Weeekly View: A week (or month) in the industry
We’re just a month and a half away from the first day of 2010 and already so many things have happened – I don’t even know where to start. But to keep things simple, let’s start from the best starting point: the beginning. And everything begins with the letter A, so here A stands for.
Alfa Romeo is busier than ever; this year the famous firm celebrates its centenary, always a big thing for any company, not just an auto manufacturer. After all, when you consider Alfa’s numerous innovations (the first to use all-wheel disc brakes, mechanical variable valve timing, 50:50 weight distribution and just several months ago, the first car with electro-hydraulic variable valve actuation technology), racing legacy (Enzo Ferrari started as a driver for Alfa Romeo) and beautiful design, it is no wonder that Alfa wants to throw a party to remember, even if it’s not all going well financially.
Hopefully, the new Giullieta will change that, a car that was controversial before it had even hit the production line – all the name changes and delays have created a significant buzz among auto enthusiasts. Or is that just well thought marketing?
Anyway, the technical details are now released and for all of you worried that this might be a Fiat Bravo in fancy clothes – you may rest. The Giulietta will share only 10% of parts with its Bravo and Delta siblings and that includes the basic floorplan – the area where pedals and your feet are – and even that was reworked. The rest of the car will employ a newly developed suspension setup made from hot-pressure steel and aluminum, fearing a new generation of McPherson struts and a rear multilink arrangement. This new steel-aluminum-Xenoy® architecture benefits the weight distribution and overall weight gain; despite being significantly larger than its predecessor, Giulietta will weigh only 50 kg more.
Alfa is also making a bold claim saying that the car will “handle better than a 1 Series but still be more refined than a Golf” – okay, so this first one may be a bit overstated because of the simple rules of physics, but if they make it more fun than a Focus, it will be an achievement. Whatever happens, we’ll see the official on-road premiere somewhere in April. Until then, Buon Compleanno Alfa!
Audi has already had its 100th birthday bash last summer, but was it a real centenary (seriously, how many Audis before 1966 can you name?) or a slick marketing move, no one is quite sure. Nevermind that, the company has revealed its smallest model last week, although we have all seen it on these Justin Timberlake leaked pictures. No surprises there, the car still looks like a problematic lovechild of VW Polo and Fiat 500. The interior is surprisingly un-Audi, with Alfa-like air-vents and climate controls.
The A1 will also get a MiTo inspired system which acts as a LSD, braking the front wheels for more traction in corners. And that’s about it for technical stuff. The basic architecture is shared with other small cars within the Volkswagen Group, although Audi says that it has retuned the suspension to offer more engaging dynamics than its cheaper siblings, making it (in Audi’s words) “the sportiest car in its class”. Curiously, we have heard this for every new Audi in the past few years and so far, none of them has lived up to this claim, and the A1 seems like no exception, specially when you compare it to technically far superior MINI. So the promised Vorsprung durch Technik may be absent from Audi’s smallest model, but lukewarm reception of their flagship A8 has also posted many questions.
For instance, why has Audi gone in developing a all-aluminum platform for the car when it is an astonishing 90 kg heavier than the equivalent BMW 7 Series? Only the Mercedes-Benz S-Class is heavier, but Audi is again pitching A8 as the sportiest in its class – a place traditionally occupied by the 7 Series. I’m also not sure about the design; the overall appearance is classy, but the wheelbase is still shorter than one in S-Class and 7 Series, resulting in long front overhangs, giving the car a nose-heavy look, like it may suddenly flip forwards. Of course, this is a problem with all front-wheel drive cars so it is irrelevant here, but the longer wheelbase results in longer legroom for rear passengers, a crucial aspect in this class. Only the interior is a step above competition, the yacht-themed look is more striking than slightly bland Merc and overly sporty BMW.
I’d also like to express my happiness for Audi getting rid of its hideous Christmas lights LEDs, replacing them with more subtle light-emitting stripes, a technology BMW has used from 2001 for their signature “angel eyes” design.
Despite this, Audi has posted a growth in 2009 and has several new models in the pipeline for 2010, including a all-new A7, RS version of the A5 and the R8 Spyder.
Bentley has confirmed the production of its Mulsanne, the first car designed to look like a lemur. Thankfully, ultra-luxury will have another choice, an Art Deco themed Rolls-Royce Ghost (more on it later).
Speaking of Rolls-Royce, its owner BMW is busy presenting the all new 5 Series to the world. Reactions all over have been positive but some reviews say that the new generation isn’t as untouchable as its previous generations were, claiming that the gap between BMW and its eternal nemesis, the E-Class isn’t as wide as it was for the past 20 years. Has BMW been careless? Hardly, but as respected journalist Andrew Frankel has said, BMW has standards for so many years that now they have become victims of their own success; it’s hard to surpass such stratospheric standards when you have set them by yourself.
The rest is business as usual: all new models presented in 2009 are selling better than BMW had predicted and the praise for 130i, being the only fault-free model in AutoBild’s 100.000 km test history has gained many headlines. The line-up for 2010 includes already presented 5 Series, M3 GTS (in limited edition) and redesigned versions of the 3 Series Coupe & Convertible and X5 range. All new generations include the new X3, new 6 Series and the much anticipated M version of the 1 Series. The smallest M should go for the traditional M ingredients: small body, slim weight, large engine.
Definitely nothing like X5 and X6M, which have turned pretty good, according to many, even Jeremy Clarkson. But remember the hype and controversy surrounding the evil twins? Well, another SUV is getting all the attention, and it’s not a BMW at all. BMW’s baby, the new MINI, has released its fourth incarnation, the Countryman.
According to the officials, MINI has very loyal buyers but at a certain moment in their life, they need more space, and the current crossover trend shows no sign of slowing down, so this was the prefect opportunity for the British-based maker to use. However, this will be the first MINI that won’t be built on the Island, instead it will be built in Austria, with the engines and key components shipped from Britain.
All in all, a very busy year for the BMW Group.
But MINI will experience something it never has before: competition. Starting with Audi’s A1, even Citroen now has a rival. And I admit, the DS3 really looks fashionable. What is more interesting, it even handles well and its engines are similar to the ones found in the MINI. Are french hatches becoming fun to drive again? If that’s true, this DS3 may recall my childhood memories of Saxo VTS, the last fun Citroen. But in a more stylish way.
To be continued – wait for next week!
The new Alfa Romeo cars look really nice, with some back to basics performance aspects being featured. Hope to see more fresh news on BMW these days really, they are really putting out new models and information these days, while getting ahaead of the other companies …
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