Archive for November, 2009

2010 BMW X6 ActiveHybrid

The 2010 BMW X6 ActiveHybrid‘s saving grace is that unlike the General Motors hybrid SUVs and pickup trucks, there’s no foot tall “hybrid” decal above the rocker panels (to be fair, you can get them without it). “ActiveHybrid,” the BMW way of doing full hybrid powertrains, appears in subtle little chrome badges below the X6 moniker. This makes it hard for smug Toyota Prius drivers to get angry over your “green” dual electric-motor crossover sport/utility coupe rated 18 mpg combined. They’ll dismiss you as having another fast and expensive Bimmer, and they’ll be accurate. Smoke a Prius from the stoplight with a 5.6-second 0-62 mph launch before the driver can read those little badges.

The introduction of the X6 ActiveHybrid — BMW’s first full, dual-mode hybrid — begs for the same debate that has made GM’s hybrid trucks anything but a Prius-like success. Why bother hybridizing such a big, heavy, powerful conveyance? Whether or not you think it’s a good idea, the answers are obvious. A.) Because fuel efficiency that’s just shy of 20 mpg is better than fuel efficiency that’s just shy of 10 mpg, and B.) because BMW can, and it can do it without diminishing performance.The X6 ActiveHybrid begins with BMW’s smooth and powerful twin-turbo V-8, itself a bit of a fuel-saver in that it renders the automaker’s even thirstier V-12 superfluous. On top of those turbos tucked into the eight’s vee is a box containing high-performance electronics for the hybrid system. That explains the power bulge in the hood, the only visual hybrid hint beyond the subtle badges and optional Bluewater Metallic paintjob. A new “power-split” transmission has two electric motors and three planetary gearsets. BMW says the “power-split” transmission acts like a pair of CVTs, one handling lower speeds and the other handling the higher speeds, with seven-step gearing that can be controlled by the steering wheel controls. The two electric motors put out 91 and 86 horsepower.

The battery is nickel-metal hydride and liquid-cooled, capable of storing 2.4-kilowatt hours of energy.

ActiveHybrid offers four drive modes; e-mode, or all-electric, up to 60 km/h (37 mph) depending on the charging state, e-boost, which uses the battery to boost the twin-turbocharged engine, the power-generation or charging state, which of course includes brake regeneration, and the drive state, in which the internal combustion engine and the electric motors are putting their all into powering the crossover.

It’s rated at 480 horsepower and 575 pound-feet of torque. Who needs a 555-horsepower, 500 pound-foot X6 M?How does it work? Pretty seamlessly for anyone accustomed to BMW’s powerful, large and bank vault-heavy X5 and X6. In a largely stop-and-go urban and freeway drive in Miami Beach and surrounding environs, the X6 ActiveHybrid felt like a softer-edged X6 M. We felt a regen-induced drivetrain jerk just twice in about 150 miles. As a fuel-sipper, though, it’s less impressive, shutting down the gas engine at stoplights, like a mild hybrid or a Euro-spec car with a stop-start system. Feather-foot the throttle from the stoplight, and you get maybe three yards of electric-only drive. We never got near the 37-mph optimum all-electric speed.

While Metro Miami offers scant opportunity to handle any car or truck, one fast onramp revealed a bit more compliance than what we remember of other X6s. The ActiveHybrid does have stiffer shocks and springs than conventional six and V-8 models to accommodate an extra 550 pounds for the hybrid system. The hybrid battery accounts for 187 pounds of that added weight.

Added suspension compliance is welcomed in the X6, which has erred on the side of harshness, to now. The ActiveHybrid’s new electric power steering is more impressive, and BMW is pretty proud of it. It has the kind of steady, light touch combined with positive feedback that you’d expect of good BMW steering. Again, this comes with the caveat that quick turns on our route were few and far between.Fast or full-throttle launches, and freeway 65-to-90-mph passing acceleration is very impressive — it feels quicker and faster than the conventional twin-turbo 4.4-liter model, and just a bit shy of the M. Driving the X6 Active Hybrid presents a conundrum. On one hand, the hybrid system wants you to feather-foot it around town and urge the fuel economy meter up (our best fuel economy of 18.5 mpg just beats the EPA combined figure). Your average will go south once you get the ActiveHybrid on the open road and use all that boost, from the twin turbos and the battery. If you don’t want to use this X6 in that manner, you’re much better off shopping your local Toyota dealer.

