The News for November 4th, 2011
Welcome to yet another installment of The Hooniverse News! This is a weekly roundup of everything you should care about in the automotive industry without the fluff. We also throw in some opinion just because we can. Being that no big manufacturer paid for us we were not able to attend SEMA this year, our coverage of that show is limited to two things. If you want more SEMA coverage go to any other website that regurgitates press releases automotive news website.
MINI drops info on the new Roadster
Fiat finally brings the Abarth name to the US
Volkswagen Passat CC gets Rhinoplasty
Ford prices the Focus Electric
Honda shows off a special edition performance kit
Your daily dose of big American power, courtesy of MOPAR
MINI Roadster revealed:
Amazingly, it’s time to once again talk about another new MINI. The all-new MINI Roadster is the 6th new member of the MINI family, and it’s also the first ever 2-seater drop top to wear the MINI badge. Think of it as a cross between a 2-seater MINI Cooper Coupe and the Cooper Convertible, as it essentially brings the best (or worse, depending on your tastes) of both cars into one. With the Roadster, you have the go-kart handling and fun of the Cooper Coupe with the infinite amount of headroom from the Convertible. Sadly, it doesn’t come with that awesome hat. Still interested? Read on.
The 2-seat configuration made its first debut in a MINI with the recent Cooper Coupe, and despite what some might think, this 2-seater has a decent amount of cargo space. Behind the seats is a 240-liter luggage area (damn metric system! -KK) and a wide-opening tailgate promises to make loading and unloading an enjoyable experience which doesn’t make you want to rip your hair out and buy a truck. Nevertheless, MINI promises a go-kart like experience every time you hop in with precise steering and a low center of gravity. MINI also wanted to enhance the Roadster’s experience by keeping a traditional manual folding roof that promises to not ruin your life in a sudden downpour thanks to simple mechanics that allow for rapid opening and closing. Other cool features include roll bars that might save your life in a rollover and a rear spoiler that automatically deploys at 50 mph (DRS? -KK). Typical MINI features like a giant speedometer and a clever infotainment system are also available. And racing stripes.
Performance-wise, the same four engines – both gas and diesel – will be available with power ranging from 143 horsepower and 225 lb.-ft of torque (diesel) to 211 horsepower and 192 lb.-ft of torque (gas). Of course that all depends on which of the four trim levels you buy, which includes the SD diesel, Roadster, S Roadster, and the John Cooper Works model. Of course, a 6-speed manual is standard with the automatic as an optional extra.
Pricing and availability info are not available yet but it’s a safe bet that there will be no diesels in the U.S.
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Fiat 500 Abarth ready to tear it up in America:
Since Fiat brought the popular 500 stateside, us hoonigans were really only interested in one particular 500 model, that is, the 500 Abarth. Well, it was only a matter of time… Fiat formally announced this past week that the legendary performance of the Abarth brand will be unleashed on America’s streets sometime next year. Set to officially debut at the L.A. Auto Show (which we may or may not report from LIVE!!), the 500 Abarth will be sold in the US exactly as it is in Europe, which is apparently too hard for some other brands to do (*cough* pretty much everyone *cough*).
Under the tiny hood is a 1.4-liter MultiAir® turbocharged inline-4 engine that should make enough horsepower to make this small, light car fun as hell for track day enthusiasts – or scary as hell for significant others. Fortunately, the engineers at Fiat are too smart to add power and leave everything else untouched, as the Abarth comes with bigger brakes, a specially tuned sport suspension and other technology to keep you in check. Unique body panels, wheels and some extra stickers and badges help make the 500 Abarth look the part. All in all, Fiat promises this Cinquecento will live up to Abarth’s “small but wicked” reputation. If you’re one of the guys who were too embarrassed to drive a 500 before, don’t ignore this one… unless you already have ignored it and didn’t bother reading this whole section, then shame on you.
No pricing info is available yet, but all the info you could ever want about the Fiat 500 Abarth and more will be made available after the car is officially revealed at the L.A. Auto Show in just a few weeks’ time.
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2013 Passat CC updates revealed:
When the VW Passat CC launched just four years ago, it was hailed as one of the best-looking cars on the market by some “other” journalists (at least that’s what the commercials said). With attractive lines all around it was essentially a poor man’s Mercedes-Benz CLS with its “4-door coupe” design. VW hopes to not botch it all up any time soon as they have released official photos of the CC’s facelift for the 2013 model year ahead of the car’s debut at the L.A. Auto Show in just a few weeks (why are automakers so impatient these days?).
