Frankfurt 2011: Audi A2 concept

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At the moment this all-new Frankfurt show car carries a great big ‘concept' sticker. But Audi's chief engineer Michael Dick told us there will be a production version. And he's chucking huge engineering creativity at it, because it's not just another supermini. It's Audi's answer to the BMW i3, he says.

Like the original A2 it's an ultra-compact lightweight four-seater, and will sell as a super-expensive eco-car. Though not as expensive as an i3, says our man. Don't know how he knows - BMW is being secret-squirrel about i3 prices.

Design boss Stefan Sielaff (who worked on the original A2 too) says this one doesn't have to be as aerodynamic as the original was, because it's an electric car so is intended more for the urban sprawl, not high-speed motorways.

Instead what matters here is compactness, light weight and good visibility out. And ‘communication with the world' - that means the stripe of light along the side. It acts as a full-length indicator and brake light, telling cyclists and pedestrians on the pavement what you're up to.

The battery is under the floor, so it's roomy inside. That's happening on the real car too. Mind you, inevitably some of the concept ideas won't make production. It's got steer-by-wire (little more that an engineer's fantasy) and seats like the stools at some hip hotel's bar.

What will stay is a construction of aluminium frame with some added super-light and rigid carbon fibre. It's engineered to accelerate a bit quicker than a regular diesel Audi hatch, thanks to a torquey 115bhp electric motor. It'll go more than 100 miles on a four-hour 240V charge. It needs only that relatively quick recharge because its slimline 1150kg weight means it doesn't need much electricity to accelerate.

Unlike the last A2, it won't come as a diesel or pure petrol, though. Michael Dick tells us categorically there will be just two choices. One's a pure-electric version like the concept car. The other has a petrol supplementary engine, possibly (Dick refused to confirm or deny it) a tiny Wankel like last year's A1 e-tron concept. Neither version of the A2 will be cheap, but at least anyone who shells out won't have much to pay for fuel.

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Cadillac sees building Ciel concept flagship

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DETROIT — Cadillac is expecting the go-ahead to build a new flagship based on the same platform as the Ciel concept car.

General Motors is expected to give the go-ahead to Cadillac’s flagship Omega project before year-end, according to senior sources, the maker’s top management encouraged by the overwhelmingly positive reaction of the luxury division’s new Ciel concept vehicle.

It’s unclear whether a convertible or sedan version based on the big Omega platform would be first to market, but there is a clear consensus that Caddy needs a super-premium model if it is to have a chance of regaining its position as “standard to the world,” as its long-time ad slogan declared.

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Omega would be just one in a wide range of new offerings that would be added to the Cadillac line-up, officials told TheDetroitBureau.com, helping the once-dominant marque fill in the so-called “white space” between its current model mix. That will include not only a new plug-in hybrid — but very likely some more conventional hybrid-electric models, as well.

Adding a “flagship” to the line-up is critical, said Cadillac design director Clay Dean during the Ciel’s first public showing in Detroit. The concept convertible was first revealed, earlier this month, during the run-up to the annual Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, where it generated “wows” from both potential customers and the gathered media.

The decision to show the prototype was strongly influenced by the need to make a formal decision on the Omega project, which would target a market segment above the coming Cadillac XTS — itself the replacement for the largely unloved Caddy STS sedan. While there is strong support for the super-premium project there was concern whether the public would accept the idea of something so bold.

“We do have this residual positive sentiment but the fact is that we’re not relevant for many consumers,” said Don Butler, the division’s marketing chief.

That had worried some top GM managers all the way up to the chairman’s office. But a car like Ciel, Cadillac is betting, would put the brand back on the radar for even the most affluent buyers, challenging the status quo of luxury brands like Lexus, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. The convertible, with its dramatic suicide-door design and subtle hint of Caddy’s classic fins, was chosen to represent the brand’s future strategy because ragtops tend to have more emotional power than sedans.

Design chief Dean hinted that a hardtop version is already in hand and could be shown publicly in the months to come.

