new family of city cars, including a zero emission flagship powered by an advanced electric engine.

Though exact details remain scarce, it’s believed that the ultra efficient model line up will also offer drivers fuel sipping petrol engines as MINI owner BMW seeks to build an army of green machines aimed at beating tough legislation on CO2 and other gas emissions due in 2012.

Set to hit the road as early as 2011, it’s been confirmed to Auto Express that the top-secret machine is being developed alongside two new models from a joint venture between Fiat and BMW that’s tipped to mark the return of the famous BMW Isetta and Topolino nameplates

Aimed at a fast growing family of soon to be launched rivals – including Volkswagen’s Up! and a new family of small electric cars from French maker Reanult, MINI is promising to return to its roots with a lightweight model the promises to be every bit as innovative as the 1959 original.

It’s said to be no accident that MINI has chosen its 50th year to begin to develop such a ground breaking new model.

With its engine in back, petrol models will offer four seats and easy to access four door cabin. Individual chairs for driver and passenger will ensure safety is first rate, while the car’s wheel at each corner stance promises to ensure the car feels secure and stable on the road.

Plenty of effort is being poured in to ensuring that visibility is as good as it can possibly be with a large glass area set to ensure that the car is as easy as possible to drive on congested city roads.

Also under consideration is lightweight, tough plastic bodywork, like that fitted to the Mercedes Smart, while the car’s chassis will mix aluminium and composite materials like carbon fibre to deliver enormous strength and light weight.

Electric models could further improve the car’s interior space by locating the batteries in a thin sandwich under the car, and placing electric motors in all four wheels.

Technology to propel this version of the machine is reportedly already well advanced, and has already been publicly trialled in a prototype MINI called the E. This machine, which uses a battery and engine set up similar to that developed by American sportscar firm Tesla is set to be made available in small numbers in both the USA and Germany.

There’s no word on pricing for the newcomer, but given the advanced technology it’s expected to offer, it’s likely that flagship models will cost at least £20,000. A concept paving the way to full production is tipped to make an appearance at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show.

Dealers aim to raise 400mn euros to buy Opel/Vauxhall stake

Opel/Vauxhall dealers plan to raise 400 million euros to buy a minority stake in the troubled General Motors-owned brands.

Euroda, which represents 4,000 Opel/Vauxhall dealers in 25 European countries, plans to establish a fund to take a stake in the brands.

Each dealer would pay 150 euros into the fund from profits on each car they sell over the next three years in return for a stake in a new Opel/Vauxhall company.

GM Europe, which runs Germany's Opel and UK-based Vauxhall, is asking European governments for help to finance a 3.3 billion euro cash shortfall. The automaker has said it is open to discussions on partnerships or equity positions.

Euroda acknowledged that its fund would only raise enough cash to finance a minority stake in the automaker but said its plan would give a clear signal of support to governments, Opel/Vauxhall workers, and -- above all -- customers.

Opel/Vauxhall dealer associations in different countries will vote on the proposal in the coming weeks and a final vote will be held at the next Euroda meeting on May 15.

Euroda Chairman Jaap Timmer said: "Opel/Vauxhall dealers have 125,000 employees and they are responsible entrepreneurs who want to preserve these jobs as well as their investments."

Last week, GM Chief Operating Officer Fritz Henderson said that GM Europe would run out of money early in the second quarter if it did not receive financial support.

GM delays innovative new diesel truck engine

General Motors' deteriorating financial situation has caused the company to delay one of the most advanced engines that it has ever designed, a 4.5-liter diesel for light-duty trucks.

"We have to make tough decisions right now," said GM Powertrain spokeswoman Susan Garavaglia.

Truck enthusiasts were eagerly awaiting the engine, which would have started production next fall at GM's plant in Tonawanda, N.Y. The engine has unique cylinder heads that eliminate the intake and exhaust manifolds. Its lightweight block has advanced castings for the crankshaft-bearing journals and oil-circulation system.

GM had planned to install the engine in the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups. The result would have been a fuel-efficient truck priced for less than the heavy duty diesel-powered trucks available now.

