Aston Martin has started building pre-production versions of the forthcoming DBX at its new St Athan plant, ahead of its first SUV going on sale in the first half of 2020. The new 90-acre factory in Wales, built on a former Ministry of Defence site, has been under development since 2016, and will be the sole production facility for the DBX. The electric models of the revived Lagonda brand will also be built there. Ahead of the machine’s official launch later this year, Aston Martin has also issued new images of the DBX sporting a new camouflage livery reflecting its new Welsh home. The machine is currently undergoing final testing using the pre-production versions being produced in St Athan, with full production due to commence early next year. Aston Martin previously released new images and a video of the DBX undergoing extreme weather testing in Sweden at Pirelli’s Flurheden proving ground, part of the two brands’ ongoing partnership. Speaking about that test, Aston Martin chief engineer Matt Becker said: “Testing these prototypes in cold climate conditions helps us to assess the car’s early dynamics and, crucially, ensure confidence-inspiring sure-footedness on low-grip surfaces. “This car propels Aston Martin into a new segment and our engineering team are enjoying the challenges of developing a quality luxury SUV experience through this robust testing schedule. Progress is on track and I am confident that we will deliver over and above what our customers would expect from an Aston Martin SUV.” The DBX is the first Aston Martin to go through a new dedicated test programme, to ensure it can produce the kind of dynamic on-road performance on which Aston has always made its name, allied to some credibility off road. Testing is also due to take place in the deserts of the Middle East, on German autobahns and at the Nürburgring. The DBX has also been seen on UK roads testing the brand’s AMG-sourced twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8, which is expected to be the first engine offered in the SUV when it arrives before the end of the year. Expect a similar power output to the DB11’s 503bhp. The images from Sweden showed the same five-door body shape as the official ‘spy shots’ released by Aston Martin last year. The model is expected to retain this profile for production. Unlike the concept, the production DBX will feature a more conventional five-door layout rather than the sleeker three-door design that was originally expected. The DBX is one of the most important models in Aston Martin’s history and the next phase of the company’s turnaround plan under boss Andy Palmer. While every Aston produced under Palmer to date as part of his ‘Second Century’ plan has been a replacement for an existing model (DB11, Vantage and DBS Superleggera), the DBX breaks new ground by having no direct predecessor. During its life cycle, the DBX will introduce hybrid technology to Aston and it will also play a key role in trying to attract female buyers to the Aston Martin brand. The DBX is built on an Aston Martin architecture that will be closely related to that set to underpin the Lagonda saloon and Lagonda SUV, which Aston also has in the pipeline. The new Lagondas will be built alongside the DBX in Wales, starting from 2021. However, whereas the Lagonda models will be electrically driven, the DBX will start life with petrol power before getting Mercedes-sourced hybrid technology early in the next decade. Aston Martin’s own V12 and Mercedes-AMG’s V8 engines will both find their way into the DBX, with Mercedes also donating the car’s electrical architecture. The DBX will compete against the likes of the Lamborghini Urus, Bentley Bentayga, Rolls-Royce Cullinan and upcoming Ferrari SUV. Given the broad appeal and rise in popularity of SUVs, the DBX is expected to quickly become Aston’s best-selling model. The DBX was first seen in its distincitive prototype camouflage on the gravel stages of the Wales Rally GB, for the first time giving hints of the final production car’s design. There’s little left of the DBX concept in the camouflaged test mule, although the sleek silhouette does remain, albeit with an extra pair of doors. Sharp body creases and a pronounced shoulder line help reduce the overall visual bulk of what is the most high-sided Aston yet produced, while a new integrated grille design performs a similar role at the front of the car. It will also be the first all-new Aston Martin model launched after the company’s stock market flotation, after the firm returned to profitability last year. Aston Martin has changed significantly as a company under the leadership of Andy Palmer, who joined as CEO in 2014. He has brought financial stability to the company and returned it to profit. In 2017, the company was in the black for the first time since 2010. Aston’s first-half results in 2018 showed that it recorded a pre-tax profit of £20.7 million. Palmer has underpinned that growth with his
