Uh-ho. Those crafty chaps known as the BBC Top Gear team may have thought they got away with their recent review of the 2011 Nissan Leaf and 2011 Peugeot iOn (a rebadged predecessor to the 2012 Mitsubishi i) - but they would be wrong. The fur started flying yesterday, when Nissan Senior Vice President Andy Palmer gave an interview to The Times...
If Tesla’s Model S all-electric seven-seat sedan were in high school, it would be the kind of girl every heterosexual boy would lust after and every teenage girl would want to be. At least, that’s certainly the line being taken by Tesla in its latest teasing track-test video, in which not one but three of its Model S Alpha-build cars...
We all know that one of the biggest challenges facing electric cars is the fact that recharging a battery pack is orders of magnitude slower than filling a gasoline car’s fuel tank. As battery packs have become more advanced, we’ve seen an increased use of rapid charging technologies, such as those found in the 2011 Nissan Leaf - but...
Porsche is investing $213.3 million at its Weissach research and design center for a new design studio, high-tech wind tunnel and an electronics integration center.
The new wind tunnel will also enable the Stuttgart-based sports car manufacturer to cope with technological challenges in future vehicle development. “Good aerodynamics make a major contribution towards low fuel consumption and high performance – both of which are important aspects in implementing Porsche Intelligent Performance,” said Wolfgang Hatz, board member in charge of research and development of Porsche AG. The new electronics integration center will combine segments which were previously spread over several buildings. “Our objective is to also continue developing electric and hybrid technology. We are creating the ideal conditions for attaining this objective with our new electronics integration center,” added Hatz.
The new offices and the design studio will probably be ready for occupation in summer 2013, while the wind tunnel will be completed in the first six months of 2014.
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The all-new Mazda CX-5 will be among the many unveilings at the upcoming 2011 Frankfurt auto show in September. The CX-5 crossover SUV is the first of a new generation of Mazda products that will adopt the full range of Mazda’s new Skyactiv Technologies as well as its new ‘KODO – Soul of Motion’ design theme.
Details of the U.S. version have not yet been revealed but the CX-5, which will be progressively introduced to global markets from early 2012, will include the full range of Skyactiv Technologies, which include all-new gasoline and diesel engines, manual and automatic transmissions, body and chassis.
The engine line-up for the European specification CX-5 will include Mazda’s SKYACTIV-G 2.0 gasoline engine and SKYACTIV-D 2.2 diesel engine, which will be available in Standard Power and High Power versions. According to Mazda, each engine has a record-breaking compression ratio of 14:1 for ideal efficiency. Mazda says its engineers focused on achieving exceptional environmental performance for a compact SUV and targeted CO2 emissions of less than 120g/km for the SKYACTIV-D 2.2 engined model.
The CX-5 is also the first production model to showcase Mazda’s new design theme, ‘KODO – Soul of Motion’, which was previewed with the Mazda SHINARI and Mazda MINAGI concept cars. Unique themes of the KODO design theme include a prominent new frontal treatment with a bolder Mazda family face and more dynamic styling that conveys a strong sense of vitality and agility.
Joining the CX-5 on Mazda’s stand at the Frankfurt Show will be an upgraded Mazda3. This popular Mazda, which often tops the overall sales chart in Canada for example, will deliver lower CO2 emissions, more sporty and stable driving dynamics, along with an updated interior and exterior design and higher quality levels, according to Mazda.
Although Mazda has not yet said so, we imagine the new CX-5 will be labeled as a 2013 model since it will not go on sale until next year. In the meantime, if you want to know more about Mazda’s Skyactiv technologies you can find out more here.
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The all-new Mazda CX-5 will be among the many unveilings at the upcoming 2011 Frankfurt auto show in September. The CX-5 crossover SUV is the first of a new generation of Mazda products that will adopt the full range of Mazda’s new Skyactiv Technologies as well as its new ‘KODO – Soul of Motion’ design theme.
Details of the U.S. version have not yet been revealed but the CX-5, which will be progressively introduced to global markets from early 2012, will include the full range of Skyactiv Technologies, which include all-new gasoline and diesel engines, manual and automatic transmissions, body and chassis.
The engine line-up for the European specification CX-5 will include Mazda’s SKYACTIV-G 2.0 gasoline engine and SKYACTIV-D 2.2 diesel engine, which will be available in Standard Power and High Power versions. According to Mazda, each engine has a record-breaking compression ratio of 14:1 for ideal efficiency. Mazda says its engineers focused on achieving exceptional environmental performance for a compact SUV and targeted CO2 emissions of less than 120g/km for the SKYACTIV-D 2.2 engined model.
