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Aston Martin DB11 is the first to receive Mercedes-AMG engine

Aston Martin’s DB11 will be the first receipient in the company’s line up of a Mercedes-AMG engine, which is the fruition of the partnership between the German manufacturer and the Gaydon based supercar maker.

Buyers will now be able to order their Aston Martin with either the existing 5.2-litre turbocharged V12 or the 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 from Mercedes-Benz. The latter weighs about 115kg lighter than the former, which should offer the DB11 better agility especially when meandering through corners. It’s power output is rated at close to 510bhp and 675Nm of torque, which will allow the car to sprint from 0-100km/h in just 4.0 seconds and on to a top speed of 301km/h.

Speaking of the latest addition, Aston Martin Chief Technical Officer, Max Szwaj, said, “As an engineer I find the DB11 a fascinating car. One with great depth of character and ability. Of course the V12-engined variant is an icon – an ultimate, if you like, but the V8 is very much its own car. One with a distinct and carefully crafted character that’s truly seductive.”

Despite it being a Mercedes-AMG sourced engine, Aston Martin’s engineers have fettled with it and added their own personal touch to ensure that the end result, is a powerplant that fits the needs and demands of a true Aston Martin. The calibration carried out included creating new ECU software and reprogramming the engine and throttle mapping to ensure that it offers and feel and sound that the brand is known for.

Several changes were made to the DB11 in order for the new V8 to fit in perfectly. They include a bespoke air intake, exhaust and wet sump lubrication systems, as well as new engine mounts. Together, they allow the engine to sit as low as possible to optimize the centre of gravity.

Most of the weight is centered within the wheelbase and as a result, should increase the car’s ability to react to sudden changes in steering input. And to fully support this, detailed revisions were made to the suspension bushing, geometry, anti-roll bars, springs, dampers and ESP software.

Looking at the exterior, there subtle design changes that tell it apart from its V12 powered sibling, and they include a unique alloy wheel finish, dark headlamp bezels and a pair of bonnet vents as apposed to the quartet that is featured on the V12 model. The vents are painted in either black or titanium-finish mesh – unique to the V8 variant.

As for the interior, there are no distinctions between the two variants as both get the same stuff, which, depending on what’s chosen, include the Options Pack, Designer Specification packages and a suite of Q by Astion Martin.

These Mercedes-AMG powered DB11 cars should go on sale towards the fourth quarter of this year but, one of them will make an appearance at next month’s Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Aston Martin confirms production of first fully-electric supercar

Aston Martin has confirmed that the RapidE, which was unveiled two years ago in concept form, will enter production in 2019. It will be a limited production run vehicle with just 155 cars being produced in total. And it will be the first fully-electric model to be produced by the Gaydon based manufacturer.

No word yet on whether there would be styling changes or if the production car will retain the same curves and contours as the concept. But the car will be based upon the forthcoming Rapide AMR concept, which means that styling and vehicle dynamics wouldn’t deviate too much from that of the Rapide S albeit the electric motor(s) will take the place of the standard car’s glorious V12.

Speaking of the RapidE, Aston Martin President and CEO, Dr Andy Palmer, said, “RapidE represents a sustainable future in which Aston Martin’s values of seductive style and supreme performance don’t merely co-exist alongside a new zero-emission powertrain, but are enhanced by it. RapidE will showcase Aston Martin’s vision, desire and capability to successfully embrace radical change, delivering a new breed of car that stays true to our ethos and delights our customers.”

The RapidE will be jointly developed with Williams Advanced Engineering who also worked on the original concept car. Together the team are striving to meet Aston Martin’s goal of producing an energy-efficient vehicle that retains the style and soul of the legendary sports cars of the past that have bared the company’s name.

Aston Martin has yet to release substantial information pertaining to performance other than a statement that the car will offer the kind of experience that has been absent from other Aston Martin cars. That said, it might be awhile before the automaker divulges more data.

Is this the future of vehicle manufacturing?

The advent of 3D printing has led to the simplification and reduction in time needed for prototyping. Take 3D printed plastic structures for example, using the conventional method is very time consuming.

It used to be an arduous process of developing and building a mold, mixing various compounds together to develop a resin, then pouring that into the mold and allowing it to cure. It took time, and every time a change needed to made, a new mold would have to be produced and the entire process restarted.

Well, with 3D printing, all you have to do is make the adjustments to the 3D model on your PC using the appropriate software, and once complete, send that information to the printer to begin the printing process. Depending on the complexity of the modeling, the structure should be complete in considerably less time than that needed with the conventional method.

Now, that same technology has been adapted for the automotive world as well. A company called Divergent 3D, a US based firm, have successfully used 3D printing to develop and build a fully functional supercar with 700 bhp, called the Divergent Blade. They actually managed to print the entire metal structure of the car with their propriety construction methods.

Unlike conventional cars, this has a body on frame design where a chassis with all its mechanical bits fully attached to it, is mated with a top shell, which in this case is the car’s body. It’s an approach that the company believes saves time and valuable resources compared to the methods used by big name automotive manufacturers. And as such, this Divergent Blade, is a prototype that may open the eyes of many automakers and nudge them to change their processes and in turn offer vehicles at a much cheaper price.

