Mercedes-Benz are of course continuing their battle with their direct rival BMW in the race for sales. Resultantly, AutomotiveNews reports that the famed Silver Arrow will be adding a convertible, diesel, and hybrid variant to their C-Class lineup when it gets redesigned next year.

“We were fighting the 3 series with two arms tied behind our back, and now we will change that,” Mercedes-Benz USA’s Steve Cannon told Automotive News.

So far, word is that we could expect the new C-Class to debut at the Detroit Auto Show next year with a coupe and convertible following by early 2015. The diesel and hybrid models along with the option of 4MATIC all-wheel drive will come later.

When asked the question about a C-Class estate, Cannon said that the demand for it was too low and they are most likely going to skip on importing it. As for any potential answer to the BMW 3- and 5-Series GT, Cannon conceded that those cars were “an answer to a product question that no one is asking for.”

“We would rather not do that,” he said. “Rather than offering a station wagon, we clearly know that SUVs and light trucks are the way to go.”

- By: Chris Chin

Source: AutomotiveNews

egmCarTech

The GTspirit team has arrived in Monaco for Top Marques Monaco 2013. Our photographers went out and did a lap of town to bring you the first part of ‘Supercars in Monaco’ of 2013.

Day one kicked off great, the sunshine and great weather certainly helped! The first gallery contains some great cars such as the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta, Ford GT1X, Hamann Hawk and many other supercars. Stay tuned for another supercar gallery tomorrow and of course the news from Top Marques Monaco 2013.

Photos by our photographers Jesper van der Noord, Thom van der Noord, Mitch Wilschut and Willem de Zeeuw.

GTSPIRIT

Germany’s famous small car starts from $ 21,490 before on-road costs, $ 500 less than the previous entry model.

The new base model Volkswagen Golf also comes with a more powerful engine, a 90kW 1.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder that replaces the 77kW 1.2-litre turbo.

The 90kW 90TSI is one of three new engines powering the new, streamlined Golf line-up, joined by a 103kW petrol turbo and a 110kW turbo diesel.

The engines all come standard with stop-start and improved fuel consumption by between eight (diesel) and 16 per cent, with the turbo diesel, which costs from $ 34,490, breaking the 5.0 litres per 100km mark with an official combined figure of 4.9L/100km.

The 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel also increases power over its predecessor, climbing from 103kW to 110kW, while its torque output is unchanged at 320Nm.

Volkswagen says the Golf’s petrol engines set the benchmark for fuel efficiency in the small car segment.

The entry Volkswagen Golf 90TSI uses 5.7L/100km with a six-speed manual or 5.4L/100km with a six-speed DSG dual-clutch auto that pushes the price up to $ 23,990.

The more expensive petrol Golf, the $ 31,990 103TSI available with the DSG gearbox only, offers the best of both worlds: more power, with 103kW, and better economy, at 5.2L/100km. It also offers 250Nm of torque compared with the 200Nm of the 90TSI.

The 103TSI is the fastest of the Volkswagen Golf range with a claimed 0-100km/h sprint of 8.4 seconds, with the 110TDI in the middle at 8.6 seconds, followed by the 9.3sec of the 90TSI (in both manual and DSG).

Three trim levels are available though only the entry Volkswagen Golf has the option of an alternative specification – the mid-range Comfortline.

Comfortline carries a $ 3500 premium but brings 16-inch alloy wheels, dual-zone climate control, front and rear parking sensors, rain-sensing wipers, and a rear-view camera.

Standard feature highlights of the base Volkswagen Golf include seven airbags, 15-inch steel wheels, auto hold function, electric handbrake, cruise control, Bluetooth, trip computer, and 5.8-inch colour touchscreen.

The Volkswagen Golf 103TSI is available only in Comfortline spec, while the Golf 110TDI is offered only in the high-grade Highline spec. Highline extras include 17-inch alloys, satellite navigation and sports seats.

Volkswagen has further reduced complexity in the Golf range by limiting the number of options for the range.

An automatic gearbox and metallic paint, for example, are the only options for the Golf 90TSI base model.

Comfortline additions are restricted to a Driver Assistance Package that costs just $ 1300 and includes an array of driver aids such as adaptive cruise control, front assist with emergency brake, proactive occupant protection system, parallel parking assist, and driving profile selector, the latter allowing drivers to select between Eco, Sport, Normal and Individual modes.

For the Highline, a panoramic sunroof ($ 1850), bi-xenon headlights ($ 2150) and Vienna leather upholstery ($ 2950) are cost options.

Metallic paint, which is standard on the rival Mazda 3, costs $ 500 for all models.