Precise timing for a production version of the big car is a closely kept secret though sources indicate the maker hopes to have it to market by mid-decade, at the latest.

By then, Cadillac’s line-up will be significantly bigger than it is today. In the coming months, the marque will launch both the small ATS sedan and the XTS, the latter model aimed at “modernizing and redefining” the brand’s image, suggested Butler.

Story: Cadillac aims high with flashy concept convertible 

Also on tap is the Cadillac ELR, a high-end version of the Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle — a plug-in in more popular vernacular. The Cadillac version will use completely new sheet metal, a unique interior, different suspension tuning — and a significantly updated version of Volt’s gas-electric powertrain, noted Dave Leone, GM’s chief engineer for rear-drive and performance vehicles.

The ELR is based on the popular Cadillac Converj concept vehicle and when it comes to styling, stressed Leone, “The concept car is the (production) car.” On the technical side, however, he said “there’s still some optimization going on.”

Most significantly, the ELR will use a newer version of the lithium-ion power pack provided by GM’s battery partner SG Chem. That means it will hold more power, among other things, for a given mass. While it would be possible to downsize the pack to get roughly the same electric-only range as Volt, it appears more likely that Cadillac will take advantage of the higher energy density to delivery better range, improved performance — or both — Leone hinted.

GM is making a significant push into battery propulsion, and ELR is not likely to be the last “electrified” vehicle in the line-up, said the engineering chief. It is “very likely” that not only will there be several more hybrids in the Caddy line-up but that “you will see more than one (hybrid) technology.” That might mean one model focusing on fuel economy but another taking advantage of the potential performance benefits of electric propulsion.

Might Cadillac also make a push into diesel? For the moment, Leone and other officials downplayed that option. The high-mileage technology would be more appealing if Caddy were a bigger player in Europe, but diesels are not yet big enough in the U.S. to justify the investment, the maker believes, and there’d be even less traction in China, Cadillac’s second-largest market.

During the Ciel preview in Pebble Beach, GM’s global design chief Ed Welburn suggested the brand is working on more new products than ever before. That apparently isn’t limited to the models it has already confirmed. Models like the ATS, XTS and ELR are “just the bow wave,” General Manager Butler echoed at the Monday Cadillac meeting.

That reflects the broad product proliferation that has swept through the luxury car market, said Aaron Bragman, auto analyst with IHS. “It’s the reason why BMW and Mercedes-Benz have been able to grow so much. Now Cadillac has to go after those white spaces.”

As for the Ciel convertible or a hardtop alternative, Bragman said it is an essential addition to the line-up to be considered a truly global luxury player. “They need a flagship. And it needs to be a truly striking flagship.”

More from The Detroit Bureau:

BMW shakes up the ad world — again
Lexus teases GS 450h hybrid and GS F-Sport
Ford adds 2.0-liter EcoBoost to Edge, Explorer

Copyright 2011 The Detroit Bureau. All rights reserved.

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Cadillac sees building Ciel concept flagship

AppId is over the quota
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DETROIT — Cadillac is expecting the go-ahead to build a new flagship based on the same platform as the Ciel concept car.

General Motors is expected to give the go-ahead to Cadillac’s flagship Omega project before year-end, according to senior sources, the maker’s top management encouraged by the overwhelmingly positive reaction of the luxury division’s new Ciel concept vehicle.

It’s unclear whether a convertible or sedan version based on the big Omega platform would be first to market, but there is a clear consensus that Caddy needs a super-premium model if it is to have a chance of regaining its position as “standard to the world,” as its long-time ad slogan declared.

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Omega would be just one in a wide range of new offerings that would be added to the Cadillac line-up, officials told TheDetroitBureau.com, helping the once-dominant marque fill in the so-called “white space” between its current model mix. That will include not only a new plug-in hybrid — but very likely some more conventional hybrid-electric models, as well.

Adding a “flagship” to the line-up is critical, said Cadillac design director Clay Dean during the Ciel’s first public showing in Detroit. The concept convertible was first revealed, earlier this month, during the run-up to the annual Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, where it generated “wows” from both potential customers and the gathered media.

