Mercedes G-Wagen will be produced until at least 2020!

According to a German website, Magna-Steyr in Austria, who hand builds the Mercedes G-Wagen(as well as many other European 4WD’s for other manufacturers), will be producing the G until at least 2020. Yay!!
Perhaps during this time MBUSA will stop counting beans and actually bring the incredible W463(or W461 mil-spec) Professional Diesel line into the US. We can at least dream right?

German site link here; http://www.kleinezeitung.at/nachrichten/wirtschaft/2941033/mercedes-g-bleibt-ein-steirer.story

Porsche awarded “The best European car brand” by US owners

From wheelsunplugged.com; “The sports car manufacturer Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, is the best European car brand. This is borne out by the current Vehicle Dependability Study 2012 (VDS) unveiled by the prestigious US market research Institute J.D. Power and Associates.

The study focuses on the vehicles’ long-term quality in the US market. It was based on a poll of more than 31,000 American motorists who have owned their 2009 model year vehicles for three years.

The Porsche 911 – the world-famous icon from the main plant in Zuffenhausen – is the best vehicle in its segment. The European car plants’ review also gave top slot to the Porsche production plant in Stuttgart for the long term quality of its sports cars. And the Porsche brand achieved its best score in the VDS for freedom from errors. That makes the overall result for long term quality the best score yet awarded by J.D. Power.”

Porsche 997 gets stuck in cement

From yahoo.com; “On Thursday, the driver of a Porsche 911 decided he’d take a shortcut around some construction cones and drove straight into wet concrete near Marina Green on Marina Blvd. in San Francisco.

“It was coned off,” according to Bobswire, a user of the Paceline bike forums. “He was just trying to sneak in from a side street. [The] concrete looked solid.” Bobswire reports that the hapless driver remained stuck in his car. “He didn’t want to open the door and have concrete get in; the whole undercarriage and brakes will need to [be] cleaned or replaced.”

Whether the uncured pavement was concrete, asphaltic concrete, or just plain cement is up for debate.”

Few more pics here; http://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motoramic/porsche-stuck-wet-cement-proves-karma-exists-210302568.html

Why Maybach closed: they ‘lost €330,000($436k) on each one’

From carmagazine.co.uk; “After seven years and only 3000 sold units, the Maybach brand will bite the dust in 2013. It its place, Mercedes will challenge Bentley and Rolls Royce with up to seven different luxury cars derived from the next S-class due, you guessed it, in 2013.
What went wrong with Maybach?

Was it the name, the product, the positioning, the price? Short answer: all of the above, and more. The Maybach’s homespun design which bumped a few branches on the ugly tree on the way down certainly did not help, and when the new S-class was launched in 2005, the Maybach 57/62 was stuck with the previous platform, with dated electronics and fast-ageing powertrains.

Despite the slow start, Messieurs Hubbert, Schrempp and Zetsche failed to fill the Maybach brand with meaningful content. Instead of receiving the first-ever production fuel-cell, a special halo version of the Bluetec engine family or an early plug-in hybrid system, Maybach never really stood for anything but beautifully executed luxury, conservative styling and debatable social acceptance.

Even though the personal liaison managers who operated out of pompous shop-in-shop lounges rarely sold more than 150 to 300 Maybachs per year, the top management was so busy dealing with other corporate casualties like Mitsubishi, Chrysler and Smart that the only rescue plan they eventually agreed on was a near-instant exit. Click here to read the news of Daimler announcing Maybach’s death.
How much money Daimler lost on Maybach

Over time, Daimler sunk €1 billion into its double-M adventure. Despite a lofty list price of between £279,000 and £367,000 in the UK, the car maker lost over €330,000 on every Maybach it sold, CAR has calculated.

The sole significant addition to the range was the mega-expensive Landaulet which found only a handful of takers.
The stillborn Maybachs that could have been

Among the proposals that did not make it to production were a Maybach GL high-end SUV with sleeper seats in row two and a bespoke exterior, an entry-level short-wheelbase Maybach 52 and a four-door Maybach 57 convertible which was turned into the Mercedes Ocean Drive concept at the eleventh hour.