The latest Volkswagen Golf is the first all-new generation since the 2003 Golf Mk5. The Mk6 was a heavily upgraded version that used a significant number of carryover parts, including the platform.

The new Golf is the first Volkswagen to go on sale in Australia utilising the company’s new ‘MQB’ modular architecture that will underpin the vast majority of future VW Group vehicles – including those from sister brands such as Audi and Skoda.

The Mk7 is 56mm longer than the Mk6 that was one of the shortest models in the small car class. Other key dimension changes are a height reduction of 28mm and width reduction of 13mm.

It’s lighter than before, helped mainly by a body-in-white (main skeleton) paring 23kg. The wheelbase, previously the shortest in its segment, also stretches – by 59mm to 2637mm. Boot space increases by 30 litres to 380L.

All Volkswagen Golfs sold in Australia come only with the more sophisticated multilink rear suspension used by previous recent models. Volkswagen has introduced a cheaper torsion beam for the Golf for some markets.

The new Volkswagen Golf GTI will arrive later in 2013 locally, with a new version of the flagship, all-wheel-drive Volkswagen Golf R confirmed for 2014.

2013 Volkswagen Golf range:

• Volkswagen Golf 90TSI manual – from $ 21,490
• Volkswagen Golf 90TSI DSG – from $ 23,990
• Volkswagen Golf 90TSI Comfortline – from $ 24,990
• Volkswagen Golf 90TSI Comfortline DSG – from $ 27490
• Volkswagen Golf 103TSI DSG – from $ 31,990
• Volkswagen Golf 110TDI DSG – from $ 34,490

 CarAdvice

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BMW M holds another exclusive event for European journalists. At the Wachauring Racetrack in Austria, the entire M fleet was put through paces by the eager and adrenaline-loaded journalists. Along with the new BMW M6 Coupe and Convertible, M3 Coupe, M5, X5 M, X6 M, or the M135i, another unique M car made an appearance: the E30 M3, one of the most iconic cars ever built by BMW.

The event kicked off with a drifting competition on wet skidpad, followed by an xDrive demonstration where the heavy, yet powerful X5 M and X6 M showed the capabilities of the rear-drive-biased xDrive system.

Next the M folks gave the journalists a chance to experience a scenic drive aboard some of the best Grand Tourers on the market, the M6 Coupe and Convertible. The final step on this M journey were some hot laps around the track aboard all the M cars available.

Final conclusion? Some believe that the M3 is still king in the M family, a car made for those that enjoy pure, raw driving, and occasional tracking.

[Photos: BMW Romania]

BMW BLOG

A few days before its official debut at the Shanghai Auto Show, BMW released a bunch of new pictures of the X4 Concept. As a smaller version of the X6, the X4 maintains the unique profile of the car and the same sort of bumper design, but the new head and taillight designs give it a unique character.

It’s hard to call this car a looker, but if the success of the X6 is any indication, people are going to love this one too. If anything, the X4 will be more affordable than the full-fat sport activity coupe. The X4 is still a few years away from launching into the market as a production model, and things can change until then. For the time being, enjoy the pictures in the gallery below:

VN:F [1.9.22_1171]

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Motorward

General Motors is looking once again to expand its lineup by introducing some new midsized pickup trucks to the mix. According to a report by TheDetroitNews, the new midsized trucks will be aimed more towards the “lifestyle” market and are due by next year. However, there is one key thing that GM of North America’s President, Mark Reuss, emphasized.

“Don’t think of them as Canyon and Colorado replacements because they’re not,” he told TheDetroitNews.

The Chevrolet Colorado and GM Canyon pickups ended production last year with no replacement announced.

“We’re going to really target different buyers with these two trucks,” Reuss told reporters after a major press conference. “We’d love to have a truck like a Chevrolet midsize truck go really attack the West Coast with a lifestyle truck that is really beautiful and fun. It’s a different positioning than a semi serious duty cycle truck that we might do with a GMC Canyon.”

Also expect better fuel economy and a line of powertrains separate from their larger trucks, Reuss concluded. So that most likely means no honky tonky V8s.

- By: Chris Chin

Source: TheDetroitNews

egmCarTech

Veteran space launch company Orbital Sciences is scheduled to make its first demonstration test flight later today of its new Antares rocket as part of NASA’s commercial orbital transportation system agreement.
Autopia

Although its arrival is still months away, we already know a lot about the all-electric BMW i3. We have a good idea of its range (with and without the optional range-extender), we’ve hypothesized about its sticker price, and a few lucky journalists have even gotten to drive around in it.  

