CITROEN DS LINE GROWS WITH NEW DS4

Citroen’s DS4 has been shown off in official pictures. Information is also available to those looking for someone chic and different in the medium-segment hatchback market. The DS4 falls into Citroen’s new DS Line of cars defined by a mix of premium and sportiness. Case in point? The smaller DS3. And like the DS3 is based on the C3, the DS4 is based on, you guessed it, the C4. Follow the dotted line and you’ll realise that at the end of the rainbow is a DS5 in waiting. Yes, that will be based on the excellent C5.




For now though it’s the DS4’s time to shine and boy does it shine. Look at those lines, the coupe-like body with its slightly raised stance, the blend of “bold and beautiful” on the front grille, chrome inserts, LED lights on the front end, muscular wheel arches and a distinctive rear end.


The dashboard is driver-focussed with more chrome as well as leather peppered on it. Aluminium is also used on the foot pedals and the embossed leather door handles add a touch of class. Major differentiators from the C4 are the two rear seats, which make the DS4 a 2+2 four-seater.


Engines sent off from launch include an HDi turbo diesel worth 118kW and a 147kW THP petrol kicking out 275Nm. All the cars can be mated with either a 6-speed manual or an EGS (Electronic Gearbox System) transmission.


The new DS4 will appear in public for the first time at the 2010 Paris International Auto Show in September and go on sale in Mzansi in early 2011.

NEW ISUZU KB72 CELEBRATES RECORD-BREAKING 72 HOURS

General Motors South Africa has announced the release of the Isuzu KB72, an added value version of the popular KB 250 LE Double Cab, to commemorate Isuzu’s successful completion of its 72 hour challenge.

At the heart of that challenge was a drive to better established time and distance records, set in 2003, for diesel powered pick-ups. During the challenge Isuzu demonstrated the reliability, durability and economy of its proven diesel technology. Fundamental to the success
in the quest for new records was the capability of the vehicles to be driven non-stop on the limit for a period of 72 hours with fuel economy having a direct impact on the result as time taken to refuel the vehicles translated into time and kilometres lost on the track.

The KB 300 diesel set the pace in the challenge and covered 12 243.38 kilometres in the 72 hour period at an average speed of 170.047 km/h. These numbers significantly exceeded the previous records of 11 520.664 kilometres and 160.009 km/h held by a 2.7 litre petrol engine pick-up.

A surprise result achieved during the Isuzu 72 hour challenge was the records set by the Isuzu KB250 diesel pick-up. This model improved on the existing 3.0 litre diesel records by 470 kilometres and 5 km/h and came within a hair’s breadth of beating the 2.7 litre petrol records falling just 25 kilometres short of that mark or just 0.4 km/h slower.

It is this remarkable success of the KB 250 LE that Isuzu is inviting customers to share with the release of a limited number of KB72 Double Cabs with the option of either 4X2 or 4X4 drive train. The KB72 offers enhanced specification, visual appeal, and value at a substantially reduced cost than if the same enhancements were made by the customer with the addition of similar aftermarket options.

The KB72 specification includes 16 inch alloy wheels fitted with 245/70 R16 tyres (15 inch alloy with 245/75 R15 tyres standard); body colour front bumper; body colour wheel arch mouldings; body colour door mouldings, and aluminium running boards. The value of these items fitted as an aftermarket option by the customer would cost in the region of R19 000. Incorporated in the KB72 package they add just a fraction of that cost to the KB 250 LE price.
Isuzu KB72 Pricing
KB72 Double Cab 4X2 R314 500
KB72 Double Cab 4X4 R358 500





STORY BY GM

2010 FORD FOCUS RS SHAKEN, AND STIRRED

Jeff Nemeth is just two kart lengths ahead of me as we bullet under the bridge at Zwartkops go-kart track. He is firmly protecting his lines but two aspects are against his plans: my determination and the massive width of this track. The immediate turn is a sharp right-hander. Thankfully it’s wide enough to pull a classic Hamilton move. Late braking…actually make that NO BRAKING at all and we hit the preceding incline side by side as a treacherous left hander with roughage and camber changes beckons. Kodak moment fast approaching now; He goes wide and I go tighter. Bumps; opposite lock; (flash); Phuti Mpyane is in front and Ford SA CEO beaten.
No hard feelings from Jeff for being out-cornered by a guy wearing a pink shirt... His company is poised to score a far bigger victory than this little scuffle we’ve just enjoyed.



