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Aston Martin DB11 wins Golden Steering Wheel Award

Aston Martin’s DB11 has just been crowned ‘Most Beautiful car 2017’ by winning the prestigious Golden Steering Wheel award from Axel Springer. The car features cutting edge technology that has been wrapped into a silhouette that is worthy of praise. It’s smooth and elegantly designed contours make it look aggressive yet classy.

The jury of the Golden Steering award was made up of designers, engineers, racers, celebrities and journalists from across Europe. There were 20 entrants for the competition, all of which entered the car market this year. And the DB11 managed to standout enough to take home the prize.

Aston Martin President and CEO, Dr. Andy Palmer, received the award from Marion Horn (Editor in Chief BILD am Sonntag) and Tom Drechsler (Editor in Chief AUTO BILD) at the awards ceremony held at the Axel Springer SE headquarters in Berlin.

Speaking of the award, the delighted CEO of Aston Martin, said, “We aspire to make the most beautiful cars in the world and are incredibly proud of the Aston Martin DB11, a car that spearheads our Second Century plan. Exceptional design runs through the bloodline of the DB models and every part of the DB11 is crafted to create the most beautiful DB to date.”

Designed by Marek Richman, the DB11 is grand tourer that was built since last year and has effectively replaced the ever popular DB9. Available as either a 2-door Coupe or Convertible, the DB11 is offered with either a 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12 or a Mercedes-AMG 4.0-litre V8 engine.

Both powerplants are mated with an 8-speed ZF automatic gearbox, which allow them to achieve their respective speeds. The V12 powered car has 600bhp and 700Nm of torque, which allow it to sprint from 0-100km/h in just 3.9 seconds. The V8 powered (503bhp and 675Nm of torque) car accomplishes the same feat in 4.0 seconds.

Aston Martin recently forged a partnership with Mercedes-Benz, allowing it access to a plethora of engine options and cutting edge technology. Utilizing these new tools, the British automaker might be able to reduce R&D costs but produce the same beautiful cars.

Honda employee jumps from plane for fun

Honda has published a new video featuring one of its employees, Kevin Kuhn, a thrill seeker who by nature, loves the thrills that are associated with skydiving. Its part of the automaker’s What Makes a Honda is Who Makes a Honda video series, where each episode depicts Honda’s ideals in its employees and in their work ethic.

It focuses on on those who live out the company’s commitment to The Power of Dreams, which is Honda’s global theme that encourages staff to conceive ideas that will create new value for customers and society.

Kuhn’s desire to challenge himself in several aspects of his life lead him to the daring challenge of jumping out of an airplane unaided and negotiating his way via parachute to the designated landing spot.

As the new model project leader in the Plastics department at Honda Manufacturing of Indiana (HMIN), he leads the team that is responsible for making plastic injected molded parts including bumpers and instrument panels.

According to Honda, Kuhn played a key role in the construction of plastic panels that went into the 2017 CR-V and 2016 Civic at HMIN production plant. Adding to this, he prefers to work together with other departments to maximize efficiency of manufacturing new vehicles.

Speaking of his eccentric hobby, Kuhn said, “Skydiving is a very freeing experience, there’s really nothing to be afraid of. I have learned a lot by taking risks, and how do we challenge ourselves to continue to make that better cars? With a challenging spirit, anything’s possible.”

Kuhn learned to skydive about seven years ago and has completed more than 380 jumps since then. He considers it a liberating exercise and is one that has taught him several life lessons that he applies to his day job.

VW announces Polo rally contender

Volkswagen has introduced its newest entrant for the world of competitive rallying called the Polo R5 GTI. Based on the sixth generation road car of its namesake, the Polo R5 GTI will be made available as a complete rally version for professional teams and aspiring drivers to enable them to compete in championships across the globe.

“With the Polo GTI R5 we are hoping to transfer our expertise from four WRC titles to customer racing successfully, and offer a first-class racing machine for countless rally championships from national series to the WRC,” said Volkswagen Motorsport Director Sven Smeets.

“Before the first race outing next year, we will subject the Polo GTI R5 to rigorous testing to make sure it is prepared for the extremely varied track conditions around the world,” he later added.

VW has released a simplified sketch of the car, which isn’t much to go on, but does provide us with a glimpse of what the car might look like. That said, it should resemble the standard Polo with the exception of aerodynamic and safety upgrades as per performance requirements.

Development of the car started earlier this year under the stewardship of Volkswagen Motorsport Technical Director, François-Xavier “FX” Demaison. He was also running the shop when the record winning Polo R WRC rally car was developed and built. As such, Demaison knows a thing or two about creating winning platforms.

Like the road going version, the Polo GTI R5 features a four cylinder turbo engine, which in this case has been tuned to develop 270bhp. It is mated to a 5-speed sequential racing transmission that sends power to all four corners via the AWD system. The car has also been fitted with a comprehensive safety package which is a requirement to compete in the R5 category.

This R5 category was created to give privateers, teams and importers the opportunity to contest national, regional and international championships with cost-effective, powerful rally cars. It allows for a more level playing field and one that isn’t reserved for only factory-backed teams.