As revealed by CAR, Daimler and Aston Martin did indeed talk about building a new generation of Maybachs and the Aston-designed 57/62 replacement was on the shortlist for 2011′s Frankfurt show. An all-new Maybach family would have featured five different amazing bodystyles, according to our sources.

If the latter game plan had materialised, Audi may have relaunched Horch, and BMW would have extended the Rolls-Royce line-up much more aggressively.

But it was not to be. Instead of throwing more good money after bad, Mercedes decided to put Maybach to sleep and to give the three-pointed star a much more ambitious high-end portfolio.”

Car Magazine’s top 10 in-car footage videos

These are the choices of Car Magazine UK, not necessarily Matrix Integrated;
http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/Community/Car-Magazines-Blogs/Ben-Oliver-Blog2/Top-ten-in-car-footage/

We also think Jeff Zwart’s ’10 run up Pikes Peak in a Porsche 997 GT3 is worth another watch; http://vimeo.com/13014363

Daimler to Drop Maybach, Focus on S-Class

Courtesy of bloomberg.com;

“Daimler AG will shut down the super- luxury Maybach brand to end almost a decade of losses and focus on developing vehicles under its Mercedes flagship marque.

Stuttgart, Germany-based Daimler intends to stop producing the $350,000 Maybach when a new version of the Mercedes S-Class comes to market in 2013, Chief Executive Officer Dieter Zetsche said in an interview with Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

Daimler hasn’t made a profit on the Maybach after deciding to reintroduce the 1930s-era marque in 2002, Zetsche said. Mercedes will double variations of the 72,000-euro ($95,000) S- Class to six as it seeks to boost annual vehicle sales by at least 10,000 a year and step up its challenge to Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW) as the world’s top luxury-car maker.

“Closing down Maybach is a rational and financially wise decision,” said Arndt Ellinghorst, an analyst at Credit Suisse in London. “The brand has never managed to live up to its heritage. It makes good sense to enhance the S-Class; there’ll be huge demand, especially in emerging markets.”

BMW and Volkswagen AG’s Audi have grown at more than five times the pace of Mercedes over the past decade by adding new offerings faster. The 125-year-old manufacturer, which has also dropped to third in profitability, lost the luxury-car sales lead to BMW in 2005 and slipped behind Audi this year.

Daimler, which Ellinghorst rates “neutral,” has slumped 41 percent this year, valuing the company at 31.8 billion euros. BMW has declined 14 percent and VW is down 4.6 percent.
Quicker to Build

“Mercedes is now also mounting the attack in the high-end segment,” Zetsche said in comments to the FAZ newspaper, to be published today. “We have always dominated this segment and that should continue to be the case. We don’t want to wait until the others pull ahead.”

Daimler held extensive internal discussions on “which route promises the greatest possible success in the luxury segment,” before concluding that sales prospects were better at Mercedes, the CEO said. The average Maybach takes 60 days to build versus three to four for a typical Mercedes.

“It would not make sense to develop a successor model,” said in remarks confirmed by Daimler spokesman Marc Binder. “The coming S-Class is in such a way a superior vehicle that it can replace the Maybach.”

U.K. luxury sports-car maker Aston Martin, which said at the Frankfurt motor show in September that it expected to conclude talks on cooperation with Mercedes within weeks, declined to comment on the ramifications of Daimler’s comments. Zetsche had said at the expo that the talks concerned Maybach.

“We’ve been talking with Mercedes for some time,” Aston Martin spokesman Matthew Clarke said yesterday by telephone.
Makeover

Maybach hasn’t seriously challenged BMW’s Rolls-Royce and Volkswagen AG (VOW)’s Bentley since its reintroduction, with sales topping out at 600 cars in 2003 and sliding to 200 last year. Rolls-Royce sold 2,700 vehicles in 2010 and Bentley 5,100.