As a fresh breeze washes over my cheese-kop while I de-helmet, a white Focus RS scorches by emitting a most chillingly glorious holler at the real track below. Ford’s new Focus RS is here and it’s a steely iteration compared to the widely popular ST version. War paint includes a huge roof mounted spoiler; a menacingly wider front air-dam, slats on the bonnet, two big bore tail pipes and a diffuser designed into the rear bumper.


You’d pop inside expecting it to have no floor carpets, a fire extinguisher and the dashboard ripped off as per rally car specifications. What you do find instead is a cabin similar in architecture to the ST and acres of carbon fibre effect inserts while deep Recaros stand guard. The cabin is well manicured and strangely for a model built on super virility, it feels that much more luxurious than the lesser Orangey species. Even its progression on tarmac feels more accomplished and has that great German sedan cushion to it in spite of its lowered road stance and rubber that looks more painted than fitted onto handsome multi-spoke alloys.


Drivability is so polished. This doesn’t quite back-up the message about the RS being track specialist. I mean, heck, the tiller yields to hand inputs with zero resistance that again belies the true nature of the beast. Having gingerly cruised to tap into its Clark Kent side of the business and being convinced that it has good mannerism that can see owners use it on daily basis, it was time to rip off the shirt and get airborne. With the throttle buried, the power comes in emphatically. First a smidgen of lag is felt due to a bigger turbo being fitted onto the basic 2.5-litre 5 potter, the power swells up from low down and then KA-POW. This is where glaring differences to the ST surface. It too sounds fantastic but importantly, it backs that bark with real go. However, this is one part of a juicy RS Focus. The other is to be REVO-KNUCKLED.


This is Ford’s new suspension tech developed with input from the company’s WRC outfit. It’s a bit of Chinese-Mathematics that I will spare you from but the basic concept here is that power is shifted to the front wheel with the most traction. This eliminates the dreaded torque-steer that afflicts vulgarly powered front-pushers and to a good extent understeer is also kept in check and Zwarties is a perfect venue to verify this knuckle-effect. Turn two at the Big Z is notoriously hair-pinned. To do it well is too brake in time and head for an orange cone that marks the center of the corner. Flying in from the main straight, I brake deeper, wider, and turn in while feeding in power. The result is unbelievable.


The KNUCKLES do their thing and shuffle things under there and the orange apex-marker I’d bid farewell to by late retardation is suddenly back in contention. Clip the corner and back on the power. The exercise is riveting and I’m beginning to get all green at the prospects of what owners of these 60 units (all sold out by the way) are going to possess.


It’s a bit of a catch 22 scenario that’s playing out. Ford finally has something that can successfully wrestle back the lost kudos from current class leaders but being a limited and frankly last hurrah before the new Focus arrives, it will go down SA history as a bar-room debate on whether it is/was actually fantastic. Allow me to be the cart that says the Ford Focus RS is/was Ford at its incredible, hatchback best.




Engine: 2.5-litre, 5 cylinder, 224kW at 6500rpm, 440Nm between 2300 – 4500rpm
Gearbox: 6-speed manual, FWD,
Claimed 0 - 100km/h: 5.9 seconds
Top Speed: 263 km/h
Headline Tech: Revo-Knuckle, larger turbo (1.4 Boost)


Price: R479 000


STORY BY PHUTI MPYANE OF KMR MEDIA

New Lancia Stratos Review

Resurrection of the legendary rally car, Lancia Stratos seemed not just a rumor. New Lancia Stratos has now been officially introduced.

New Lancia Stratos is a unique-shaped compact car with a mid-engine sports the short wheelbase.

Stratos is the initiation of the resurrection of a personal project Stoschek Michael, a successful businessman who heads the fifth largest supplier of automotive components in Germany.

