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XC60 optimised with Polestar powertrain

Polestar, Volvo cars’ performance arm has fitted an optimized powertrain to the XC60, which moves it inline with the XC90 T8 as the most powerful models the Swedish automaker produces at the moment. It’s engine now offers 421bhp, putting it in the big leagues of powerful 4×4 vehicles that you can buy today.

The work that Polestar did has resulted in improved engine performance and gearbox functionality specifically in the mid-range. The gear-hold function maintains the same gear when cornering with high lateral g-force in order to avoid unsettling the balance of the vehicle.

“Our goal is to create usable performance in everyday driving situations for Volvo owners who want an enhanced driving experience,” said Henrik Fries, Vice President, Research and Development at Polestar. “The new XC60 has provided us with an excellent base to work on with a dynamic chassis and a state of the art powertrain. With the Polestar optimization, it makes the new Volvo XC60 a true drivers’ car.”

Polestar’s expertise in making super Volvos, is a culmination of more than two decades’ worth of motorsport derived R&D with Cyan Racing, its on track partner. As such, the XC60 now has better engine performance, throttle response, off-throttle response, gearshift speed and hold.

In total, there are five variants of the XC60 that have been made available with the Polestar optimization option, which are the T8, T6, T5, D5, and D4. We don’t know if the option will be made available over here, but we are sure it will be welcomed with open arms.

Ferrari wins prestigious Red Dot award for J50

Ferrari has picked up the Red Dot award for the J50 supercar. Based on the 488 Spider, the car, manufactured in very low numbers, was built to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Ferrari in Japan. It won the Red Dot’s ‘Best of the Best Design’ award because it displayed ground-breaking design language and conveyed a sense of quality that was unmatched in the competition.

The J50 is a two-seater supercar with the engine placed in the mid-rear section of the body that features a radically futuristic design language that won over the Red Dot jurors. Penned by Ferrari’s own design team under the leadership of Flavio Manzoni, the contours are a major departure from the car it is based on.

Just 10 of these cars will be built, which makes it an extemely rare Ferrari. It wasn’t the only Ferrari that received recognition though, the GTC4Lusso, LaFerrari Aperta and 458 MM Speciale also received Red Dot distinctions for high quality designs.

The GTC4Lusso is Ferrari’s flagship GT car that is able to seat four occupants and offer amazing performance while being relatively practical.

Ferrari’s LaFerrari Aperta on the other hand, is the pinnacle of performance supercars. Basically the roadster version of the fixed roof LaFerrari supercar. Built in limited numbers, the car is said to represent the finest expression of the marque’s technical capabilities in both GT and Formula 1 engineering.

Considered a one-off programme from the Italian automaker, the 458 MM Speciale is a sports car built around a bespoke service for customers who wants a car tailored to their individual tastes. It’s basically for those who want a car that is very different to anything else including Ferraris that you can buy off the showroom floor.

This year’s award marks the third consecutive time that Ferrari has bagged a Red Dot award, which says a lot about the Italian automaker’s latest crop of cars.

Dodge Durango SRT given a HEMI V8 and impressive performance characteristics

Dodge’s Durango SRT is set to be one of the most powerful 3-row SUV in existence. Based on the standard Durango, this SRT version gets a whole host of upgrades most notable of which is the 6.2-litre (392 cubic-inch) HEMI V8. It produces 475bhp and is able to launched the car from 0-100km/h in just 4.4 seconds, mind-blowing numbers considering what is supposed to be a people carrier.

New exterior tweaks include a widebody design that include aggressive new bumpers, fenders and skirting that give the entire vehicle a sporty appearance. The SRT hood scoop on the bonnet, is fully functional with an air inlet duct flanked by head extractors.

Inside, there’s (in Dodge’s words) Demonic Red Laguna Leahter upholstery a new carbon fibre trim with Durango SRT branding, paddle shifters, as well as heated and ventilated front and heated second-row captain’s chairs with embroidered SRT logos .

As icing on the cake, owners of this vehicle will be given a one full-day session at the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving, to help them hone their skills of taming this beast of an SUV.

“The new 2018 Dodge Durango SRT is America’s fastest, most powerful and most capable three-row SUV,” said Tim Kuniskis, Head of Passenger Cars Brands, Dodge, SRT, Chrysler and FIAT – FCA North America. “This is what you get, when you take everything great about the Durango and combine it with the performance of the Charger SRT: a 12-second quarter mile, 8,700-pound-toy hauling, three-row muscle car.”