The move comes three weeks before a U.S. auto task force is set to determine whether the automaker deserves an additional $16.6 billion in federal aid. GM, kept afloat by $13.4 billion in U.S. loans received so far, is trying to shed brands, sell assets and curb spending as it battles a worldwide collapse in auto sales after four profitless years.

Selling the rights? GM has been awarded several patents for the engine design, and early tests have shown the new motor to be as smooth and quiet as a gasoline engine. Development of the engine was far along when the decision was made to put the program on hold. Rights to the engine may be sold to another company, Garavaglia said. If GM decides to revive the engine, it would likely take at least a year for it to enter production. Meanwhile, GM will not be out of the diesel truck business. The company will continue to offer the 6.6-liter Duramax engine in heavy-duty pickups and modify it as necessary to meet tougher emissions standards. GM also has just launched Two Mode hybrid versions of the Silverado and Sierra, which get an EPA rated 21 mpg city and 22 mpg highway. The 4.5-liter diesel would have raised the trucks' fuel economy into the mid to high 20s mpg. Last month, GM scrapped plans to build an engine plant for the upcoming Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid and Cruze small car. Instead, the engines will initially come from a European factory while an existing factory in Flint, Mich., is retooled to make the new engines. GM Powertrain Group Vice President Tom Stephens recently said that all of GM's future production plans are constantly being re-evaluated.

Mercedes Gullwing

Merecedes confirms plans for thrilling new gullwing model at Geneva Motor Show

It’s official! Mercedes has finally confirmed its plans to launch a new AMG supercar at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show.

The all-new machine, called the Mercedes SLS AMG is said to represents ultimate in AMG driving dynamics and performance, according to company chairman Volker Mornhinweg.

Smaller and lighter than the McLaren-Mercedes SLR, the SLS is based on a new aluminium spaceframe chassis.

Developing around 570bhp at 6800rpm, Mercedes claims the 6.3-litre V8 machine will sprint from 0-60mph in 3.8seconds while top speed is electronically limited to 196mph.

Drivers will get a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission (first seen in the SL63 AMG and located in the rear transaxle) while the engine is dry-sumped in order to keep the centre of gravity as low as possible.

Supension matches conventional coil springs with twin aluminium wishbones at each corner, lightweight ceramic brake discs are an option.

There;s still no clear word on price, however the car is due to go on sale in summer 2010.

A source close to the project suggested drivers could expect to pay around 150,000 euros - less than half the price of the outgoing SLR.

Renault's electric future

You wait years for an electric Renault and then several turn up at once!

In a shock revelation to Auto Express in Geneva, top brass at the French firm has revealed more than one battery-powered model will be unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September.

And that’s not all, they also confirmed we’d have the chance to drive them before the year’s out.
In an interview with Renault design chief Patrick Le Quément, he revealed that the first electric car will be based on a soon to be launched petrol-powered car – likely to be the facelifted Clio – whereas the other models will be designed from scratch, specifically to run on batteries.

“Designing electric cars is a completely new challenge,” said Le Quément. “Factors such as the positioning of the power packs and the need for a reduced glass area mean conventional-looking designs simply don’t work.”

It also appears that the firm is set to take an equally innovative approach to selling its vehicles too, hinting the production cars could be cheaper to buy than their petrol equivalents.

The firm is looking to adopt a system which would see the cars sold to customers without expensive batteries included. These would then be leased. While it's not clear how much this would cost, Renault has promised that the eventual outlay required would be less than the cost of fuelling the vehicle with Petrol.

This system would also allow drivers to drop in on specially adapted charging stations, where depleted batteries could either be charged, or simply swapped for a full one.

Aston Martin DBS Volante

Making its debut at the Geneva Motor Show next month, the new drop-top will line up alongside the V12 Vantage and new Lagonda luxury saloon, giving show goers a triple treat of fresh metal.