In terms of appearance, New Stratos was designed to truly be a prototype of Lancia Startos. Although the overall color carbon black, unlike the legends who dominated the red and white Marlboro.

New Stratos based off the Ferrari F430 and body made entirely of carbon fiber, allowing the power-to-weight ratio was less than five pounds per dk and 50:50 weight distribution.

Stratos tested in the circuit. However, not yet known whether this car is really only going to produce one unit only, or at least be a limited edition with a small production, there is going to depend on the demand and production cost.

New Stratos body completely made of carbon fiber.


Stratos new (black) side by side with old Stratos.

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RUNDLE AND MOHR PUNCTURED OUT OF CARNIVAL CITY

Off road racing is a cruel mistress and when the dice doesn’t roll in your favour, you have to take it like a man.  So it was for Thomas Rundle and Juan Mohr (Barden Tyre Services Racing Nissan Navara) in the 4x4 Mega World 400, round five of the Absa Off Road Car Championship, which took place over the weekend near Carnival City.
 

Following their fine third place overall in the recent Sun City 400, a result that resuscitated their season after two disappointing non-finishes in their first season together in the ex-factory Nissan, the Barden Tyre Services pair was confident of building on that performance.
 
Rundle and former national champion off road racing co-driver Juan Mohr got their weekend off to a great start in Friday’s 67-km Donaldson prologue, which determined the start order for Saturday’s 356-km race, with the third fastest time among the production vehicles behind the factory Toyota Hiluxes of Duncan Vos and Anthony Taylor.
 
“We had a great run in the prologue and had high hopes for the race,” said a Rundle.  “It’s all been coming together nicely and we were heartened by our third place overall in the recent Sun City 400.  But for the two punctures we would have come very close to winning the event.
 
“We started Saturday’s race well and were lying second in the production vehicle category after 100 km behind Duncan Vos and Rob Howie in the factory Toyota.  Then we had to stop after another 50 km to put oil in the engine when the oil pressure dropped, losing us about four places. We dropped even further back when we had to stop again as the engine was overheating and we had to add water.
 
“At the start of the second of the two 178 km loops that made up the race distance we realised that with continued low oil pressure and high water temperature we were running the risk of damaging the engine, so we returned to the halfway service point after 10 km.
 
“It was a great disappointment.  But we’ll be back for the Toyota Desert Race next month.”
 
The event was won by Vos and Howie from Chris Visser/Japie Badenhorst (Toyota Hilux) and Hannes Grobler/Hennie ter Stege (BMW X3).
 
While Barden Tyre Services is the principal sponsor, the team also enjoys a mutually beneficial relationship with other partners and suppliers like Dunlop tyres, Autozone, Hausberger and Associates, Maxwell Design and Advertising, Willard batteries and Cedar Chem.





STORY BY PETER BURROUGHES COMMUNICATIONS

MCLAREN MP4-12C SHOWCASED IN THE US

McLaren Automotive took the opportunity to showcase its first supercar at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in the USA. Interested parties and other invited guests were given the chance to have an up-close and personal look at the new 441kW MP4-12C and some even got to sit inside the cockpit and touch it. Guests included the Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger and world-famous car collector/ TV star Jay Leno.




Obviously the US will be a key market for McLaren Automotive, probably becoming a top 5 market alongside Germany, the UK, Italy and China. Other regions set to access the car include South Africa through two dealerships in Johannesburg and Cape Town, Russia, the UAE, Canada, Australia and others.


"Each retailer on this tour will be registering customer interest in the 12C,” said Tony Joseph, McLaren Automotive's Regional Director for North America, “and it's clear from the feedback at the McLaren Beverly Hills event that our prospects in North America really understand our brand and are looking forward to the launch of McLaren Automotive."


"We look forward to delivering a great range of unique, innovative sports cars to customers in North America, with a network of McLaren Automotive retailers committed to delivering an ownership experience every bit as good and revolutionary as the 12C itself."
North American retailers will begin selling the 2012 McLaren MP4-12C from summer 2011 with a base price within a range of between US$225 000 (R1.65 million) and US$250 000 (R1.8 million).


