One of the fastest emergency vehicles, fully suited for rough terrain as well, has been developed in Zuffenhausen. With laborious hand work, 15 trainees of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart have converted the sport utility vehicle Cayenne S into a very modern deployment vehicle for rescue workers. The prototype will be employed by Health and Safety Services.
The interior of the original production vehicle from the first Cayenne generation was completely modified. The rear seat and passenger seat had to give way to an aluminum frame construction, onto which the stretcher can be slid through the tailgate of the vehicle. A seat for the emergency doctor was set up adjacent to the stretcher. The modified Cayenne S provides the doctor with highly modern medical equipment for administering first aid to the patient. Among other equipment, an EKG with a defibrillator an electroshock device for treating patients with ventricular fibrillation , an electrical suction pump, an emergency backpack and various rescue tools are included.
The maneuverable vehicle considerably improves the chances for rescue in difficult terrain. Thanks to a permanent all-wheel drive with reduction gears and a locking central differential, a versatile off-road chassis and high ground clearance, the vehicle also reaches remote locations off the beaten track and can handle slopes of up to 45 degrees. A further advantage is its air suspension including the Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) adaptive dampening system - this permits especially careful transport of patients.
The idea for the concept of the Cayenne emergency vehicle came from Porsche Health Management. The industrial physicians have given the trainees the task of building four emergency vehicles, which are destined for the Porsche plants in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen and Weissach in Baden-Wrttemberg as well as the Leipzig plant. The Cayenne will also be stationed at the Porsche test track in Weissach.
Porsche trainees have since gained extensive experience in equipping special vehicles. Six Cayennes have already been prepared with different equipment for use in fire fighting, plant security and Health and Safety Services. "Every vehicle is unique with very special solutions. These special projects permit cross-divisional teamwork with the experience of mechanical designers, electronic specialists, vehicle mechatronic specialists, vehicle equipment assemblers and painters. The challenging task which requires the greatest handworking skills and precise work, motivates the young men and women," Porsche Head of Training Dieter Esser said. The special attraction is the production of a product which is extremely useful instead of practical experience in purely didactical way.
Monday, May 14, 2007
2007 Porsche Cayenne Emergency Vehicle
Friday, May 11, 2007
Honda confirms hydrogen fuel-cell sedan for 2008
Honda has announced that it will launch a hydrogen fuel-cell sedan next year as well as a new high volume hybrid vehicle priced under its $25,000 Civic hybrid in 09. The announcement was made at yesterday’s demonstration of Honda’s FCX fuel-cell prototype in Washington, a four-door concept with a range of 270 miles and a top speed of 100mph.
“We’re calling this the ‘FCX Concept’ but I can assure you it is not just some far out, pie-in-the-sky exercise in what may or may not come to fruition some day in the distant future,” said Honda fuel-cell marketing manager Steve Ellis in an interview with reporters from The Detroit News. Ellis explained that the new vehicle is key to attracting more green-conscious customers and that it will be initially launched in Japan and the US only.
A major problem holding back the introduction of more hydrogen powered vehicles is the lack of hydrogen fueling stations. One solution Honda is considering is launching an experimental home energy station that uses household natural gas to generate the clean fuel. The production fuel-cell vehicle Honda will release is said to be similar to the FCX concept car but will feature new bumpers and a more conventional interior.
Honda is not alone in its quest to launch the ultra-clean vehicles. China is reported to be investing heavily in the technology and General Motors is already planning to launch a worldwide fleet of them later this year for testing, with up to 100 hydrogen-fueled Chevrolet Equinox SUVs taking part. Ford and DaimlerChrysler also have their own versions and BMW has already released a 7-series saloon, which features an internal combustion engine that runs on pure hydrogen.
source: motorauthority.com
Tesla launching factory-owned stores for new roadster
Tesla will be selling its upcoming electric roadster through factory-owned stores rather than franchised dealerships with the aim to create the atmosphere of a trendy Apple Store instead of the staid image of a regular dealer. Automotive News reports that the first store will be opened on Santa Monica Boulevard in LA by November, with other stores to open soon after in San Francisco, New York, Chicago and Miami.
The news comes from Tesla’s vice president of marketing Darryl Siry, who also mentioned that after the initial group of stores are opened, even more will be opened across the US in places such as San Diego, Seattle, Denver and Boston. Tesla is expecting to sell up to 1,200 units per year of the UK-built roadster.