Described by Aston Martin as the “the ultimate open air motoring experience”, the DBS Volante gets the same mighty 6.0-litre V12 as the coupe and stunning looks with a fabric hood that closely follows the silhouette of the coupe.

Capable of dropping at the touch of a button in just 14 seconds and at up to speeds of 30mph, the roof automatically stows under a re–sculpted tonneau cover, which maintains the slick look of the coupe. And as you can see, all the styling cues from the storming DBS coupe are carried across.

The front end gets sleek air intakes, a low splitter and bonnet air vents, the side skirts are lower while at the rear are clear lens covers for the taillights, a subtle boot-lid spoiler and a diffuser. While the bonnet, front wings and boot lid are made from carbon fibre, the DBS Volante is quite a bit heavier than the coupe.

To cope with the loss in stiffness associated with the removal of the hard-top, extra strengthening – including a rigidly mounted rear subframe – has gone into the bonded aluminium chassis chassis. As a result the Volante tips the scales at 1810kg – some 115kg more than the coupe.

Despite this extra weight, performance isn’t really affected. Under the bonnet lies the same 6.0-litre V12 as the DBS coupe. Based on the same unit that powers the DB9, it gets an uprated airbox, which takes peak power to 510bhp and torque to 570Nm. Standard transmission is a six-speed manual gearbox with the option of Aston Martin’s semi-automatic Touchtronic ‘box.

The Volante posts almost identical performance figures to the coupe, accelerating from 0-62mph in just 4.2seconds (0.1seconds down) and hitting the same top speed of 191mph. Carbon ceramic brakes do the stopping while adaptive dampers and double wishbone suspension with 20-inch alloy wheels and sticky Pirelli P-Zero rubber should mean the Volante is prodigious around corners. Inside the luxurious 2+2 cabin gets a bespoke Bang and Olufsen sound system as standard.

On sale this autumn, the DBS Volante is expected to cost around £170,000 – some £11,000 more than the coupe.

Bentley Supersports

Meet the fastest, most powerful Bentley in history – the stunning Continental Supersports!

Packing a 621bhp 6.0-litre W12 engine, the brutish two-seater coupe can accelerate to a top speed of 204mph. But it’s also green too, as it’s capable of running on renewable biofuel as well as petrol.

Making its worldwide debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March, the mighty machine will go on sale in the UK in Autumn, where it will sit above the 200mph Continental GT Speed as the flagship sports car in the Bentley range.

The result of two-year project by a small number of Bentley designers and engineers, the Supersports is the fastest and most driver-focused Continental yet.

As well as more power, it gets uprated brakes and suspension, a ‘Quickshift’ automatic gearbox and a tweaked four-wheel drive system. It has also undergone an extension weight-saving programme, with lightweight components such as carbon-fibre seats helping it shed 110kg over the GT Speed on which it’s based.

The most obvious change is the muscular bodykit, which packs flared rear wheelarches and wider side sills to cover an increased rear track, larger twin exhaust pipes and a modified rear valance, plus 20-inch 10-spoke alloy wheels. A new dark-smoked steel finish is applied to all exterior ‘brightware’, including the front grille, lamp bezels, window surrounds and wheels.

At the front are a host of intakes and twin bonnet vents, which help provide 10 per cent more air to the uprated 6.0-litre twin-turbocharged W12 engine. With increased turbo-boost pressure, it produces 621bhp at 6,000rpm – 21bhp more than the GT Speed – and another 50Nm of torque taking output to a staggering 800Nm between 1,700-5,600rpm.

Together with the weight loss and the Quickshift transmission, which reduces shift times by 50 per cent, the Supersports does 0-60mph in 3.7 seconds, 0-100mph in 8.9 and jumps from 50mph-70mph 2.1 seconds. With a top speed of 204mph, the Supersports is the fastest Bentley ever made.

The engine is also Bentley’s first ‘FlexFuel’ unit, capable of running on E85 bioethanol or petrol or a combination of the two. The firm has committed to making its entire range FlexFuel-compatible by 2012 and claims that biofuel reduces CO2 output by 70 per cent from its production to its use in a car. Although it’s unlikely the Supersports is much cleaner than the xxg/km GT Speed at the tailpipe, or any more economical.