WATCH THE VIDEO HERE

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Aston Martin Super Sport Limited Edition

After the birth of One-77, a British manufacturer of this re-produce cars under the name of Aston Martin's Super Sport Limited Edition.



This car is only produced as many as eight units only. Star Electric Cars Aston Martin France became a partner in making this Super Sport. Aston Martin's Super Sport is equipped with a capacity of 4.5 liter V8 engine equipped with twin turbochargers. Aston Martin's Super Sport is capable of producing power of 950 hp.

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BMW M BOSS UNLOADS M3, M1 AND M5 SECRETS

Dr. Kay Segler has been in charge at BMW M GmbH for just over a year. Under the motto "Automobile dreams. Making them come true", the BMW M3 GTS was created as an impressive example of how important it is to "Mister M" to fulfil customer wishes.

His philosophy is that making dreams come true has top priority. This is also reflected by numerous prototype photographs currently in circulation on the internet. As the BMW M3 celebrates its 25th anniversary, we were interested to find out more.




Dr. Segler, the BMW M3 was first produced in 1986 and delivered from 1987.  Hasn't the anniversary got underway a little early?

The BMW M3 was presented to the world public at the IAA in Frankfurt in 1985. This is generally our reference point. But in a way you are right: we could celebrate the anniversary of the BMW M3 over a period of three years - the car certainly deserves it.



Will there be an anniversary model? A special edition? Very much so. With the BMW M3 GTS we have a model in the range which more than fits the bill in this regard. Whether or not there will be any other special edition produced on a larger scale is not possible for me to say at the moment.


How many BMW M3 GTS will there be? We don't want to state a concrete figure at the moment. However, production capacity for this hand-made vehicle is highly limited. As things stands at the moment there will be fewer than 150 BMW M3 GTS. So it will be a rare collector's piece.


How important is the BMW M3 to BMW ? As far as BMW M GmbH is concerned it is the core model, the backbone. No other BMW M automobile embodies the values of our brand more consistently. This applies not just to BMW M but to BMW as a whole.


Which is your favourite M3? One of my first official acts last year was to test drive our current and our historical models. One of them impressed me particularly: the BMW M3 E30.


What is that you especially appreciate in the car? The BMW M3 of the first generation still offers excellent handling and a very special drive feel. It is direct and focused on the essentials - a pure driving machine. And at its time it was unsurpassed.


How do you define unsurpassed? Everyone dreams, many people have automobile dreams. So it's important to make these dreams come true. Some decide to make dreams come true for a small group of people. We would like to reach a wider group, and at an earlier time in their lives.


Why is there nothing like this today? All models grow, have more equipment features and options which can be freely chosen. Ultimately this is reflected in the vehicle dimensions, weight and price, too. This is why it is one of my most urgent goals to offer a small, affordable M model in the tradition of the very first BMW M3.
BMW 1 Series M Coupé.
What might such a model be like? This model will be based on the BMW 1 Series Coupé and also be focused on the essentials - the fascination of driving. And it will reflect a love of detail, too.


Will the model be called BMW M1? We have discussed this point too. BMW M1 is a name with powerful historical associations. So we have decided to follow our second nomenclature method. In the tradition of the BMW Z4 Roadster and of the current models BMW X5 M and X6 M we will put our brand identifier at the end of the name, so our new model will be called the BMW 1 Series M Coupé.


When can we expect to receive further information? We will be publishing more detailed information before Christmas. And we may release the odd detail beforehand. Wait and see!


Where will the information be provided? You can register here on M-Power.com. In this way you can be sure not to miss any information on the BMW 1 Series M Coupé.


From when will the BMW 1 Series M Coupé be supplied? You can expect the first vehicles to be with customers in the first half of 2011.


What else is in store in the near future? There is a lot more for BMW M fans to look forward to in the second half of 2011 as well. We will be presenting the next generation of the BMW M5 with V8 turbo engine. But let's talk about the details another time.


Dr. Segler, thank you for the interview.


