Autocar - 21 September 2011
Page 14
Page 15
FRANKFURTMOTORSHOW2011
BRZ shares much with Toyota’s FT-86
See-through BRZ showcased
Subaru’s tech
Subaru keeps BRZ simple
Rear drive but no turbo for light, low, compact coupé
SUBARU’S NEW BRZ coupé will only be available with a normally aspirated engine and rear-wheel drive, Autocar can reveal.
engine, codenamed ‘FA’. He also said it would produce “less than 300bhp” and that gearbox options would be sixspeed manual and six-speed automatic.
Speaking to Autocar at the Frankfurt show, BRZ development chief Toshio Masuda said the compact coupé would be offered with just one engine: a normally aspirated, 2.0-litre boxer
Masuda also revealed that the BRZ, which will go into production alongside its co-developed Toyota FT-86 sibling in spring 2012 after a Tokyo motor show debut in November, would be one of the lightest cars in its class and, with a height of around 1300mm, one of the lowest. It would also have the lowest centre of gravity of any rear-drive sports car on the market.
XV crossover comes to the UK early next year
Masuda said the BRZ will sport a completely different styling direction from the new Impreza seen at last year’s
LA motor show. Expect to see strong similarities to the FT-86, with subtle changes at the front and rear.
The FT-86 made another appearance at Frankfurt, this time sporting a new red paint finish, while the BRZ was shown with a clear plastic body to showcase Subaru’s engineering effort in the project.
The BRZ will reach UK showrooms in summer 2012. A convertible version has been considered, but is not currently planned. The BRZ’s engine is not destined for any other Subarus.
Subaru also displayed its new Impreza-based XV crossover at the Frankfurt show, a car that will reach the UK in early 2012. Engines include a 1.6-litre petrol and a 2.0 diesel. MARK TISSHAW
Honda relights its sporting fire
Honda’s boss wants hot Civic
HONDA PRESIDENT TAKANOBU Ito has ordered the company to reassert its sporting credentials — and a modern-day NSX sports car and hardcore Civic based on the all-new hatchback revealed at Frankfurt are among the products under development.
Ito, who worked on the original NSX, said his engineers are “already developing” a new sports car in the mould of the NSX. He declined to comment on when such a car could make production, but emphasised that it would be a different vehicle from the original NSX, which weighed 1350kg and had 290bhp.
Originally there were no plans for a hot version of the new Civic, but Ito has now set engineers to work on the car. However, it is unlikely to carry the iconic Type R badge.
SHOW NEWS
Volkswagen returns to Fender This Fender guitar-inspired Beetle was one of several Volkswagen special editions at Frankfurt. It features a Fender-designed sound system with an interface for plugging in an electric guitar, the sound coming from a subwoofer located in the boot.
Confidential
Confidential
THE RENAULT MEGANE’S CO2 emissions will dip below the 100g/km threshold next year thanks to a new 108bhp ‘Energy dCi 110’ engine. Also set for the Mégane and Scenic is an ‘Energy TCe 115’, a 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol unit with 112bhp and improved CO2 emissions.
ULRICH EICHHORN, HEAD of engineering at Bentley, was spotted at Frankfurt investigating the Eterniti Hemera (below) – a £150k premium SUV produced by a new London company and based on the Porsche Cayenne. Bentley chief Wolfgang Dürheimer recently admitted the firm is working on a similarly upmarket SUV.
LOOK HARD AT the new Fiat Panda’s dashboard and door casings and you’ll notice that its grain is created using the letters P, A, N and D, which enable you to spell the car’s name. Repeatedly.
THE £2 MILLION Sesto Elemento won’t be the last big-money, limitededition Lamborghini, according to boss Stephan Winkelmann. “Once in a while we should do special editions,” he said. “We build the cars of dreams for car lovers, and that must stay core to the brand.”
SUBARU UK HAS yet to commit to taking the latest generation Impreza, revealed at last year’s LA show. Importer IM Group says the model’s pricing is preventing it from taking the car at present.
n Got secrets to share? E-mail confidential@haymarket.com
21 SEPTEMBER 2011 WWW.AUTOCAR.CO.UK 15