Positioned as the most driveable Continental GT ever, the Supersports’ rides 10mm lower at the front and 15mm lower at the rear. The anti-roll bars get new geometry, there are new bushes to increase stiffness while the power steering system has been tuned for improved feel.

The Continuous Damping Control (CDC) system has also been tweaked for better response, while the four-wheel drive system now sends power 40:60 per cent in favour of the rear wheels, rather than 50:50 of the standard GT Speed. Ultra-sticky Pirelli tyres, standard fit carbon ceramic brakes and a revised traction control system, which allows more wheelslip, complete the dynamic upgrades.

“The Supersports is an immensely capable real-world supercar with agility and traction in all driving situations”, says Brian Gush, director of chassis and powertrain engineering. “The new rear-bias all-wheel drive and retuned ESP allows the driver to fully exploit the potential of the W12 engine and optimised chassis.”

As you’d expect, the cabin is luxuriously trimmed, but the Supersports uses new, non-traditional Bentley materials including carbon fibre and Alcantara suede. A strict two-seater, the rear seats are replaced by a luggage area while up front, the lightweight sports shells feature carbon-fibre backs and can be individually tailored to the owner.

The headlining, rear compartment and the seat centre panels are finished in Alcantara high quality suede-like material, while the seats get soft-leather with a ‘diamond’ upholstery pattern as do the steering wheel and gear lever. Carbon-fibre replaces the wood veneer on the centre console and facia.

No prices have yet been revealed but the Supersports is expected to cost in excess of £150,000. A limited production run is likely too.

Renault Clio

Sharpened up Clio arrives with an all-new look and a hot GT model...

Take a look at Renault's new family favourite. This is the facelifted Clio, which has been revealed here for the first time in sporty new GT guise.

The refreshed supermini lands in May with a face to match that of the new Megane and Laguna, lowering the main radiator grille below the bumper to give it the same sleek look as its bigger brethren.

The Clio outsells the next most popular Renault by two to one in the UK, but last year sales fell by over a third compared to 2007. The new GT will help stem the losses by creating a bridge between the rampant Renaultsport hot hatches and the more sensible models below.No engines have been announced, but we’re expecting to see the 138bhp two-litre petrol and the highest power 1.5-litre diesel under the bonnet.

The GT’s suspension will be stiffer and lower compared to the regular Clio and you’ll spot plenty of visual clues to its sporting pretensions, including extensions to the sills and lower grille, and twin exhaust pipes. Inside, the seats loudly proclaim the GT status and there’s also drilled aluminium pedal covers.

Meanwhile the whole range comes with the option of cut-price in-built sat nav. Thanks to a tie-up with TomTom, the usually steep bill has been slashed to “hopefully well below £500”, according to a Renault spokesman.

The fixed system can be updated on-line via a removeable SD card and it comes with traffic warnings, speed camera locations and speed limit information. Engines are expected to follow the current line-up, dominated by the 1.2 petrol and 1.5-litre diesels. Only the lower powered diesels fall into the £35 band-B tax bracket at the moment, but that could change with the launch of the new model.

New interior trims will be offered, but any owners of the current car looking to swap will be hoping Renault has cured the misting problem highlighted by several Clio III drivers.

Aston’s fastest Vantage roars in

V12 supercar promises 190mph top speed and will features lighter, more muscular body.

Meet the fastest, most powerful Vantage ever! This is Aston Martin’s new V12-engined supercar – a striking machine which packs race-derived technology into a stunning body. And Auto Express has been given access ahead of its world debut at next month’s Geneva Motor Show.

The V12 Vantage was first seen as the RS concept in 2007, and the production version has lost little in its translation from dream to reality. Under the many bonnet louvres lies a mighty 6.0-litre V12 producing 510bhp and 570Nm of torque. That’s 90bhp and 100Nm more than the regular 4.8-litre V8 Vantage. The powerplant is hooked up to a six-speed manual gearbox driving the rear wheels. This means the new model does 0-62mph in 4.2 seconds and accelerates on to a top speed of 190mph.