The brand last year updated its two sedan models with new chrome grills and cleaner 12-cylinder engines, while rear passengers in the $423,500 Maybach 62 got an optional 19-inch cinema screen. And at the Cannes Film Festival in May, it presented a special edition of the 20-foot 62 that was studded with diamonds from Swiss jewelry maker De Grisogono.

While that helped win over stars like Madonna and rapper Jay-Z, Maybach lacked the tradition of rivals and failed to gain a broad following among the world’s wealthy, The last of the 1,800 original cars was manufactured in 1941, six decades before the re-launch, and the dealership network in the U.S., where 30 percent of cars were sold last year, has dwindled to 30 from 85.

Options for the brand ranged from spending an estimated 500 million euros on a revamp, partnering with a high-end carmaker like Aston, integrating it into Mercedes or shutting it down, Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer, director of the Center for Automotive Research at the University of Duisburg-Essen, said in September.”

Audi Mum On Mexico Plant; Delaying A6, A8 Hybrids

From wardsauto.com;

“Audi remains tight-lipped about any plans for a new vehicle-assembly plant in North America, hinting its U.S. sales volume does not warrant the capacity yet.

Supplier sources tell WardsAuto this week the German luxury brand will build a new facility in Mexico.

But Audi of America President Johan de Nysschen says “no decision has been made.”

“First of all, Audi of America has to earn its right to a factory,” he tells WardsAuto at the auto show here.

“We passed through the 100,000 (calendar-year sales) barrier last year for the first time,” he says. “Even the most modern and lean and efficiently constructed facility wants to produce 120,000 to 150,000 cars in order to be (profitable).

“If you want local content, you’ve got to get suppliers to set up with you, and they’re not interested in selling you 10 widgets,” de Nysschen adds. “They would like to sell a whole lot.”

However, given Audi’s continued ascendancy worldwide and in the U.S., where sales were up 16.5% through October to 95,206 units, a new plant likely will be necessary sooner than later.

In the “pro” column for a North American site with local content is a potentially large revenue stream.

“We’ve doubled our size, and it will not be very long before you have as much as $10 billion, $11 billion, $12 billion of revenue that is hanging out there and exposed to exchange-rate fluctuations,” de Nysschen says.

Also to be decided is whether Audi would build a factory to supply vehicles exclusively for North America or for the global market, he says. “Those conclusions haven’t been finalized.”

Looking to next year, Audi of America will focus heavily on diesels.

Diesel variants of the Q5 cross/utility vehicle and A8 flagship sedan will launch in 2012. But a diesel version of the new A6 sedan, originally pegged for next year, may be pushed to early 2013, de Nysschen says.

A diesel A7 5-door sedan has “potential,” he adds, without putting a date on the introduction.

Also due in 2012 is a hybrid version of the Q5, but Audi is holding off on bringing hybrid A6s and A8s to the U.S. to minimize lineup complexity.

De Nysschen touts the success of the new A6, with deliveries up 14.1% through October.

Sales have risen in a stagnant segment, he contends, meaning the brand is conquesting sales from competitors.

However, the Mercedes E-Class is up as well, gaining 4.1% in the first 10 months. But neither the A6 nor the E-Class can keep up with the BMW 5-Series, sales of which soared 46.4% through October.

Audi expects roughly 17% of A6 sales to be the new S6 performance variant, which debuted here at the auto show.

That percentage is on par with the S4’s slice of A4 deliveries, de Nysschen says.”

Audi winter driving clinic in WA

From Audi Club NW;

Come out with us to slide in the snow!

Sign up now to be the first group notified of a winter driving clinic to be held at Bremerton Motorsports Park this winter, depending upon weather and support.

By registering on this site you will be put on a special emailing list so you can be the first notified when an event may happen. These events are necessarily held with very short notice. You may only get a few days advanced alert. By registering for EMAIL NOTIFICATION now you are not registering for the actual event so you will not be charged anything until such time as you actually register for the event itself.

The 2010 Clinic at Stevens Pass was well attended. Everyone went home telling stories and driving with sharpened skills in the snow and icy conditions we experienced several times last winter and so far this winter.