Changes that were made that set it apart from the base vehicle include the following:

New performance-tuned AWD system
Standard TorqueFlite eight-speed automatic transmission specifically calibrated for the Dodge Durango SRT
New Brembo high-performance six-piston (front) and four-piston (rear) calipers and vented rotors
New SRT seven-mode drive system
New Track Mode delivers maximum performance track driving with 160-millisecond shifts and up to 70 percent of engine torque to the rear wheels
Sophisticated Active Damping System opens and closes the Durango SRT’s suspension’s damper valves
Stiffer front springs (3 percent), stiffer rear springs (16 percent) and stiffer rear sway bar (18 percent)

Dodge is offering the vehicle with seven different exterior colours, which include B5 Blue, Billet Clear Coat, Bruiser Grey Clear Coat, DB Black Clear Coat, Granite Clear Coat, Octane Red Pearl Coat and White Knuckle Clear Coat.

Customers of the Dodge Durango SRT can expect to see this vehicle in showrooms by the end of 2017 with prices near to that of the automaker’s high performance muscle cars.

BMW 8-Series is an iconic vehicle that deserves praise

BMW is known for building luxury cars with sportscar-like credentials, something not many have been able to replicate. Over the years, the Bavarian automaker has produced some absolute stunners including the E46 M3. But what many tend to forget is, it also made a Grand Tourer called the 8-Series.

Meant to entice the upper echelon of society, the car was an over-engineered and sophisticated machine that featured many firsts for a road car and for BMW in general. It was the first to use a multiplex type of wiring system that has since become the industry standard. It was also one of the first to use a drive-by-wire throttle, which meant that there was no real mechanical connection between the accelerator pedal and the throttle opening or closing.

The body was designed through the use of Computer Aided Design or CAD software. A technology that was still relatively new back in the 1980s. The result, was a body that was 3kg lighter than if it had been designed with conventional tools during that era. The car had a significantly better drag coefficient that that of the then BMW 6-Series, which was an impressive achievement at the time.

The car was built between 1989 to 1999, and during its 10 year production run, the it was offered with either a V8 or V12 engine. There were two variants of the former and three of the latter but only two choices of automatics (4-speed & 5-speed) and a single 6-speed manual.

Despite the boxy 80s’ styling and the absence of the fluidic contours of contemporary BMWs, the 8-Series was a marvel in its own right. The absence of the B pillar made the car look considerably larger and more spacious, couple that with cool pop-up headlamps, and what you have is an iconic vehicle that is still revered till this day.

Unfortunately, the car never sold well due to the steep asking price, stricter emissions regulations as well as a sequence of events that led to some economic turmoil during that period.

There is a new version of the 8-Series that is scheduled for launch next year with dimensions and design that isn’t far off from the current generation BMW cars, but we digress.

The original 8-Series has a special place in the hearts of many BMW enthusiasts especially the one in this awesome Petrolicious video. Check out Taylor Patterson’s story and tell us what you think of the iconic 8-Series.

Jaguar F-PACE wins World Car of the Year and World Design of the Year awards

Jaguar Land Rover has racked up another accolade and this time, its for the highly sought after F-PACE. It was awarded World Car of the Year and World Design Car of the Year 2017 by a panel of jurors. The mild off-roader has been tasked with leading Jaguar’s foray into uncharted waters for the UK based automaker, which is the SUV market.

Prior to the introduction of the F-PACE, Jaguar, since its inception, has never produced an SUV before. And as such, getting it right on your first attempt, is a remarkable feat that deserves praise. Like the rest of the current line-up the SUV shares the same design language utilised by the XF and XE cars. The prominent honeycomb grille occupies most of the front fascia and are complemented by the equally wide projector headlamps.

Overall, the proportions of the exterior have been well thought out and designed with respectable attention to detail. As a result, its no surprise that Jag walked home with both awards. And to commemorate the win, the UK representatives of the panel of jurors visited Jaguar Land Rover’s Solihull plant, the location where the F-PACE is being produced.

Steve Fowler, World Car of the Year Juror and Editor in Chief at Auto Express said, “It’s been wonderful to present these awards to the Solihull workforce. The Jaguar F-PACE looks great, looks sporty and it looks like a Jaguar should. It’s built brilliantly.”

Jaguar Land Rover CEO, Dr. Ralf Speth and Solihull Operations Director Nigel Blenkinsop were handed the awards by World Car of the Year. Later, Blenkinsop paid tribute to the Solihull workforce who were responsible for the manufacture of the F-PACE as well as contributing to it being the fastest selling Jaguar of all time.

The F-PACE will face some serious competition as it goes up against more established models from Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi. However, based on past experiences, Jaguar has managed to carve out a section of the market due to its unique styling, sporty attributes and general appeal of the brand. We shall have to wait and see if it’s looks are able to win over many potential buyers and provide the brand with better sales numbers.