The new hand-built unit has been developed from the same V12 found in the bigger DB9, as well as the LMP1 Le Mans 24 Hours racer.

Engine airflow is improved by an intake bypass that opens up at 5,500rpm, along with a revised induction system and re-profiled inlet ports. The bigger unit is 100kg heavier than the V8, but by fitting carbon ceramic brakes, new 19-inch 10-spoke aluminium alloys, lightweight inner body panels and optional carbon and Kevlar seats, Aston has kept overall weight gain down to only 50kg.

The rear suspension is more compact to accommodate wider wheels and tyres, while the ride height is lowered by 15mm. In addition, the springs have been stiffened by 45 per cent, and the front and rear anti-roll bars by 15 per cent and 75 per cent respectively. As a result, the V12 Vantage is said to generate up to 1.3G of cornering force.

Most of the body panels are new, and the car looks just as aggressive as the concept. More muscle has been added to the standard model’s meaty shape, with some inspiration from the N24 race car.

At the front is a new splitter, while the bonnet features neat louvres, the side skirts are deeper and there’s a pronounced boot spoiler.

These changes are designed to improve the aerodynamics, although there are plenty of stylish updates, too – such as neat spotlights in the front spoiler and clear lenses in the tail-lamps.

Inside, the instrument dials are easier to read, while carbon fibre door pulls are accompanied by Alcantara suede. The new centre console also features a Sport button which sharpens throttle response and opens up baffles in the exhaust, giving the car a sportier sound.

A three-stage traction control system is also added to the mix. In normal mode, the Dynamic Stability Control package is automatically on, but selecting ‘track mode’ raises the level at which it intervenes, allowing the driver to slide the car more before the system cuts in.

Aston Martin says it will limit production to 1,000 models, with deliveries starting towards the end of the year. Prices haven’t been confirmed, but it is expected to cost just under £140,000.

Porsche 911 GT3

The Series 2 997 GT3 performance car is unveiled

Porsche has revealed the new 911 GT3. It’s the second 997 iteration of our favourite real-world 911, but it’s more than just a mere facelift.

The headline news sits at the very back of the car. The engine is new; still a flat six, but up to 3.8 litres with power hiked 20bhp to 429bhp. Mid-range torque is also improved by tweaking cylinder head gas flow. It means performance gets a shove in the right direction: 0-62mph now takes 4.1sec, 99mph arrives in 8.2sec and top speed is up slightly at 194mph.

Porsche has also made moves to make this the hardest and most dynamic GT3 yet. There’s a new version of PSM (Porsche Stability Management) that allows the stability and traction control systems to be turned off completely. The rather similar sounding PASM (Porsche Active Suspension Management) boasts stiffer springs and anti-roll bars in sport mode but a more compliant ride for everyday use in its normal setting.

There’s modified aerodynamics with front and rear downforce boosted and boasts that overall air pressure pushing down on the car is more than twice that of the current 997 GT3. There are larger yet lighter brake discs that help lessen unsprung weight, which is also reduced via new, lighter alloys. PCCB (or if you prefer, ceramic brakes) is on the options list, with a version of the acclaimed braking system designed specifically for the new GT3.

There are options for the many 911 buyers who take their cars on the track, too. They can specify PADM – yet another acronym that basically stands for engine mounts. The regular, ‘elastic’ engine mounts can be replaced with harder, more resistant ones which reduce the effect of mass forces from the rear-mounted drivetrain, improving traction through bends and when accelerating. Also on the options list is a front-axle lift that raises ground clearance by a useful 30mm for bumpy surfaces and for aid in clearing inconvenient speed humps.

Not on the options list is PDK, Porsche's double-clutch gearbox. For now at least the GT3 is a manual-only car.

The mk2 997 GT3 will debut at the Geneva motor show on March 3, with UK sales kicking off in Autumn 2009. Prices start at £81,914, a rise of about £1300.