It’s hard to not think of the X6 ActiveHybrid as BMW’s argument in favor of turbodiesels. Its 17/19-mpg EPA rating falls shy of the X5 xDrive 35d’s 19/26 mpg (although the badge is far less cumbersome). Then there’s the price, which seems to try and prove that clean diesel is much more cost-effective than hybrids. The X5 diesel starts with less standard equipment, at $52,025, while the X6 ActiveHybrid starts at $89,775, fifty bucks more than the X6 M. The X6 ActiveHybrid is almost fully equipped though, so rest assured you’ll be able to keep the bottom-line out of six-digits. The standard iDrive-controlled navigation system includes a screen graphic showing the four drive modes.And so, it’s a niche-within-a-niche vehicle. BMW will sell fewer than 5000 X6s in the U.S. this year, which means that ActiveHybrid versions are likely to sell in the hundreds over the next year. The system can be adapted to other BMW engines, although it’s not designed to be upgradable to lithium-ion battery technology. BMW is considering an X5 ActiveHybrid, but says it has no plans for other models beyond that. Considering the X6 ActiveHybrid has more torque and nearly the same power as the M, that it’s an uber-niche model by any standard and because its distinctive, polarizing shape stands out in any fleet of cars, maybe the X6 should have been a hybrid-only model.

Sourced via motortrend.com

Business big shot: Richard Parry-Jones of the Automotive Council

Richard Parry-Jones, the engineer once known as Ford’s “secret weapon”, has been charged with saving Britain’s car manufacturing industry from the scrapheap.

The former vice-president of product development at Ford has agreed to lead the Government’s new Automotive Council, formed to address the “long-term strategic challenges” facing the UK car industry — or “government ambivalence” and lack of long-term policy, as Mr Parry-Jones described it in a report on the state of the industry this year.

“It [the Government] has been laissez faire and occasionally interventionist when there is a crisis … In other countries there is a long history of government support and behind-the-scenes collaboration because there is a strong recognition of the importance of the industry,” Mr Parry-Jones said. He wants British workers to be trained in the development and manufacturing of green technology, which he believes could create thousands of jobs.

Mr Parry-Jones will co-chair the council with Lord Mandelson, the Business Secretary. Born in Bangor, Wales in 1951, Mr Parry-Jones is the ultimate petrolhead. He wrote to Ford asking about jobs when he was 12. “You’re a bit young,” the company replied, but agreed that he could be a sponsored student when he went to university.

He joined Ford in 1969 as a trainee and earned a first class honours degree in mechanical engineering from Salford University before spending nearly 30 years at the carmaker, with spells in a variety of senior R&D and manufacturing posts in England, Germany and America.

Between 1994 and 1998 he was vice-president of the product development group, during which time he led development of models including the Focus, Ka, Fiesta and Puma. He applies what he calls the “50-metre test” to every car: “You can tell how good any car is within 50 metres from the ways it responds to your inputs and gives feedback. It should feel connected and coherent. If you work hard enough, you can do this for ordinary customers at ordinary prices.”

The result was the Mondeo, credited as one of the favourite cars of Jeremy Clarkson, Top Gear presenter and motoring columnist.

Mr Parry-Jones was promoted to group-vice president in 1998 before being appointed chief technical officer in 2001. He resigned in 2007.

The Government will hope that the unveiling of the “secret weapon” will see a greener British car industry rise from the ashes.

Sourved via timesonline.co.uk

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Bugatti 16C Galibier Concept

When you’ve built the worlds’ fastest production car, what do you do for an encore? That’s a question the VW Group execs running Bugatti have been wrestling with for some time.

The Bugatti Veyron exists because in 2001 then VW Group boss Ferdinand Piech demanded his engineers turn the concept car he unveiled at that year’s Geneva Show into a properly homologated production vehicle. “Piech wanted four things,” recalls one insider. “The car had to have more than 1000hp, do more than 250mph, accelerate to 60mph in less than three seconds, and had to be civilized enough for him to drive to the opera.”

The engineering challenges were enormous. Piech insisted the design of the Veyron concept had to be retained, yet no-one how that would affect high speed stability. (This was a particularly hot-button issue at the time, as VW Group had been dealing with an embarrassing rash of Audi TT crashes that were traced to the high-style car’s tendency to develop rear end lift at speed, a problem subsequently fixed with the addition of a rear spoiler.) Equally, while the engineers figured the 1000hp engine was doable, no-one knew how they would be able to keep it cool. When tire-makers were first presented with the Veyron’s performance and weight parameters, they simply laughed and said it was impossible.It was a long and costly project — VW insiders confirm the first attempt at the car was a disaster — but Piech got his Veyron. It is the benchmark against which all supercars are judged, and one that’s unlikely to ever be beaten: VW Group loses money on every Veyron it builds, and rival automakers from Ferrari to Toyota are now more concerned with meeting ever tougher emissions and safety regulations than spending a fortune just to see who can build the world’s most extreme supercar

Topping the Veyron makes no sense for Bugatti, either. When already you have more power, a higher top speed, and faster acceleration than any fully crash-tested, emissions-certified, road legal car in the world, why bother? That explains why the next Bugatti will be a luxury limousine, rather than a sports car.The Bugatti Galibier will be no ordinary luxury limousine, however. It will be the fastest, most powerful four door in the world, “and by some margin”, confirms a smiling Molsheim source. How fast? Top speed will be about 220mph. How powerful? 800 to 900hp. It will also be the most expensive, with a price tag expected to be in the $1.2 million to $1.5 million bracket.

