Fisker Launches First Major US Media Ad Campaign
Published June 23, 2012
By Jeff Cobb
Yesterday Fisker Automotive’s first major national ad campaign appeared in the form of a multi-page advertisement in the Wall Street Journal.
The ad essentially touts Fisker’s having brought “the first four-door luxury electric vehicle to market,” as Fisker says, “while acknowledging the challenges that accompany all new pioneering technologies.”
Henrik Fisker, executive chairman and chief designer commented on his namesake company’s accomplishments while alluding also to obstacles it has had to overcome.
“Launching a new car company is a difficult enough challenge on its own and one that is rarely attempted, let alone also trying to establish a new brand with a revolutionary new product and technology,” he said. “We have made steady progress and won several prestigious awards for our game-changing Karma model.
Lumma Design shows off new design package for BMW M6 Coupe
Lumma Design has crafted a package for the BMW M6 F12 that focuses soley on looks, leaving the performance as the Bavarian Motor Works engineers intended.
A full aero kit has been added to the model, which is comprised of large air inlets, a carbon fiber engine housing, protruding front spoiler, wheel arch extensions for the front and the rear, a rear diffuser, a central dual exhaust, and a rear wing.
The modified model sits on a fresh set of 21-inch alloy wheels wrapped in low profile performance rubber.
On the inside, the Design house went all-out again with carbon fiber everywhere it fits, and Alcantra for fabrics, available in a large variety of colors.
Lumma will be taking orders by the end of the year, starting to ship in the beginning of 2013.
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Suspension Revolution
Vehicle dynamicists at engineering and test consultancy MIRA Ltd. , in the UK, have developed and patented a unique suspension design that, they claim, answers a conundrum which has long-faced car designers and manufacturers utilizing traditional double wishbone suspension layout – how to optimise their product for handling and comfort?
A team of engineers deployed on an internal project led to the development of a revolutionary design that allows the optimization of both handling and comfort, resulting in the Interlinked Double Wishbone Suspension (IDWS) design achieving this in a unique way.
Until now there has generally been a need to compromise. A point is reached at which either responsive handling or good isolation is determined to be the dominant concern and then begins the challenge of packaging the appropriate solution within the vehicle’s architecture.
The IDWS overcomes this compromise by effectively decoupling the castor and longitudinal stiffness’s of the traditional double wishbone suspension – creating a solution that delivers the cornering, handling and steering performance of a double wishbone design but with the longitudinal isolation associated with a MacPherson strut arrangement (without its need for height and associated high wing/trunk lines).
Videos: 2013 BMW M6 Coupe and Convertible
New footage of the new BMW M6 Coupe and Convertible was released by BMW. The 2013 M6 Coupe and M6 Convertible went to Malaga, Spain, to be driven by journalists from around the world. Both M6 models make use of the S63Tu engine, a 4.4-liter unit with an output of 560 hp (412 kW) at 5,750 – 7,000 rpm, and maximum torque of 500 lb-ft (680 Nm) on tap between 1,500 and 5,750 rpm. The rev limiter intervenes at 7,200 rpm.
The engine is mated to a 7-Speed M-Double Clutch Transmission and an innovative Active M Differential. In 2013, a manual transmission will be offered to U.S. customers.
0 to 62 mph is achieved in 4.3 seconds while the spring to 124 mph (200km/h) takes only 13.1 seconds. Top speed is electronically limited to 155 mph (250 km/h).
The BMW M6 Convertible will be the first of the two new M cars to arrive in US BMW Center showrooms. The M6 Convertible arrives this June and will be priced at $ 113,995 (including $ 895 Destination and Handling). 2013 BMW M6 Coupe will arrive in late summer and will carry Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Prices of $ 106,995 (including destination and handling).
Opel to ditch premium price strategy
The boss of General Motors’ European divisions admits the premium pricing strategy for Opel and Vauxhall has backfired.
Opel/Vauxhall CEO Karl-Friedrich Stracke told industry journal Automotive News Europe both brands would phase out their upmarket pricing structure in the near future as they attempt to appeal to more mainstream customers.
“We need to regain our traditional customer base,” Stracke said. “We moved Opel up too quickly. Going forward there will be adjustments to make our cars more affordable.”
Stracke confirmed the revised pricing strategy would not impact GM’s planned 11 billion euro ($ 13.7 billion) investment into new product through to 2014, which is set to give birth to 23 all-new or heavily updated models by 2016.
“Product is king and the key to future success,” Stracke said.
Audi A6 2.0T Now Available with Quattro and Eight-Speed Auto, Starts at $45,295
Audi’s four-cylinder A6 model is on the cusp of moving from anonymity to relevance in the U.S.: Quattro all-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic transmission are coming to the A6 2.0T. Until now, the entry-level A6—you may not even have known it existed—has been available only with front-wheel drive and a continuously variable automatic, and sales of the 211-hp model were but a mere trickle. (The FWD/CVT model continues.) Audi predicts sales of the turbocharged A6 2.0T will pick up substantially now that customers can order an example with a driveline more in line with the Audi brand.
Pricing Rundown
The appeal also will be driven by aggressively low pricing on both front- and all-wheel-drive A6 2.0T models. At $ 43,095, the front-drive A6 2.0T that’s on sale today is a heck of a deal; far from stripped-out, it comes equipped like the more-expensive (and comparo-winning) A6 with the 310-hp, 3.0-liter V-6. When it hits dealers later this summer, the A6 2.0T with Quattro will ask just $ 45,295 in Premium trim. A Premium Plus version—which adds Audi’s superb MMI infotainment system, navigation, fancier wheels, xenon headlights, and a rearview camera, among other kit—starts at $ 49,595.
With this pricing, Audi’s entry-level A6 undercuts BMW’s four-cylinder 528i by several grand. A 528i with xDrive all-wheel drive would cost well over $ 50K were one to equip it comparably to the Premium Plus A6 2.0T Quattro. The BMW does offer more power—240 hp to the A6′s 211—but torque output for the two cars is nearly the same, at 260 for the 528i and 258 for the Audi.
The Big Picture
First 2013 SRT Viper Sells For $300K at Barrett-Jackson
As promised, Chrysler auctioned off the very first production SRT Viper at the Barrett-Jackson auction. The 2013 Viper VIN number-1 was sold for the remarkable sum of $ 300,000. But don’t think Chrysler did this so they can earn some easy money. All the proceeds from the sale will be donated to the Austin Hatcher Foundation for pediatric cancer.
So the winning bidder not only took home a very collectible item – the very first unit of the new generation Viper – and an awesome super car, he also contributed to a good cause. That will make driving this car much more enjoyable knowing that it did a little to help save children.
The Viper is gone, but you can still donate whatever you can at Austin Hatcher Foundation.
Official pricing of the new Viper is yet to be revealed, but we’re expecting something in the neighborhood of $ 150K. The car is powered by a hand-assembled 8.4-liter all-aluminum, V-10 overhead-valve engine developing 640 horsepower and 600 lb.-ft. of torque, mated to a Tremec TR6060 six-speed manual transmission.