Siry explains that the $92,000 Tesla roadster cannot be sold in a conventional manner. “A traditional dealer would spend his time apologizing for the car’s shortcomings rather than talking up the benefits”, he said. “We are going to design our own sales experience from scratch.”
Though this might seem like a lot of locations for a niche model like the electric roadster, building the retail presence is an important step in ensuring the success of Tesla’s next model, an electric sedan code-named WhiteStar.
Via motorauthority
2010 Hyundai Tiburon Captured
Spy photos of the 2010 Hyundai Tiburon have been leaked onto the Internet and are finding their way into Hyundai chat rooms. Sharing a rear-wheel-drive platform with Hyundai's new Genesis sedan that was unveiled in April as a concept at the New York auto show, the Tiburon is expected to go on sale in Korea in late 2008 and early-to-mid-2009 in North America.
Slightly bigger than the current Tiburon, this redesigned coupe takes many of its styling cues from the HCD-8 concept shown several years ago. Likely to share powertrains with the Genesis sedan, at least the DOHC V6 engine, Hyundai is focusing on the Infiniti G37 coupe as a chief competitor. The spy photos also reveal another engine possibility: a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine.
Pricing is expected to start in the high $20,000s.
First Drive: 2008 Audi Q7 4.2 TDI
We’re not getting this V-8 diesel here, but we can tell you that the current Q7 flagship lacks soul, and that Audi’s B&O doesn’t stink.
At the tail end of our first drive experience of Audi’s mouth-watering A5 and S5 coupes, we were thrust into the driver’s seat of something entirely different in pretty much every conceivable way: the newly minted Q7 4.2 TDI. Some of us rolled our eyes at this, since this particular oil-burner, positioned as the current flagship of the Q7 line (until the V-12 TDI launches) in Europe, won’t be making it Stateside any time soon. Furthermore, Audi didn’t bring any 3.0 TDIs—which we will get late next year as an ’09 model—for comparison. But we set out to learn a thing or two anyway, as the Q7 4.2 TDI represents the interesting combination of a diesel SUV with a performance bent, and where better to explore the limits of this torquiest of all Audis than on the German autobahn? And so we did.
No surprises
Driving the big diesel Q7 offered absolutely zero surprises. With 561 lb-ft of torque available between 1800 and 2500 rpm, the 4134cc (yes, that rounds to 4.1 liters—don’t ask) turbo-diesel V-8 pulls the Q7’s three tons of metal, glass, rubber, and fattened-up passengers as if tethered to a Lufthansa 747. Audi says the big beast shoots from zero to 62 mph in 6.4 seconds—entirely believable, if a bit cautious. The Quattro all-wheel-drive system’s 40/60 front/rear torque split makes for predictable, tractable acceleration both in a straight line as well as in turns, and the Tiptronic six-speed is fitted with steering-wheel-mounted paddle-shifters, not that we desperately needed them with all that torque.
At high speeds, there is no drop-off in the fun factor. With 326 hp, the Q7 4.2 TDI has no problem maintaining speed and stability while the speedo climbs up into the 140-mph range (gotta love autobahns), offering plenty of passing power when called upon to take to the left lane. (The Q7 4.2 TDI’s top speed is 240 km/h, or about 145 mph). All the while, the interior remains remarkably quiet—not exactly silent as in an A8, but comfortable and conversation-friendly.
Pricing and Power
No soul
What’s missing, however, is soul. The Q7’s direct-injection gasoline motors in the Q7 3.6 and the Q7 4.2, are not only capable, but when pushed, they emit somewhat of a hearty, sexy growl, and by comparison the diesel V-8 feels disengaged, as if there is another pilot aboard taking care of propulsion. Yes, it is quick. Yes, it offers fuel economy (21 mpg average on the Euro combined cycle) relative to the petrol V-8. But no, it ain’t sexy in sound nor fury.
And it’s expensive.
How expensive, exactly? The price is set at 70,500 Euros (about $95,500) in Germany—3300 Euros more dear than the 4.2 petrol V-8—thus, the diesel is positioned as the Q7 flagship. In America, when we get the smaller 3.0 TDI with its 240-hp, 370 lb-ft V-6, we can expect about a 10-percent price hike above the Q7 3.6. There are no plans to bring us the big oil burner.