Origin: New Aston Martin DBX: pre-production begins ahead of 2020 launch
ahead
Hennessey’s gone ahead and built a 1,000-hp Jeep Gladiator
We now live in a world where gearheads can buy a Jeep pickup truck packing 1,000 horsepower. And as a proponent of everything that is over-the-top-iary, your author is totally fine with this development. This psychotic level of Jeep-mania is brought to us by the folks at Hennessey, who’ve stuffed a 6.2-litre supercharged Hellcat V8 under its flat-brim hood and cranked the wick to eleven. They’re calling it the Maximus 1000. “We wanted to create the ultimate Jeep Gladiator,” said company founder and chief horsepower evangelist John Hennessey, in what is surely the greatest understatement since astronaut Jim Lovell radioed Houston about a “problem.” Starring in a supporting role to the thousand horsepower are 933 lb.-ft. of torque. The Hennessey team didn’t just plug in a Hellcat engine and call it a day. A model-specific set of natty bumpers are fitted, along with a stainless steel exhaust and a set of BFGs on 20-inch wheels. It also stands taller than a stock Gladiator thanks to a 6-inch lift and upgraded suspension system. Details are scanty but one can easily see snazzy twin cylinders out back, incorporated into the rear suspenders. Jeep spox have gone on record as saying the Hellcat engine will certainly fit between the fenders of a Gladiator, that but the automaker has little desire to pursue that option thanks to prohibitive crash test requirements. Given that it would be a niche trim at best, that’s probably a good decision, especially since the aftermarket will provide plenty of opportunity for horsepower-crazed Jeep fans to get their fix. Production is very exclusive and limited to just 24 units. The complete cost for the Maximus 1000 is a cool US$200,000, which generously includes the base Jeep Gladiator truck. I’d at least ask ‘em to toss in a set of floor mats. Production will begin in July and build time for each example will be approximately four months, roughly equating the expected lifespan of a set of tires on this thing. The company plans to finish two units per
Origin: Hennessey’s gone ahead and built a 1,000-hp Jeep Gladiator
Uber shows the Toronto Raptors love ahead of NBA Finals
A screenshot of the Uber app in Toronto ahead of the teams championship run late May 2019Driving.ca Uber is making sure all its customers in Toronto are aware the NBA season is still in full swing North of the border, with a team in the playoffs for the first time in—ever. The ride-sharing app has replaced all of its vehicle icons with Raptors logos to celebrate the opening of the NBA Finals at ScotiaBank Arena on Thursday night. The Raptors face off against the Golden State Warriors at home, the first championship series game played outside of the United States in league history. This is cool. Uber cars today are Raptors claws. #NBAFinals pic.twitter.com/4KOf0WQODm Lori Ewing (@Ewingsports) May 30, 2019 Uber is The Official Ride of the Toronto Raptors and will likely have plenty of business in the downtown core on game nights over the next two weeks as tens of thousands of fans flock to the ScotiaBank Arena to watch the game both inside and outside at the now famous Jurassic Park. Tickets to Game 1 were being sold for as much as $60,000. Mississauga and Brampton were also granted permission by the team’s ownership, Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment, to set up their own versions of Jurassic Park to attract fans to viewing
Origin: Uber shows the Toronto Raptors love ahead of NBA Finals
New Vauxhall Corsa leaks online ahead of imminent debut