The CX-5 is also the first production model to showcase Mazda’s new design theme, ‘KODO – Soul of Motion’, which was previewed with the Mazda SHINARI and Mazda MINAGI concept cars. Unique themes of the KODO design theme include a prominent new frontal treatment with a bolder Mazda family face and more dynamic styling that conveys a strong sense of vitality and agility.
Joining the CX-5 on Mazda’s stand at the Frankfurt Show will be an upgraded Mazda3. This popular Mazda, which often tops the overall sales chart in Canada for example, will deliver lower CO2 emissions, more sporty and stable driving dynamics, along with an updated interior and exterior design and higher quality levels, according to Mazda.
Although Mazda has not yet said so, we imagine the new CX-5 will be labeled as a 2013 model since it will not go on sale until next year. In the meantime, if you want to know more about Mazda’s Skyactiv technologies you can find out more here.
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I’ve been fortunate to have spent some quality time on the track surface of the legendary Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. But as exhilarating as it is in first person, it’s still a thrill to watch what professionals from all walks of racing are able to muster with their steeds prepped specifically for this 2.24-mile long circuit. A couple weekends ago I found an excuse to visit MRLS once again, attending the 10th round of the 2011 Moto GP season. If you aren’t familiar with Moto GP, picture the motorcycle equivalent of Formula 1, where high-tech, high-revving, 800cc-engined race bikes on the grid can cost north of a few million dollars.
With my previous experience here being limited to the 4-wheeled variety, I was curious to learn what differences there were, if any, in driving MRLS versus riding it. Following the GP weekend, I was able to catch up with AMA hall-of-fame racer Kevin Schwantz, who has raced both motorcycles and 250cc superkarts here, to see what his thoughts were on two versus four wheels.
R&T: Can you walk through a lap and explain some of the key points to racing a motorcycle around Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca?
KS: Starting at turn 1, you have to set up over to the right, start your turning before the crest, but stand the bike up again just before it, or the bike can be a real handful. Don’t expect to be doing the majority of your turning after it. The Moto GP guys were probably going over at full throttle, but you could hear the traction control working pretty hard through that section. Back in the day on a 500cc GP bike [before traction control] you would get a nice wheelie over the crest while not quite being at full throttle.
R&T: Right, in a car it’s less of a turn, and it’s easier to take turn 1 flat.
KS: Once you’re over the crest it’s not too bad as you set up for turn 2, usually a double apex for bikes, then turns 3 and 4 are pretty quick and flat, though they used to be kind of bumpy back in the day. As you pass through turn 5, and you’ve got all that positive camber helping your exit speed till about 2/3rds of the turn, it feels like you’re flying a jet in a gymnasium. You’re heading up the hill and trying to pick up your reference points as quickly as possible which you have to sort out through the shadow of the bridge while setting up for the entry to turn 6. Heading up through turn 7 towards the top of The Corkscrew [turn 8 and 8a], you again have to set up your turn on the right and I usually had to fight a big wheelie over that crest. Then man, from the top of The Corkscrew all the way till the end of the track it’s swoosh, swoosh, swoosh—you’re just flying, down the hill.
Kevin Schwantz and Red Bull Rookies
R&T: I understand that bikes are more sensitive to camber changes. Which turn do you think is most different on bike than in a car or superkart like the one you raced?
KS: Rainey Curve [turn 9] is probably the one turn on track where the camber affects a bike much more than a car. Watching the faster bikes during the race, it seems like the quicker path is the tight and straight line through, because the camber starts to fall off towards the middle of the track. If you go over that line, you’ll have to use three or four more feet than you really want to. The entry is slower and you have to trail brake a little more, but you want to be on the inside of that center line on a bike. In a car or kart, you use much more of the track on the outside. I would take my winged 250cc superkart flat and use every last bit of the outside rumble strip. But on a bike, it can be hard to get the chassis settled and back over to the left to set up for turn 10.
R&T: Are there any corners that are better to makes passes on a motorcycle than in a car?
The best corners are still the ones you can get a drive a corner before and pass under braking, mainly 2, 5 and 11. Though on a bike you’re much narrower and only have to move over the width of a bike versus moving over the width of a car. In that sense, it opens up more opportunities to pass, like heading up to The Corkscrew which I’m not sure would work in a car.
R&T: In your opinion, do the think Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca is better suited for a car or motorcycle? Or is there no difference?
KS: I believe it suits motorcycles a little better. Despite its appearance, it’s not a very wide track, which again makes it easier for bikes to make passes and get some good racing in. Cars have to create a lot more space to make a pass effectively.
*For the record, the Grand-Am Daytona Prototypes that raced at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca a weekend before, were running identical lap times and speeds to the Moto GP bikes. (winning DP racecar – 1:21.408 at 98.968 mph; winning GP race bike -1:21.673 at 98.86 mph)
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