Mercedes-Benz posts record sales for first half of 2017

Mercedes-Benz has had an awesome six months for 2017, the automaker has posted its best sales figures yet for the month of June as well as for half the year. It was reported that 209,309 vehicles were delivered to its customers in June which is an 11.1% jump compared to the same month last year.

Overall, from January to June of this year, the company shifted 1,144,274 cars, which is a 13.7% increase compared to the same period last year. This means that Mercedes-Benz has outdone itself by surpassing last year’s performance by a considerable margin.

This result was bolstered by year’s second quarter sales, which happens to be Mer’s best quarter ever. During this time, the company sold 583,649 vehicles which is said to be an 11.6% increase overall.

Demand for its cars were so great, that Mercedes-Benz was the most preferred premium brand in markets such as Germany, Italy, France, Belgium, Portugal, Austria, South Korea, Japan, Australia, Taiwan, the USA, Canada and Brazil.

“We have posted the strongest half-year in the history of Mercedes-Benz with sales of significantly more than a million cars,” stated Britta Seeger, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG responsible for Mercedes-Benz Cars Marketing & Sales. “Not only the popularity of our E-Class family contributed to this success; demand for our SUVs is also as high as ever in all regions.”

As a means to put this remarkable achievement into context, in Europe alone, the Stuttgart based automaker sold 484,120 vehicles which is a substantial 8.9% increase over last year’s figures. But the market that witnessed the most growth for Mercedes-Benz vehicles was Asia-Pacific.

Asian car buyers purchased 438,710 cars which is a 26.7% increase from last year with the bulk of the sales coming from China. The results were positive overall as China saw a 34.5% increase in sales, South Korea with 47.3%, Australia with 8.5%, Taiwan with 10.9% and India with 8.7%.

The car that contributed the most to Merc’s fantastic sales numbers was the C-Class. Combining sales of both the Sedan and Estate variants, the automaker sold 210,000 C-Class cars, making it the best selling model of its line-up yet again. That said, demand for other Mercedes-Benz vehicles were considerably high as well, especially with regards to the E-Class which saw an increase in sales of about 68.4%.

It looks like 2017 is shaping up to be a great year for Mercedes-Benz and if demand for its vehicles continue to rise, we expect these figures to be a whole lot higher by the time this year rolls to a close.

Fiat 500 to be part of collection in New York’s Museum of Modern Art

Many don’t realize that the Beetle wasn’t the only icon of the early era of the automotive industry, it shared the limelight with the rather chic little Italian called, Fiat 500. Measuring just 2.97m long and 1.32m wide, this was the car that made personal transportation attainable for the average Italian.

It was known as a little car that could do big things. Thanks to the minuscule dimensions, it was small enough to fit through the narrow Italian streets while being spacious enough to fit four adults. Its 500cc engine may have only had 18bhp, but that was enough and helped deliver some pretty impressive fuel consumption figures.

Like the original Beetle, it was gender neutral, meaning it appealed to both men and women. Neither gender felt out of place while driving the 500, and rightly so. It’s classic silhouette is relatively timeless and has become somewhat of a style and fashion icon.

A car with such history deserves recognition, which is why the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), in New York has acquired a Fiat 500 and will showcase it along with the rest of its collection. It’s only fitting that that they did this because the 500, turns 60 this year. Not many cars are given this much importance when they turn 60, but then again how many have actually altered car design quite like the 500?

“While the Fiat 500 has unquestionably left its mark on automotive history, it is equally true that it has never been just a car,” said Olivier François, Head of FIAT Brand and Chief Marketing Officer, FCA – Global. “”n its 60 years of history, the 500 has transcended its material manifestation to enter the collective imagination and become an icon, which has now the honor of being certified by being acquired by MoMA in a tribute to its artistic and cultural value.”

Fiat sold about 4 million Fiat 500 cars between 1957 to 1975 and in that same time frame, various variants of the 500 were produced. Initially there was only the 500, then there was the Sport, D, F, L (the most comfortable) and finally, the R.

The 500 nameplate was revived in 2007, when Fiat introduced the new car which, though completely new, shared some similarities in design to the original. Though it may not have made the same impact as its predecessor, Fiat sold more than 2 million of them in the 10 years that it has been in production.

Control your Cadillac from your wrist

Customer Convenience seems to be of paramount importance to Cadillac when it comes to cramming new tech into its cars. As a result, they have now made it even easier for their customers to interact with its vehicles with just a smartwatch.