Vauxhall is getting ready for one of its biggest launches in years, the all-new Corsa, but the unveiling appears to have been spoiled in advance. The fifth-generation Ford Fiesta rival isn’t due to be officially revealed for a couple of weeks, but what look to be official press images have reportedly been leaked online by French automotive forum Worldscoop and promptly taken down. The images show the new Corsa will have a distinctly different design from the new Peugeot 208, with which it shares its platform and underpinnings. The proportions will be similar between both cars, however, with the new Corsa being lower and wider than its predecessor. The front end takes several cues from the Grandland X SUV, while the rear is clearly related to the Astra. The shots are of the electric variant, which was expected to be revealed before the petrol and diesel variants. After an official launch next month, sales of the new Corsa in all three variations are expected to begin by the autumn. Autocar understands that the EV will be sold as the Vauxhall eCorsa in the UK, but the images appear to show that the Opel version sold elsewhere will be named the Corsae. Camouflaged prototypes were previously shown being subjected to temperatures of -30deg celsius in Sweden, carrying out chassis tuning at a test circuit and being analysed by electrical engineers in a laboratory. Vauxhall recently confirmed that the fifth-generation Corsa weighs up to 108kg less than the its predecessor. According to Vauxhall, depending on specification, the new supermini can weigh as little as 980kg – roughly 130kg less than the lightest Ford Fiesta. The weight loss comes courtesy of new high-strength steel bodywork, lightweight interior insulation materials and a range of all-aluminium powertrains. Like the range-topping variant of the current Insignia, the new Corsa will have an aluminium bonnet weighing 2.4kg less than the steel unit fitted to the current model, as shown in a breakdown of weight savings published by the manufacturer (below). The new Corsa is the first mainstream Vauxhall produced entirely under the brand’s new owner, the PSA Group, and is crucial to Vauxhall and Opel’s success, given the model’s historic popularity. It will also be both brands’ first model to be sold with a purely battery-electric variant. A preview image, released earlier this year, showed the Corsa’s headlights will feature adaptive-beam full LED technology – claimed to be a segment first. Usually the preserve of premium models, the LEDs are able to continuously adapt the full beam pattern to stop it from causing glare to oncoming traffic. The Corsa will set the tone for a new wave of Vauxhall-Opel models, each of which will be overhauled thanks to access to new platforms, engines and hardware that are also used across the group’s other car brands: Peugeot, Citroën and DS. The new Corsa has been developed in an unusually fast time. Less than two years will have elapsed since work began, just as the deal to buy Vauxhall-Opel was being agreed between PSA and General Motors. The quick turnaround is due to PSA reversing the original decision for the next Corsa to be based on GM’s architecture. Once PSA had taken over Vauxhall-Opel, it would have been required to pay a licensing fee to GM to use the platform, something boss Carlos Tavares is keen to avoid. Vauxhall-Opel boss Michael Lohscheller has previously told Autocar that the new Corsa will not be compromised in any way. “It’s true that we had a version ready to go, and you can’t just stretch a design to fit a new platform,” he said, “but the teams have done a fantastic job in record time to ensure that the car is on schedule.” The new Corsa is based on PSA’s Common Modular Platform (CMP), a front-wheel-drive architecture. The Corsa will also dip into PSA’s engine line-up and is likely to adopt the turbocharged 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol unit in a variety of power outputs. Despite the switch to a new platform, the Mk6 Corsa’s dimensions are understood to closely match the outgoing model’s. Vauxhall chose to launch the current Corsa in 2014 with near-identical dimensions to its predecessor, because the company felt it was the ideal size for customers. This strategy is expected to continue. The current Corsa is 4021mm long, 1736mm wide and 1479mm tall, dimensions that make it slightly longer and taller, but narrower, than the existing 208. The design of the Corsa was set to be evolutionary before the plan for a GM-derived model was axed. Now, to mark a new era for the model under PSA ownership, it has been radically changed. The three-door Corsa will be axed, reflecting an industry trend to discontinue such bodystyles, which are less popular with buyers. Producing only a five-door Corsa will also help Vauxhall-Opel’s drive for greater efficiency and increased profitability. Inside, the Corsa looks set to receive PSA’s familiar touchscreen infotainment
Origin: New Vauxhall Corsa leaks online ahead of imminent debut
New Vauxhall Corsa leaks online ahead of imminent reveal