No V-12 for us
What about that Q7 with the monster 5.9-liter V-12 TDI that Audi said back at last January’s NAIAS that we could get as early as next year? Well, it ain’t gonna happen here, according to Audi of America’s latest assertions. Why not? Same reason we won’t get the 4.2 TDI: evidently we Americans still don’t see diesels as suitable powertrains for truly premium vehicles. Not even with 493 hp and 738 lb-ft of torque, which would have helped the Q7 hit 60 in the mid-five-second range and peg a top speed of 155 mph.
For what it’s worth, the engine is still being developed for eventual introduction to the European market, but there is no official word as to when it might be taken out of the oven. Don’t look for it until at least 2009.
Bang & Olufsen Sound System
First ever B&O sound system in an SUV
In the meantime, something we can look forward to in U.S.-bound Q7s is something that sounds far more fabulous than any diesel engine we’ve ever heard: the Q7’s new Bang & Olufsen speaker system that will make its debut on the options list later this year. Like that found in the A8/S8, the sound system sends more than 1000 watts through 14 strategically placed speakers, each of which is powered by its own amp (yes, that’s 14 amplifiers).
Also like the A8/S8, the Q7 accommodates a pair of nifty pop-up tweeters near the base of the A-pillars that, through their 180-degree “acoustic lenses,” make true stereo sound for passengers regardless of seating position. Altogether, it does a remarkable job of dissecting tracks and distributing music in a simulated three-dimensional fashion, although the B&O system does not play DVD-A tracks (i.e.: audio DVDs).
When it becomes available on the Q7 this fall, expect a price of $6300, which is what it costs in both the A8 and S8.
Mercedes R-Class
Is it an MPV? An SUV? An over-inflated estate? No one's quite sure what the Mercedes R-Class really is, and the latest makeover on the biggest car in Merc's lineup won't do anything to clear up the confusion.
First, the R-Class is now being offered with rear-wheel drive. Previously a four-wheel-drive car only, we reckon that moves the R-Class nearer to MPV rather than SUV territory. Maybe.
But wait. Merc has rejigged the seating in the R-Class too. Whereas it was once strictly a six-seater - three rows of captain's chairs - you can now specify your family crossover-type-thing in five- or seven-seat guise.
That's a middle row of three seats plus an additional pair in the back, which can be removed to make way for Christmas trees or Jacuzzis or whatever it is people put in the back of an R-Class. Which might make it more of an estate. But we're not sure.
The R-Class has also been given a quick facelift, with new circular fog lamps and fresh body styling at the front and rear.
Oh, and there's a new entry-level petrol engine: a three-litre V6 that will see the R-Class to 62mph in just under 10 seconds.
The top-of-the-range 5.5-litre V8 remains though, which presumably makes the R-Class a luxury-sport-crossover... no, we give up.
First Drive: 2007 BMW M6 Convertible
Previews
Too much equals not enough? The pricey, portly M6 ragtop trades speed for sex appeal.
BMW hasn’t had it too easy from us recently. The Bavarian masters of driving arts once had an easy ticket to a first-place finish in virtually every comparo they entered. But then came iDrive, then active steering, and then everyone’s favorite “whipping tech,” the sequential manual gearbox. You could argue that those technologies, in many cases, created as many problems as they solved, at least from the purist’s point of view.
A brighter spot came in the form of the 2006 BMW M6 coupe, a 6-series coupe made even more salivating with zoomier styling, a sexy carbon-fiber roof, and one of the most delicious engines on God’s green earth: a race-bred, heart-pounding, high-revving 5.0-liter V-10 producing an incredible 500 horsepower at 7750 rpm and 383 pound-feet of torque at 6100 rpm. So prolific is the engine that not even the entire alphabet’s worth of techno-acronyms could keep the fun away. Then came the new convertible version—whoo-ee! What could be better, right?
Looks to Kill, Comfort to Thrill
Our tester showed up in the M6 coupe’s “feature color,” Indianapolis Red, a metallic crimson that looks no less fetching on the convertible, even with its black convertible top raised. With a smiling, M-specific front bumper topped by 6-series brooding headlamps, there is something deliciously ironic about the front end of the M6. Down the bodysides are sill extensions and, of course, fender vents with M6 badge inlays. In back, the rear apron is sculpted to match the front end and also to accommodate the quartet of fat exhaust tips through which the V-10 sings its high-pitched song (a song that, incidentally, is easier to hear than in the closed-roof M6).