The decision to show the prototype was strongly influenced by the need to make a formal decision on the Omega project, which would target a market segment above the coming Cadillac XTS — itself the replacement for the largely unloved Caddy STS sedan. While there is strong support for the super-premium project there was concern whether the public would accept the idea of something so bold.

“We do have this residual positive sentiment but the fact is that we’re not relevant for many consumers,” said Don Butler, the division’s marketing chief.

That had worried some top GM managers all the way up to the chairman’s office. But a car like Ciel, Cadillac is betting, would put the brand back on the radar for even the most affluent buyers, challenging the status quo of luxury brands like Lexus, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. The convertible, with its dramatic suicide-door design and subtle hint of Caddy’s classic fins, was chosen to represent the brand’s future strategy because ragtops tend to have more emotional power than sedans.

Design chief Dean hinted that a hardtop version is already in hand and could be shown publicly in the months to come.

Precise timing for a production version of the big car is a closely kept secret though sources indicate the maker hopes to have it to market by mid-decade, at the latest.

By then, Cadillac’s line-up will be significantly bigger than it is today. In the coming months, the marque will launch both the small ATS sedan and the XTS, the latter model aimed at “modernizing and redefining” the brand’s image, suggested Butler.

Story: Cadillac aims high with flashy concept convertible 

Also on tap is the Cadillac ELR, a high-end version of the Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle — a plug-in in more popular vernacular. The Cadillac version will use completely new sheet metal, a unique interior, different suspension tuning — and a significantly updated version of Volt’s gas-electric powertrain, noted Dave Leone, GM’s chief engineer for rear-drive and performance vehicles.

The ELR is based on the popular Cadillac Converj concept vehicle and when it comes to styling, stressed Leone, “The concept car is the (production) car.” On the technical side, however, he said “there’s still some optimization going on.”

Most significantly, the ELR will use a newer version of the lithium-ion power pack provided by GM’s battery partner SG Chem. That means it will hold more power, among other things, for a given mass. While it would be possible to downsize the pack to get roughly the same electric-only range as Volt, it appears more likely that Cadillac will take advantage of the higher energy density to delivery better range, improved performance — or both — Leone hinted.

GM is making a significant push into battery propulsion, and ELR is not likely to be the last “electrified” vehicle in the line-up, said the engineering chief. It is “very likely” that not only will there be several more hybrids in the Caddy line-up but that “you will see more than one (hybrid) technology.” That might mean one model focusing on fuel economy but another taking advantage of the potential performance benefits of electric propulsion.

Might Cadillac also make a push into diesel? For the moment, Leone and other officials downplayed that option. The high-mileage technology would be more appealing if Caddy were a bigger player in Europe, but diesels are not yet big enough in the U.S. to justify the investment, the maker believes, and there’d be even less traction in China, Cadillac’s second-largest market.

During the Ciel preview in Pebble Beach, GM’s global design chief Ed Welburn suggested the brand is working on more new products than ever before. That apparently isn’t limited to the models it has already confirmed. Models like the ATS, XTS and ELR are “just the bow wave,” General Manager Butler echoed at the Monday Cadillac meeting.

That reflects the broad product proliferation that has swept through the luxury car market, said Aaron Bragman, auto analyst with IHS. “It’s the reason why BMW and Mercedes-Benz have been able to grow so much. Now Cadillac has to go after those white spaces.”

As for the Ciel convertible or a hardtop alternative, Bragman said it is an essential addition to the line-up to be considered a truly global luxury player. “They need a flagship. And it needs to be a truly striking flagship.”

More from The Detroit Bureau:

BMW shakes up the ad world — again
Lexus teases GS 450h hybrid and GS F-Sport
Ford adds 2.0-liter EcoBoost to Edge, Explorer

Copyright 2011 The Detroit Bureau. All rights reserved.

View the original article here

Peliculas Online

Read More