CEO and Founder of Divergent 3D showcased the car during and episode of Jay Leno’s garage, take a look at the video and let us know what you think.

Jay Leno surprises fans with virtual reality experience

It would appear that the virtual reality craze has entered the automotive world as well. For increased realism, games and driving simulation systems have employed the technology to help provide gamers/users with a more immersive experience and a sense of realism that was inconceivable unless you were in the actual thing.

Jay Leno, the former Tonight’s Show host and comedian, decided to use this particular technology for a less serious reason. His team organised an event where his fans could show up, sit in his 1954 Jaguar XK120, put on their virtual reality googles and pretend that they are on a drive. But there is a twist, Jay was actually present during this and would engage in a conversation with them through, what many of them believed were an audio recording.

At the end of the session, they would take off their headset only to see the legendary denim clad comedian, standing beside the car with his usual signature grin. It was an eventful day for many, check out the video clip for the full story.

In general, the XK120 was manufactured by Jaguar from 1948 to 1954 ad was the follow up car to the SS 100. Initially, the cars had wood-framed open top bodies with aluminium panels but that changed in 1950 when the automaker switched to an all-steel construction.

The significance of the ‘120’ in the model designation was of great value at the time. It denoted the top speed of the car, which was 120 mph or 193 km/h. During that time, it was considered the XK120 was fastest production car in the world and broke several records.

It was powered by a 3.6-litre XK inline 6 engine but was also supposed to be offered with a 2.0-litre 4-cylinder one, with the XK100 model name. The smaller engine vehicle was meant for the UK market but the project was canned before production started.

The XK120 was a well known car due to its speed and agility, which made it a formidable force in racing and rallying. Till today is a vehicle that is coveted and revered by many including those who aren’t that into cars. A considerable amount of money exchanges hands when an XK120 is sold, which is a testament to its value.

VW annnounces 5 new venues for the Polo P project

Volkswagen Passenger Cars Malaysia (VCPM) has announced several more locations where it will conduct its safety-centric driver education programme, Polo P. It was developed with a goal in mind, to educate and empower new drivers with the skills and knowledge that will help them stay safe while driving.

It was launched in March of last year and has so far received 250 participants consisting of students from various colleges as well as young adults in the Klang Valley. Since its inception, each session has always been conducted at selected college and university campuses over an entire weekend. The same is true for the 5 new locations mentioned in this article.

In each session, participants are taught basic car maintenance, visual checkpoints, proper sitting and steering positions, and defensive driving which includes emergency braking and navigating past a slalom course. The vehicle of choice this programme is the 1.6-litre Polo hatchback.

The following are the list of dates and venues where Volkswagen will be conducting its Polo P project:

8 – 9 July Taylor’s Lakeside Campus, KL
19 – 20 Aug Sunway College, Johor Bahru
30 Sep – 1 Oct University Malaya, KL
21 – 22 Oct UiTM, Shah Alam
28 – 29 Oct UTAR Campus, Kampar, Perak

Participation in the Polo P project is open to all students and members of the general public who have valid driver’s licenses. if you are interested and want to sign up for one of the aforementioned events, visit the www.volkswagen.com.my website or send a private message to VW on the Volkswagen Facebook page.

In conjunction with Polo P, VW is also running a special “My First Polo” programme to make it easier for first time car buyers to own a Polo. And as such, buyers can now purchase a Volkswagen Polo 1.6L from RM470 a month with Volkswagen’s leading partnering bank. Visit the automaker’s website or your nearest authorized dealer to learn more.

Porsche gets top honours in J.D. Powers survey

Porsche’s 911 and Macan models have achieved top ratings in their respective segments of J.D. Power’s Initial Quality Study. The results are based on surveys taken by more than 77,000 private individuals who rated 243 models and 33 manufacturers.

This is the sixth consecutive time that the 911 has retained the top spot but is only the Macan’s third time. Since 2012, Porsche’s stalwart 911 has between its rivals to retain the top spot in the “Midsize Premium sporty Car” category. And according to the data collected, many US customers have high regard for Porsche branded vehicles and can attest to the high quality of the Macan.

J.D. power is a US based global marketing information service that conducts customer satisfaction surveys to determine the quality and reliability of products, especially when it comes to vehicles.

“Quality is the essence of the Porsche brand, we do not compromise”, said Oliver Blume, Chairman of the Executive Board of Porsche AG. “Over more than five decades, we have continued to significantly enhance, refine and perfect the 911, in order to offer our customers the highest possible level of quality.”

For the Initial Quality Study, J.D. Powers surveys new car owners once a year, about 90 days after they have taken delivery of their vehicles. This year, owners were asked questions spanning 233 different criteria in various categories between February and May.

Apparently, owners’ evaluations covered topics including “driving experience” as well as experience with the performance and reliability of the engine and transmission of their respective vehicles.

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