Officially, the Galibier is merely a concept vehicle, built to test customer reaction. It was shown to potential buyers at Bugatti’s centenary celebrations in Molsheim last September, and was in Beverly Hills last week for another discreet invitation-only customer soiree (California’s Governator, Arnold Schwarzenegger, dropped in for a look-see while we were there). Next stop is the Middle East, then the car will be taken back to Molsheim, and decision made on whether to build it.”The Galibier showcases one of our ideas for a new Bugatti,” says Bugatti design director Achim Anscheidt. “We believe this is the strongest concept; the most finished and refined.” But while Anscheidt is guardedly non-committal, other sources say the Galibier is definitely the next Bugatti, pending a final decision on production in the next six to nine months.

Under the hood will be the 8.0-liter W-16 cylinder engine from the Veyron, though fitted with two-stage supercharging instead of four turbos to deliver the smoother acceleration and monstrous low-end torque demanded of a luxury limousine that seeks to out-power the new Bentley Mulsanne and up-stage the Rolls-Royce Phantom. The engine will drive all four wheels through a transmission that has yet to be determined — while the mid-engine Veyron uses a bespoke seven speed dual clutch tranny built by British engineering firm Ricardo, the front-engine Galibier obviously needs a different set-up. “We’ve not decided [between a dual clutch manual or conventional automatic]“, says our source. “It will be extremely fast shifting, though.”The Galibier will get all-new suspension, and massive ceramic disc brakes. A unique, carbon fiber-intensive chassis structure that is said to resemble a space frame is also under consideration. The advanced materials are not just to reduce weight, but to keep the basic vehicle structure as stiff as possible to handle the massive torque output. Standard body panels will all be carbon fiber, though Bugatti plans to offer the aluminum front fender and door panels shown on the concept as an option. On non-aluminum cars the polished band above the side windows will be carried down the rear door cutline and along the base of the doors to the front wheelarch.

The Galibier concept is a massive car: it’s hard to judge without any other vehicles around it, but for some context the wheels are 22-in-diameter alloys. The production version will be even bigger, however. As the rear door apertures on the concept are too narrow for easy access to the rear seat, and designer Anscheidt wants to hold that graceful cutline (a design cue that deftly echoes sweeping side graphics on numerous classic Bugattis as well as the Veyron) the production version will get a three to four inch stretch aft of the B-pillar. Overall length will be more than 215in, width more than 80in.

nside is a modern take on the wood ‘n’ leather luxury car vibe. There are just two dials in the center of the dash — speedo and power meter — with everything else being presented on a high-tech graphic display in front of the driver. A bespoke Parmigiani watch also sits in the center of the dash. It can be removed and clipped into a watchband and worn on the driver’s wrist.The Galibier is configured as a four seater, with a floating wood trimmed center console arcing forward from the rear seat to the base of the dash. The dash cowl is too high — it will be lowered — and the seating H-points and other ergonomics have to be tweaked for production. There’s plenty of room in the rear for a pair of six-foot plus passengers, but there’s none of the relaxed lounge room you get in the back of a Phantom.

“From the proportions it’s obvious this is a four door driver’s car,” says designer Anscheidt. It’s obvious that it’s also a hatchback, a controversial vehicle form in a market segment which traditionally prefers three box sedans. The rounded rump has allowed Anscheidt to reference the iconic Bugatti Type 57S Atlantic, right down to a spilt rear window and vestigal spine. The Galibier name not only recalls the famous French Alpine pass we crossed during our epic 3000 mile jaunt through Europe in the Dodge Challenger SRT8 last year, but a four door version of the Type 57.

The Veyron loses money, and Bugatti sources freely admit the business case for a limited volume, million dollar-plus sedan doesn’t add up, either. So I ask the obvious question: Has Ferdinand Piech, officially retired from the day-to-day operations of VW Group, but as head of the supervisory board, with his hand-picked men in charge of key departments, still very much in charge, seen the Galibier? My source smiles: “Yes, he’s seen the car.” That’s significant. The fact we’re now seeing the Bugatti Galibier can only mean one thing: Piech probably wants it built. And what Ferdinand Piech wants, he usually gets. Just ask the guys at Porsche.

Sourced via mototrend.com