STORY COURTESY OF BMW

RENAULT KOLEOS UPDATED

A host of updated and improved specification levels on their Koleos crossover sports utility vehicle (SUV) range have been announced by Renault South Africa.
Already a strong contender in this popular sector, the spec upgrades and additions to three key Koleos models will not only boost their performance prowess but also add significantly to the creature comforts enjoyed by drivers and passengers according to Xavier Gobille, Managing Director of Renault South Africa.

“Since our launch of Koleos to the highly contested and constantly expanding compact SUV market in October 2008, it has established itself as an upper-class SUV that performs convincingly both on-road and off the beaten track.”
While new standard specifications on the Koleos 2.5 Dynamique 4x2 model include cruise control, an upgraded sound system incorporating Bluetooth, integrated TOM TOM Navigation and hands-free keycard, its two premium siblings boast more.
Both the Koleos 2.5 Dynamique Premium CVT 4x4 and Koleos 2.0dCi Dynamique Premium 4x4 have 4x4 Trajectory Control, TOM TOM Navigation, hands-free keycard, sound system with Arkymys, Bizone Auto Climate Control, leather electric seated seats and headlights with washers/wipers amongst their now-standard features and creature comforts.
“Each of the these models demonstrate tried-and-tested, genuine off-road prowess thanks to the intelligent all-wheel drive system that seamlessly splits torque between the front and rear axles whenever required. Electronically actuated, the system provides instant grip and dynamic sure-footed handling,” he explains. “In default mode, the all-wheel drive system is set to ‘auto’ which allows the electronic control unit to continuously monitor traction and driving conditions and to vary the torque/split accordingly.”
On challenging surfaces a 4WD Lock mode can be selected via a push-button on the centre console. This locks the front/rear torque split in the 50:50 setting. There is also a 2WD Lock mode which prevents the system from feeding torque to the rear wheels.
Add the raised height and aggressive approach and departure angles and the Koleos is a convincing off-track performer.
“Standard under the Renault Confiance banner, all Koleos models are supported by a comprehensive after-sales customer support package that includes a 5-year/150 000km warranty and a 5-year/100 000km service plan,” concludes Gobille.
“A unique mix of versatility, comfort, safety and sweeping design lines coupled with the best-in-class 4x4 capabilities, makes Koleos the perfect crossover vehicle for South Africa’s motoring public.”



Renault Koleos Pricing
2.5 Dynamique Man 4x2 (R314 900)
2.5 Dynamique Premium CVT 4x4 (R399 900)
2.0dCI Dynamique Premium Man 4x4 (R419 900)


STORY BY RENAULT

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BMW TEASES WITH 1 SERIES M COUPE SNIPPETS

BMW has made no secret of the fact that a small 1 Series is finally getting M treatment. We’ve all been screaming and shouting about it, BMW responding by giving us a 135i which, as much as I love it, just doesn’t have the allure of that M badge. These teaser images and video are officially from BMW and their aim of course, is to whet that tongue to uncontrollable wagging.





Telltale signs that this is no ordinary 1 Series include the four tailpipes, an exclusively-M trait as far as BMW is concerned, those multi spoke wheels and the wider wheel arches. So we know this thing is built for performance, but what we don’t know yet is exactly what type of kick it packs. I mean, are we talking Bruce Lee here or just Jean Claude van Damme?


Much speculation revolves around the brand’s renowned 3.0-litre turbo engine. Pundits speculate a sweet 250kW and over 400Nm. Of course more is possible. Remember the Z4 sDrive35is? That has 250kW. An aftermarket kit obtainable from BMW dealerships can also up power to 245kW and deck out the interior and exterior to near-Fast/Furious looks. So why in the world would BMW create an M car that produces the same power as lesser mortals? Ok, all I’m saying is that my wish is for at least 260kW, or better yet 270kW. I doubt it will happen though, but who knows. Wishes sometimes do come true.


Expect the 1 Series M Coupe (never to be called an M1 by the way) to blast into the country in early 2011 following its unveiling at the 2010 Paris International Motor Show next month.


WATCH THE VIDEO HERE