The only real changes to report here are the visual and technological updates that VW has graciously given it. Those attractive and non-boring headlights up front have been ditched in favor of still somewhat attractive but slightly more boring headlights, similar to what’s on other newer VWs. On the old headlights, the frame itself had sort of a “waving” feature at the bottom; now Audi-ish LED running lights that definitely won’t be out of style in a decade or so do the waving inside simpler frames. What’s also new with the headlights is that VW will now offer Bi-Xenon lights with Adaptive Front Lighting System (those fancy lamps that turn with the steering wheel) as standard equipment. LED taillights that have also been slightly updated are standard (w00t!) as well.
Right now VW has only told us about the awesome new lights on the CC, but we can expect a bit more info when the car is officially unveiled at the L.A. Auto Show. We expect to hear about the new door handles.
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Ford Focus Electric priced:
The Ford Focus Electric, the 100% gas-free EV that some of us have probably been waiting for, now has a price tag. The base MSRP is $39,995 with all the destination charges, but buyers are also eligible for a federal tax credit of up to $7,500.
Ford has started taking orders for the EV and urge potential buyers to open their checkbooks quickly because they want their money a limited number of cars will be available for the first year. People that act soon will be among the first to own America’s newest EV and perhaps the least noticeable eco-car on the market (in a good way, it looks just like any regular Focus).
Recap time: the Ford Focus Electric will be powered by an all-electric motor (no gas generators here) pushing out approximately 123 horsepower and 181 pound-feet of torque that’s mated to a single-speed transmission. The 23kwh high-voltage lithium ion battery pack features liquid cooling and heating to maintain the proper temperature and to maximize battery life. With the unique home charging station (a $10,000 optional extra)(woofa!), a full charge can be had in about 3-4 hours which should be good enough for a 100-ish mile driving range. This special Focus is also packed with technology that keeps track of your eco-friendliness and assists you in using as little energy as possible. Oh, and it has an illuminated charge port!
Deliveries will take place sometime in the spring of 2012. I have not driven the new Focus yet but I sat in the new-for-2012 Titanium edition and I found the interior to be surprisingly nice! -KK
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Honda Performance Development at SEMA:
This week, the annual Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show took place in Las Vegas. While it would take days to discuss all of the cars on display, both awesome and the kill-it-with-fire-right-now horrid, there are a couple of stories worth mentioning, like this super awesome Honda Civic that you can actually buy.
Honda took the opportunity to reveal the Honda Performance Development (HPD) packaged Civic Si coupe this week. This Honda Factory Performance (HFP) kit is available as a limited edition package for the Civic Si coupe only and just 500 complete units will be sold from your local Honda dealership. The kit includes high performance springs that lower the ride by 15mm, high performance dampers, unique 18-inch alloy wheels, and a full HFP aerodynamic body kit – Honda will even color-match those new panels for you. Inside, you get custom HFP carpet floor mats and red ambient lighting to get you in the mood to street race.
Right now Honda hasn’t filled us in on pricing or if the “fart canister” mod will be an optional extra. I love little Hondas but I can’t but feel that this is slightly, uhmm, pathetic. Honda used to make such fun little cars, what happened? Where have they gone wrong? -KK
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MOPAR brings ‘Murican muscle to SEMA:
While Honda was taunting the tuner crowd with a sporty Civic, MOPAR teased us power-lovers with this awesome V10 and other performance modifications. You can now buy a competition-spec V10 with 800 horsepower and 695 pound-feet of torque suited specifically for drag racers. This hand-built V10 features an aluminum block, aluminum cylinder heads, forged aluminum pistons, forged steel crank shaft with forged steel connecting rods. Is your keyboard covered in drool yet? While MOPAR says this engine is for drag racing, who’s to say you can’t drop this into the old family wagon? Just make sure you have room for 8.4-liters of goodness. MOPAR also hinted at an off and on-road racing version of this engine. Q: Anyone put a V10 into a mid-engined car yet?
MOPAR also wants to help you relive the golden age of V8 muscle with their new 426 Gen III HEMI V8. Made with an aluminum block to reduce weight, this high-output V8 can deliver up to 590 horsepower right out of the box.
No pricing is available yet, but all these engines and much more will be listed in the MOPAR catalog soon enough.
/Engine porn.