Learn car control in low grip conditions. Practice driving skills with instruction in a car-friendly environment. Share experiences and ask questions in a driver-friendly atmosphere that is structured to help you become a better winter driver.

We’ll be running exercises that demonstrate how your car works. You will learn about your own habits and have the opportunity for lots of practice. Come out and laugh with us (it will be lots of fun) in a full day of serious learning, controlled spinouts, and automotive joy in the snow.

This is a weather-dependent event. It can’t happen if we don’t have snow so keep close attention to your email after you’ve signed up for email notification here in MotorsportReg. And due to our dependency on the weather, notice for this type of event may be only a few days in advance and it may potentially be canceled on the morning of the event. On the West Side of Washington State, snow can show up and disappear quickly so we need to be prepared to act. We will complete the scheduling very quickly when conditions permit. The event may be on a weekend or on a weekday depending on conditions and availability of the facility. By signing up for email notification now, you will be informed immediately once the event is planned.

ACNA membership is not required for this event.

Licensed teen drivers are encouraged to attend with a parent.

Convertibles may run in this Winter Driving Clinic.

No helmets will be required. Please see Event Requirements (next screens).

Go to Audi Club NW for forms and other information:
http://www.Audiclubnw.org/

VW’s Piech may be eyeing Ferrari stake

From Autoweek.com;

“Is Volkswagen chairman Ferdinand Piech eyeing Ferrari as the next acquisition to add to VW group’s collection of brands? Some in the German press think so.

Piech has already said openly that he would like VW to buy Fiat’s Alfa Romeo marque–but the “real object of his desire,” is Ferrari, Manager Magazin says in its current issue.

VW already has plenty of sporty brands. It is merging Porsche into its portfolio and owns Lamborghini. In 1998, VW bought the rights to the Bugatti marque, supposedly after Piech’s son was thrilled at seeing a vintage miniature Bugatti in a toy shop.

With a cash pile of $27 billion (19.6 billion euros), VW can easily afford Ferrari, Fiat’s most profitable brand, which financial analysts value at between $3.16 billion to $4.82 billion (2.3 billion and 3.5 billion euros).

In September, Marchionne denied an Italian newspaper report that Fiat may sell Ferrari to raise funds to increase its stake in Chrysler Group, but the Fiat-Chrysler CEO did not rule out selling part of the Italian super car unit.

Rumors in Italy say Fiat may sell shares in Ferrari in an initial public offering while retaining a 51 percent stake.

That could open the door to Piech. Some industry watchers say the 73-year-old would be happy even with a minimum stake in Ferrari.”

Hopefully they leave the 458 Italia issues out of the purchase.

Audi’s all-wheel wonder drivetrain turns 30; Mercedes involvement

From NZHerald;

“Porsche family member Ferdinand Piech was the chief technical director of a project to develop an all-wheel-drive Audi back in the 1970s.

Piech had a degree in mechanical engineering from a Swiss university. He graduated in 1962 and went to work for Porsche from 1963 and 1971. He worked on the Porsche 906 and 917 race cars.

In 1972 he went to Audi, where he helped develop the Audi 80 and 100 sedans. Five years later, he began working on what would become the Audi Quattro.

He and his engineers knew that a car that distributes engine power to all four wheels is capable of withstanding higher lateral forces than one with rear- or front-drive. Therefore, its traction and cornering power are superior.

The engine Piech built for the prototype Audi was a turbocharged five-cylinder in-line unit.

He got the idea for such an engine after working on a turbodiesel five-cylinder unit for Mercedes-Benz. An in-line six-cylinder engine was too long for the Quattro prototype, based on a two-door VW Santana/Passat. So Piech built a five-cylinder petrol unit, using the earlier Mercedes-Benz diesel as a template.

That’s roughly when the Audi catchphrase “vorsprung durch technik” – “advancement through technology” – was born. Piech was said to have coined it. It’s been part of Audi since 1980, when the Quattro was unveiled at the Geneva motor show. The coupe was to turn the world of rallying on its ear and earn Audi a whole new global reputation.