Drag race video of high speed racers, with a twist

E.ON, a well known energy provider, has released a witty video that showcases the versatility of electric mobility. The 1:36 minute film depicts an American style drag race that takes place on a wide barren dessert floor in the middle of nowhere.

A variety of different vehicles line up side by side at the start of the race. They comprise of the world’s first big foot EV, Tachyon Speed by Raesr, an electric hyper-car prototype, Baja buggy, Shelby Cobra motorbikes, and a number of other vehicles.

Initially, the video would have you believe that all these vehicles are in fact petrol or diesel powered. their engine notes or lack there of, were masked by the audible sound of several electric guitars played by musicians from the bed of pick-up trucks.

Their musical notes mimic that of actual engine sounds and exhaust notes. And as these vehicles pass a small petrol station in the desert, the music stops to reveal that all vehicles in the race are in fact, fully electric. The big foot, actually has 30 separate batteries in it that total 360 volts and the Tachyon Speed, has about 1,250bhp of EV power at its disposal.

The video ends with the words, E.ON is setting the electric car free, referring to the idea that any car, regardless of age, can be converted into a fully electric one. This maybe a startling revelation to some, but many manufacturers including Bosch, already produce modular systems that can be adapted to support multiple platforms.

E.On however isn’t a manufacturer but a major supporter of the EV platform and is currently running The ‘Freedom is Electric’ campaign. It showcases the diversity of the world of electric vehicles, charged using E.ON’s fast-charging technology, which will be available in thousands of locations across Europe.

It’s ultra-fast charging network, offering 150 kW of charging power with a modular upgrade option to 350 kW, will enable charging of a full 400 kilometres range battery in only 20-30 minutes. This will help somewhat, to make electric cars more practical as daily drivers and for long distance commutes.

All vehicles that were featured in the film, including the motorbikes and drones used for filming, were actually EVs. Not a single drop of fossil fuel was used in the entire making of the video, which exemplifies the notion of electric mobility being the future of modern transportation.

Koenigsegg achieve new world record with Agera RS

We are sure you’ve heard of Koenigsegg’s earlier 0-400-0 km/h feat, where it blitzed the previous record held by the Bugatti Chiron. Now, it has outdone itself yet again by using the same car, the Agera RS, to break the production car speed record.

Based on Koenigsegg’s official twitter page, the automaker boasted its latest achievement by tweeting that its Agera RS had achieved a 2-way average speed run of 444.6km/h. The vehicle was driven by the company’s factory test driver, Niklas Lilja.

This effectively makes the Koenigsegg Agera RS the fastest car in the world, beating the 427.6km/h record that was set by the Bugatti Veyron Supersport in 2010. The Swedish automaker has been playing second fiddle to the French automaker for quite sometime.

A Koenigsegg Agera RS driven by factory driver Niklas Lilja has recorded a 2-way avg speed of 444.6 km/h (277.9 mph). A new world record! pic.twitter.com/FXUjKpTW1q

— Koenigsegg (@koenigsegg) November 4, 2017

Yes, we have video of today’s runs and will publish, along with our full story, ASAP. For now, though, we celebrate 🎉 pic.twitter.com/JBRBHB1d0z

— Koenigsegg (@koenigsegg) November 5, 2017

But recently however, it seems as though Koenigsegg has decided to challenge the status quo. It is now hell bent on smashing every speed record that Bugatti holds, which includes the title of Fastest Car in the World. The Swedes can now hold their heads high, knowing that they have bested the masters of the game.

Under the hood of the Koenigsegg Agera RS is a 5.0-litre V8 engine that produces 1,160bhp. That figure is bumped up to 1,341bhp if the car is equipped with the 1 MegaWatt package. That said, there’s no word yet on the specs of the car that shattered the Veyron’s record.

However, Koenigsegg have said that they will reveal the full story and more information about the car in due course. Until then, all we can do is speculate on the car’s setup. But stay tuned and we will let you know more as we find out.

Jeep make subtle changes to new 2018 Wrangler

Jeep has updated its stalwart, the Wrangler, for the 2018 model year. Though the automaker touts that the changes are quite extensive, many of them aren’t as obvious as they may seem. Both the two and four door versions largely resemble their predecessors with the exception of certain tweaks done here and there.

The vehicles get refined styling that maintain the look of the original but improved further. The Wrangler’s unique elements include a keystone-shaped grille, iconic round headlamps and square tail lamps, improved aerodynamics as well as a fold-down windshield that should appease off-road purists.

These vehicles have been made available with a number of different door, top and windshield combinations. Jeep has also loaded them with the latest safety features and advanced technologies. This should make them enticing vehicles for those looking for an SUV that offers bang for their buck but also offers a certain level of individuality.

One of the oldest SUV manufacturers to date, Jeep has been in the business for more than 75 years. It’s been at the forefront of developing very capable offroading vehicles that can handle the toughest terrain. The automaker is owned by FCA or Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and is a major player in the SUV market especially in North America.