Related posts:
Viper haters gonna hate. Apparently, that motor is irrelevant.
Q: Anyone put a V10 into a mid-engined car yet?
The Porsche Carrera GT had a mid-mounted v10. The LamborghAudi Gallar8 also has a v10.
A Viper motivated mid-engine car would be deliciously awesome. I want one.
You're right, but I can only assume it was referring to the Viper V10 – especially this one!
I love that they're still building and upgrading the V10. It gives me hope that the next generation will at the very least be properly motivated.
I'm pretty sure we NEED to have that motor in the Uberbird… I would also need to wear two firesuits, because I would most certainly hit a wall at a high rate of speed.
I guess that would depend on who does the installation.
I'd want to drive it naked.
If I hit a wall in a V10 Uberbird I want to be sure I have as little as possible attempting to save me from certain death.
Can you wear a ziploc too? I'd probably buy parts of the interior after the wreck… so long as it wasn't covered in, well, you.
Question i have with the hemi engine in the pic is that it has a distributor and coil packs. WTH
Note also the pair of carburetors up top.
2 pics. 2 different engines.
No, the Hemi V8 definitely has what appear to be coil packs and without a doubt has a distributor… Weird. Where the coil packs would be are covered in the V10 pic.
On the V10, what is that accessory that is driven by the toothed belt? The one that isn't an alternator?
It isn't an accessory. It's an electric drive for the water pump.
Cool! Clearly I haven't spend much time under the hoods of modern cars.
How do you set the points? (Just kidding).
What do you consider modern? Drag racers have been ditching crank-driven belts and adding electric waterpump drives to their Shoeboxes and classic Camaros for several decades.
Now if only they'd run another belt so the electric drive also turns the alternator, then they'd have something.
Infinite Power!
Makes sense. I'm sure turning that water pump at 8000 RPM is a drag.
http://www.jegs.com/i/Altronics/030/ST/10002/-1?p…
With an electric water pump and an electric fan, you can better control the temperature of your engine between rounds to help maintain consistency.
I like that the V10 sparkplugs are wearing socks.
So, $32k for a Focus (after tax break) is a fair price these days? Makes the Volt seem reasonable.
+ $10k home quick charge station….
Ford and SunPower are selling a solar home charging station for 10k. Don't think this EV has a quick charge option yet.
Wow, only reading your comment did I remember that there were other parts to the original post than the MOPAR engines. Maybe we'd talk about the oft-reported Mini roadster and Abarth 500 if somebody shoehorned a hemi into them.
The original Hennessey Venom GT concept was based on a Viper motor in a mid-engine car:
“One day I joked about putting the Venom 1000 Twin Turbo engine in the back of a Lotus Exige. Then I thought, let’s do a sketch and see what that might look like. When I saw the sketch I stopped laughing and really started to seriously think about this idea. We then had a few more detailed renderings made. And when I saw these drawings, I thought to myself, we can build this car with 1000+ hp and a weight well under 3000 lbs. A mid-engine design like the Ford GT will put the weight of the motor and transmission over the rear tires giving better traction. Design as much downforce as we will need to have a car that handles like a kart on the road or race track. At the same time also have a car with the best power to weight ratio possible giving unmatched acceleration. This is how the Venom GT concept was born.”
http://www.venomgt.com/the-venom-gt/the-story/
Completely random thing based solely on looking at the photo of the Focus dashboard: I am very happy that car manufacturers are starting to adopt the practice of having the radio/nav/entertainment ABOVE the HVAC controls.
It never made any sense to me that for so long, on most cars the radio was mounted down low. Drivers adjust the radio WAY more often than the HVAC, so I wondered why the radio was often mounted down low almost as an afterthought.
I don't know if I'm typical, but I tend to adjust the HVAC several times per trip and often leave the radio alone.
That being said, I'd think that low-mounted radio radio controls would be easier to adjust than higher ones, because you wouldn't have to move your right hand very far from the stickshift.
Ugh, yes! Thank you!
I agree but with Ford's it's kind of a moot point. Just tell Sync to change the station or temperature.
No worries. I'm an insufferable pedant who couldn't let that sentence go unstickled. I'm liking your contributions, your take on the news is particularly refreshing.
Thank you, kind sir!
Thanks!
I gotta say, that 500 Abarf is really nice looking. Very few things can tempt me toward new cars, but a turbo and light weight are pretty capable of doing so.