The M6’s interior is no less intense. The optional carbon-fiber center-stack trim on our tester—the best $300 you can spend, we feel—glistened in the sunlight, and pretty much everything else that wasn’t aluminum was covered in Indianapolis Red and Black Merino leather. We’re still no fans of iDrive, but at least the M6’s pivoting display didn’t get washed out in the sunlight as with so many such systems on other cars.
The front seats are wonderfully supportive, although even at an as-tested price of nearly $116,000, they lacked the active side bolsters found on the M5. The M6 also could benefit from an extra cup holder (it comes with only one), more spacious back seats, a truly usable glove box, and an HVAC system that can keep up with the torrential top-down windstorm that occurs when speeds climb toward (or, um, past) legal highway speeds.
Performance
Heavier, Slower
At a claimed 4400 pounds, the M6 convertible is an eye-popping 500 pounds heavier than the dimensionally identical, carbon-fiber-topped, 3908-pound M6 coupe. Yep, you read that right: 500 pounds. This could explain why, even with the sequential gearbox on its quickest setting and the power button activated (more on that later), it seemed more difficult to get the M6 convertible’s sticky 285mm-wide rear tires to chirp as easily on takeoff (and even during first-to-second gearchanges) as it does in the 300-pound-lighter M5 (to say nothing of the featherweight M6). This also may account for an even greater feeling of mass than in either of the M6 convertible's plenty hefty 500-hp siblings. BMW says the ragtop’s 0-to-60-mph time slips just 0.1 second compared with the M6 coupe's, which, based on our testing of the M6 coupe, would put the convertible at 4.2. We didn’t get a chance to test the convertible, but it certainly didn’t feel as if the two variants would be so close.
So what accounts for all that heft? As with the entry-level 6-series convertible, the 650i, the structure has been reinforced in numerous places to retain structural rigidity, leaving it with numbers quite close to those of the closed-roof car. Impact protection—side and rollover—was addressed in the form of reinforced structure, pop-up roll bars, and a reinforced A-pillar and windshield header. And, of course, all those motors controlling the convertible top account for a bunch of pounds, too.
That having been said, taken on its own (i.e., not comparing it with the overachieving coupe), the M6 still feels quick. Indeed, 4.2 seconds to 60 is far from slow. And it shares the M6’s 155-mph top speed. Although we’re getting no more used to SMG, we do love the ease of use of the sexy paddle shifters. Even better news: A regular shift-it-yourself six-speed manual has recently become available on all M5 and M6 models.
Still a Dancer
For all that weight, what seems unchanged from the seat of the pants is steering feel. Turning the wheel is met with scalpel-like precision and perfect weight that increases with speed. Highway stability is as sure-footed as, well, you might expect a 4400-pound BMW to be, and with the adjustable dampers set on comfort, ride quality is almost plush. Set on the sportiest setting, however, the ride becomes brittle, although directional changes are quick and deliberate and body roll is quashed. At that point, you might want to try steering with your right foot as opposed to your hands (providing you’re in the northern part of the rev range).
Price
Then there are those fabulous cross-drilled, pie-plate brakes, which are tremendously powerful and seem not at all concerned with the convertible’s extra quarter-ton. What’s more, properly programmed, the M6’s stability-control system can be wonderfully unobtrusive, even when not “deactivated,” although given the car’s formidable size, we didn’t find ourselves pushing its limits unless there was plenty of wiggle room in case something went afoul.
All told, we found the M6 ragtop entertaining. Like that fat girl at your high school prom who could dance all the way “down, down, down” to the ground in “Rock Lobster,” we were left amused, if not aroused.
A Trade-off not Everyone Would Make
Which brings us to the bottom line: with a base price of $108,675 (six grand more than the hardtop), the M6 convertible really should leave us salivating as much as the coupe does. Making matters worse was its as-tested price of—yee-ouch—$115,770, in which state our M6 convertible came missing several features that we believe ought to have made an appearance, including radar cruise control (even though we wouldn’t have liked it), curve-following headlamps, and ventilated seats.
Thus, we believe that for some—including many of us at Car and Driver and, we suspect, many of you—the added glamour of al fresco motoring might not be enough to offset the compromised performance and added cost of the convertible M6 versus the coupe.
Still, we wouldn’t kick it out of bed for eatin’ crackers.
BY STEVE SILER
caranddriver.com