But there’s one thing we haven’t known: who’s going to buy this thing? Luckily, a new video from BMW has answered that burning question.

THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF ADS

There are many, many types of ads — classified ads, display ads, radio spots, and on and on. Most of the car commercials that we see on television are 30-second clips featuring shiny new vehicles zipping down scenic highways. Many don’t bother showing people at all: we just hear voiceovers from well-known actors like John Hamm (Mercedes-Benz), Jeff Bridges (Hyundai), or Tim Allen (Chevrolet Cruze and Volt). 

One of the newer sorts of ads that’s been made possible by the internet is what we might call the “video demo”. These clips are a cross between commercials and owner’s manuals, and they’re generally far too long to be used on TV. 

Free from the time constraints of traditional ads, these demos show off vehicles in great detail, offering an idealized view of the ownership experience. They bear little or no resemblance to reality: like the homes in Architectural Digest, which have none of the clutter or kids or pets or leaky windows that most of us live with, video demos present the clearest possible picture of the “lifestyle” that the vehicle embodies. 

And that’s exactly the sort of ad that BMW has made for the i3.

So whom does BMW envision as the ideal i3 customer? After a couple of viewings and some unofficial inter-office polling, we’ve identified three target markets:

• Models
• Metrosexuals
• Europeans

How did we arrive at those conclusions? Let us count the hints as they tick by:

:13 — Sleek, modern architecture: The i3 owners live in a house that would make Mies van der Rohe proud. It’s clean, sturdy, and luxe, a sign of their modern, double-income-no-kids lifestyle.  

:34 — iPhone: The BMW i3 is not compatible with commoners who use open-sourced mobile operating systems. Looking at you, Android people.

:48 — Rented parking spaces: This is not the car for people who work at strip malls. 

:53 — Model bangs: All the cool women are wearing them now (along with their oversized Birkin-y bags).

1:00 — Trendy media job: LA.B Film is a producer of high-end commercial content (including this BMW clip, probably).

1:04 — Another iPhone: Blackberry and Windows Mobile people need not apply, either. 

1:14 — Man bag: That ain’t no knapsack, it ain’t no duffel. It’s about one cubic foot bigger than a murse. (If you had to click that link for a definition, the i3 probably isn’t for you.)

1:36 — Genetic superiority: In case you hadn’t noticed, BMW i3 owners are unusually attractive. Compare/contrast this couple with the BMW service man, who’s more of a 3-Series-driving guy-next-door.

1:40 — Beanpoles: Seriously, these people are wafer-thin. Their lives consist of half-salads and diet waters. 

1:49 — Europe: Nine seconds ago they were in Los Angeles, now they’re motoring around Europe.  

1:59 — Back in LA: Translation: these folks are jet-setters.

2:05 — Brentwood: They’re meeting for dinner in Brentwood, which pretty much says everything else that needs to be said.

Add all that up, and you get BMW’s idealized image of its new customer. But just as all Fiat 500 drivers aren’t J-Lo, we have a hunch that BMW i3 owners will look a bit different in the real world.

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Green Car Reports

If you take a look at Cadillac’s current portfolio, there’s one model that sticks out like a blueberry in a pan of milk for more reasons than one. Yes, we’re talking about the Escalade, GM’s biggest, most luxurious and with a $ 63,170 starting price, most expensive full-size SUV.

In production since 2007, the third generation Escalade has seen its sales numbers fall, but it remains a profit machine for GM, which is why the Detroit carmaker is keen to launch a replacement that will enhance its strong points and diminish its weaknesses.

We already knew from spy shots, videos and our sources that the development of the new, 4th gen Escalade is approaching its end, and now we can show you a snapshot taken from a brochure that landed on our news desk earlier this week and also share some interesting details about GM’s premium SUV that we learned from one of our contacts.

In terms of the exterior design, we are told that the next Escalade will continue to have a boxy look. Highlights will include the main headlamp fixtures that look a lot the units used on the ELR; tail lights that “run from the roof down, being thinnest closest to the roof”; rear wheels with a wider stance than the front ones, and slightly shorter rear windows that those on the current Escalade.

As for the interior, the new Escalade will get power fold flat seats for the third row as standard, but most importantly, it will be significantly more luxurious with much higher quality materials. “The interior design is real everything. Real wood, metal, leather,” our source told us.

If you’re interested to see how we imagined the 2014 Escalade, you can check out our rendered speculation here, but before you do that, let us tell you Cadillac’s flagship SUV will ride on GM’s latest truck platform that underpins the new Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra, and will be powered by a new small-block V8 with direct-injection tech and a cylinder deactivation system.

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