Now Audi is celebrating the Quattro’s 30th birthday. But back to the mid-1970s and Piech’s development work with Audi. How much performance can front-wheel drive develop?

That was the question in 1976-77 during test drives in the snow in Sweden. The camouflaged Audi prototypes with their 125kW five-cylinder engines put in a worthy performance. But they were left standing when pitted against the 55kW Iltis military off-road vehicle.

The solution was obvious: a sporty Audi car with permanent all-wheel drive and plenty of engine power.

The project got off the ground in the early part of 1977 as “Development Order 262″. It was masterminded by technical director Piech, project manager Walter Treser, and chassis chief Jorg Bensinger and codenamed “A1″.

The prototype was a modified first-generation Audi 80 coupe with a slightly elongated wheelbase and five-cylinder turbocharged engine. The rear suspension was a second McPherson front suspension layout, rotated through 180 degrees.

In January 1978, trials began in deep snow in Austria. The prototype quickly showed how effective it was. But there was a hitch. The wife of Volkswagen development director Ernst Fiala had been driving another A1 prototype in city traffic in Vienna. She complained that the car felt “tense” on tight bends: “The car ‘hops’,” she said.

On bends, the front wheels took a slightly larger arc than the rear wheels, because the A1′s axles were rigidly connected. The wheels needed to rotate faster.

Audi’s developers focused on two objectives: the all-wheel drive was to be permanent, and it had to function without a separate transfer case and second propshaft at the front.

What followed was the “eureka” moment. Audi’s transmission design chief Franz Tengler hit upon an idea as simple as it was practical: a 26.3cm long, hollow-drilled secondary shaft in the transmission, through which the power flowed in two directions.

From its rear end, the shaft drove the cage of the manually lockable centre differential. The differential transmitted 50 per cent of the power via the propshaft to the rear axle, which had its own differential lock.

The other half of the drive torque was transferred to the front axle’s differential along an output shaft rotating inside the hollow secondary shaft.

The hollow shaft permitted all-wheel drive that was virtually tension-free, light, compact and efficient. The vital breakthrough was that the Quattro principle was no longer merely suitable for slow all-terrain vehicles and trucks, but also for fast passenger cars, and furthermore for volume-produced models.
CCID: 31622

All that remained was the name. One suggestion was “Carat”, an acronym of the German for “Coupe All-Wheel Drive Turbo.” Project manager Treser came up with “Quattro”.

Said the then design chief Hartmut Warku of the name: “We wanted to symbolise a car that stands firmly on the ground. It was meant to put the emphasis on what it was capable of doing, not on what it looked like.”

At Geneva, the white two-door car stood on an elevated turntable in the middle of an indoor skating rink close to the Geneva showground. It weighed 1300kg. Its 2.1-litre five-cylinder engine delivered 147kW and 285Nm of torque, helping it to sprint from zero to 100km/h in just over seven seconds and on to a top speed of 220km/h.

Production of the Quattro began at Ingolstadt at the end of 1980. Audi had initially planned to build only 400 units to enable the competition car to obtain homologation for the World Rally Championship.

But the revolutionary drive concept and its dynamic performance captivated the public from the very first day, and Audi had difficulty keeping up with demand.

The Sport Quattro with shorter overall length and wheelbase appeared in 1984, as the homologation model of the new rally car. Its lighter materials reduced overall weight, and its new four-valve turbocharged engine with an aluminum engine block delivered 225kW.

Over time Audi improved the car inside and out. The most important technical change came in 1987. The engine had been bumped up to 2.2 litres but the Quattro now featured the Torsen differential; the worm gear replaced the manual differential lock. The name Torsen was a contraction of the two words torque and sensing.

The transmission distributed power continuously but instantly diverted up to 75 per cent of torque to whichever pair of wheels achieved better grip. Thanks to the Torsen differential, which only locks up under load, the anti-lock brake system remained permanently available.

When production ended in May 1991, Audi had built 11,452 Quattros, 224 of which were Sport versions.”

More here; http://www.nzherald.co.nz/motoring/news/article.cfm?c_id=9&objectid=10655061