مدونة الزاوية: 2012-12-02

السبت، 8 ديسمبر 2012

Audi Tells Us it Has No Plans to Offer the New RS6 Avant in the U.S

If you can afford it, the new Audi RS6 Avant is one of those cars that allows you to have a mid-life crisis without actually affecting the others around you, and by that, we mean you can get supercar-levels of performance with all the comfort amenities and more importantly, the space and practicality of a large family car.

Sadly, if you live in the States, this is one super wagon that you won't be able to park under your garage during this phase of your life.

In an email we received today from John Schilling, product communications manager for Audi North America, we were told that, the brand has "No plans on bringing the RS6 Avant here to the U.S.".

And for those of you wondering, yes, we did ask him if Audi had plans for a sedan version of the 190mph, 552hp RS6, but unfortunately, we did not receive an answer…

Not to rub salt on the wound, but thanks to a tip from CarScoop reader Bruno, we can share with you a new gallery of wallpaper pictures of the RS6 Avant sourced from Audi's German website.

If you would like to voice your opinion on whether Audi should bring the RS6 Avant to the States, place your vote in the poll after the break.

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Honda Confirms UK Pricing for Updated and Slightly More Powerful 2013 CR-Z

The revised Honda CR-Z, which was seen in Europe for the first time at the Paris auto show in September, will arrive in UK dealerships in January with on-the-road prices starting from £20,550 for the Sport variant and £23,050 for the range-topping GT.While the 2013 model does receive a light exterior makeover with a new front bumper design, a different grille and rear diffuser, along with subtle updates to the interior including changes to the colour scheme and improvements to the cabin storage, the most important upgrades are to be found under the hood.
Honda's engineers made changes to the car's 1.5 litre petrol engine ECU unit and variable valve timing system, boosting output by 7hp from 112hp (114PS) to 119hp (121PS).
At the same time, the IMA hybrid system features a new Lithium Ion battery that replaces the previous Nickel-metal hybrid version, and an increase in power from 14hp to 20hp.
These upgrades result in an overall combined output of 135hp (137PS) at 6,600 rpm (+13hp) and 190Nm of torque (+16Nm), with the CR-Z's 0-62mph (100km/h) sprint time dropping from 10.0 seconds to 9.1 seconds on the Sport model and from 10.1 seconds to 9.5 seconds on the GT.
There's also a new Sport Plus (S+) boost system activated by a button that offers an electric boost for up to 10 seconds.
The 2013 CR-Z retains the same fuel economy numbers as its predecessor at 56.5mpg UK on the combined cycle and 116 g/km (Sport) and 54.3 mpg UK and 122 g/km (GT).

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Normally, automakers present a mid-cycle update approximately three to four years after the launch of a new model. If a refresh comes earlier, this means that a car manufacturer is disappointed by the way it has been received by consumers, the media or both.Such was the case with the 2012 Honda Civic that received a makeover only 18 months after its conception, with the 2013 model making its official debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show last week.
Honda isn’t the only company to go down this road as General Motors is also planning to revamp one of its newest entries in the market, the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu.
Speaking to Automotive News, GM CEO Dan Akerson revealed that the company isn't happy with the mid-size sedan's soft early sales and the mediocre reviews it received by magazines, so it has decided to hurry in a facelift for late next year, only about 18 months after its market launch.
"We are going to do a midcycle enhancement, not dramatic, by this time next year," Akerson told the publication, adding that the revisions will include a new fascia.
"I think it's a good car. It'll do OK," Akerson said. "It is a tough segment and it's one we need to be successful in. We'll see how it plays out."
While the Malibu's deliveries have actually increased 4 percent this year through October to 189,094, according to Autonews, for the most part of 2012, these sales include heavily discounted examples of the outgoing 2012 Malibu. When dealers started pushing out more 2013MYs in September and October, the car's sales dipped around 3 percent.

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Only days after Volkswagen premiered the final production version of its new Jetta Hybrid at the LA Auto Show, the Wolfsburg carmaker announced that it will begin to take advance orders for the sedan model in its home market of Germany.The new Jetta Hybrid will arrive in VW's German showrooms from mid of April 2013 with prices starting at €31,300 (US$40,600), which is significantly more than what VW is asking for the same car in the States at €19,900 (US$25,790) including destination but not tax.
Powering VW's compact sedan is a 1.4-liter turbocharged gasoline engine rated at 147HP (150PS) and 250 Nm (184 lb-ft) to a 20kW (27HP/PS) electric motor, for a combined system output of 168hp (170PS). A standard 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox drives the front wheels.
Volkswagen quotes a combined fuel consumption value of 4.1 litres per 100 km (equal to 57.4mpg US / 68.9mpg UK) with CO2 emissions of 95 g/km.
In Germany, the Jetta Hybrid is offered in the two equipment grades named Comfortline and Highline. Standard features include15-inch alloy wheels in hybrid-specific design, RCD 510 Radio-CD system with digital radio reception (DAB+), a leather-trimmed multifunction steering wheel, automatic climate control and ParkPilot parking assistant.

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With a population in excess of 1.3 billion and a booming economy, something tells us that Audi won't have much of a problem finding 80 buyers interested in its limited run R8 China Edition that was built exclusively for the country featured in its name.In what will likely sound odd to the ears of Westerners, the cars will be numbered from 1 to 99, and that's because Chinese consider 4 an unlucky number, so Audi decided to eliminate it.
"To respect the cultural habit of Chinese customers, all numbers with 4 are removed from the serial numbers 1-99," the carmaker said in its press blurb.
The China Edition is based off the pre-facelift R8 V10 borrowing exterior and interior elementsfrom the friskier GT, such as the front bumper winglets, alloy wheel designs, the carbon fiber mirrors, rear wing and the part leather, part Alcantara interior with carbon fiber trimmings.
Power is provided by a 5.2-liter V10 FSI engine rated for 511hp (518PS) and 530Nm (391 lb-ft) that takes the R8 China Edition to 100km/h (62mph) from standstill in 3.9 seconds.

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