Through the use of the myCadillac app which is only available for iOS, Cadillac owners can now control functions such as:

Vehicle locate
Remote start and stop
Lock and unlock doors
Activate and cancel horn and lights
Walking directions to vehicle

These functions can be controlled with an Apple Watch (Watch OS 3) via its Apple CarPlay compatible infotainment system. The technology is standard across the automaker’s lineup and offers other features such as quick access to phone contacts, messages, music and navigation as well as wireless phone charging.

“The Apple Watch integration is another example of the seamless integration of technology Apple aficionados have come to expect from the Cadillac brand,” said John McFarland, director of Global Digital Experience.

For those who have an Escalade or CT6, things get a bit more intereting. Passengers of these vehicels will be able to stream their favorite shows from devices such as Apple TV to the rear infotainment screens using the HDMI port and the vehicle’s built-in Wi-Fi connection.

Apple CarPlay is a proprietary bit of software that allows vehicle infotainment systems to play nicely with iPhones and their various functions. Many carmakers offer this tech in their latest offering but very few are able to match the flexibility and ‘ease of use’ of that offered by Cadillac.

The myCadillac app was launched in 2010 but it was only recently that it became available across the entire model range starting with those of model-year 2011 and newer. The American automaker has stated that it has recorded an increase of 50% in usage of its app as of 2017. The seamless connectivity functions, especially with the Apple Watch has intrigued many and should boost sales somewhat.

Volvo to stop producing non-hybrid cars by 2019

Volvo has announced that from 2019 and onwards, all cars that it produces will have some form of electrification. This means that in two years time, Volvo will only be producing vehicles with hybrid or fully-electric propulsion systems.

This move confirms Volvo Cars’ commitment to minimizing its environmental impact on our planet and making the cities of the future, cleaner. Volvo Cars is focused on reducing the carbon emissions of both its products as well as its operations. It also aims to have manufacturing operations that have no detrimental effect to the climate situation, by 2025.

The company has also said that between 2019 and 2021, it would have produced five fully electric cars, three of which will be from Volvo and two from Polestar, which is currently the automaker’s performance arm. This confirms the earlier reported news that parent company, Geely, intends on turning Polestar into a separate brand that focuses on electrified global high-performance cars.

These five vehicles will be produced along with a range of petrol and diesel plug-in-hybrid and mild-hybrid 48-volt ones. And if it does manage to pull it off, it will make Volvo one of the first automakers to offer some form of electrification in its entire product portfolio.

This announcement signals an end to non-hybrid petrol and diesel powered Volvo vehicles, which is a significant and drastic shift in the current mindset. If Volvo does manage to keep its word, this could spur more automakers to join the bandwagon and push for a higher production volume of electrified vehicles.

That said, until there is a proper infrastructure in place around the world, it will take quite a while before electric vehicles win over the hearts and minds of people, globally. And as such, Volvo is taking a huge gamble by taking such a move, in such a short timeframe. If it doesn’t pay off for the Swedish marque, the automaker could find itself in a very tough situation.

Volkswagen to start selling cars in Iran after 17 year hiatus

Volkswagen will begin importing its cars to Iran after a 17 year absence. Heavy international sanctions were levied against Iran due to its unscrupulous nuclear programme. However, in 2016 the United Nations decided that it was satisfied with Iran’s cooperation on the matter and decided to lift these sanctions.

Mammut Khodra, a privately owned company in Iran will be the official Iranian importer of the Groups’s Scania and Volkswagen vehicles. It will initially distribute vehicle through eight different dealers, placing an emphasis on the Teheran region.

Mammut Group, parent company of Mammut Khodra (Khodra means automobile), was established in 1995. And is one of the biggest private industrial companies and employers in Iran, which is active in the fields of automotive, construction, IT, logistics, telecommunications and financial services.

Speaking the collaboration, Anders Sundt Jensen, project manager for the Iranian market at Volkswagen, said, “By returning to Iran, the Volkswagen brand is filling in another blank spot on the global automotive map. We are thus strengthening our international presence still further. At the same time, we are taking our very latest models with premium features to our Iranian customers.”

Volkswagen will be importing the Tiguan and Passat to the Iranian automotive market to offer car buyers more modern, smarter and safer vehicles. Iranians haven’t seen a new VW since the Gol was launched in the 1990s. Up until then, Volkswagen passenger cars have been a common sight on their roads because the Beetle and Bulli were favourites over there from the 1950s onwards.

The German automaker completely withdrew from the Iranian market in 2000 and the 17 year gap has meant that it has lost touch with the needs and wants of customers in that country. As such, the initial aim of reintroducing these vehicles to the market is to gain an insight into needs of the current market and offer Iranians modern technologies that are made in Germany.

The Iranian government has stated that there will be about 3 million new vehicle registrations in their passenger car market per year in the near future. But we shall have to wait and see if that becomes a reality in the next few years.