Vauxhall is getting ready for one of its biggest launches in years – the all-new Corsa – but the unveiling appears to have been spoiled in advance. The fifth-generation Ford Fiesta rival isn’t due to be unveiled for a couple of weeks, but what looks to be official press images have reportedly been leaked online by French automotive forum Worldscoop, and promptly taken down. The images show the new Corsa will have a distinctly different design than the new Peugeot 208, with which the Corsa shares its platform and underpinnings. The proportions will be similar between both cars, with the new Vauxhall being lower and wider than its predecessor. The front end takes several cues from the Grandland X, while the rear is clearly related to the Astra. The shots are also of the electric variant, dubbed eCorsa, which was expected to be revealed before the petrol and diesel variants. After an official launch next month, sales of the new car in all three powertrains are expected to begin by the autumn. Camouflaged prototypes were previously shown being subjected to temperatures of -30 deg celsius in Sweden, carrying out chassis tuning at a test circuit and being analysed by electrical engineers in a laboratory. Vauxhall recently confirmed that the fifth-generation Corsa weighs up to 108kg less than the outgoing model. According to the manufacturer, depending on specification, the new supermini can weigh as little as 980kg – roughly 130kg less than the lightest Ford Fiesta. The weight loss comes courtesy of new high-strength steel bodywork, lightweight interior insulation materials and a range of all-aluminium powertrains. Like the range-topping variant of the current Insignia, the new Corsa will feature an aluminium bonnet weighing 2.4kg less than the steel unit fitted to the current model, as shown in a breakdown of weight savings published by the manufacturer (below). Previous spy shots of the upcoming Volkswagen Polo rival show a design that shares cues with the recently revealed Peugeot 208, which uses the same underpinnings. It’s the first mainstream Vauxhall produced entirely under the brand’s new owner, the PSA Group, and is crucial to Vauxhall and Opel’s success given the car’s historic popularity. It will also be both brands’ first model to be sold with a battery-electric variant. A preview image, released earlier this year, showed the Corsa’s headlights will feature adaptive-beam full LED technology – claimed to be a segment first. Usually the preserve of premium models, the LEDs are able to continuously adapt the full beam pattern to stop it from causing glare to oncoming traffic. The Corsa will set the tone for a new wave of Vauxhall/Opel models, each of which will be overhauled thanks to access to new platforms, engines and hardware that are also used across the group’s other car brands: Peugeot, Citroën and DS. The new Corsa has been developed in an unusually fast time. When it is unveiled, less than two years will have elapsed since work began, just as the deal to buy Vauxhall/Opel was being agreed between PSA and General Motors. The quick turnaround is due to PSA reversing the original decision for the next Corsa to be based on GM’s architecture. Once PSA had taken over Vauxhall/Opel, it would have been required to pay a licensing fee to GM to use the platform, something boss Carlos Tavares is keen to avoid. Vauxhall/Opel boss Michael Lohscheller has previously told Autocar that the new Corsa will not be compromised in any way. “It’s true that we had a version ready to go, and you can’t just stretch a design to fit a new platform,” he said, “but the teams have done a fantastic job in record time to ensure that the car is on schedule.” The new Corsa will be based on PSA’s Common Modular Platform (CMP), a front-wheel-drive architecture. The Corsa will also dip into PSA’s engine line-up and is likely to adopt the turbocharged 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol unit in a variety of power outputs. Despite the switch to a new platform, the Mk6 Corsa’s dimensions are understood to closely match the outgoing model’s. Vauxhall chose to launch the current Corsa in 2014 with near-identical dimensions to its predecessor, because the company felt it was the ideal size for customers. This strategy is expected to continue. The current Corsa is 4021mm long, 1736mm wide and 1479mm tall, dimensions that make it slightly longer and taller, but narrower, than the existing 208. The design of the Corsa was set to be evolutionary before the plan for a GM-derived model was axed. Now, to mark a new era for the model under PSA ownership, the styling promises to mark a departure from its traditional look. However, if the Grandland X SUV is anything to go by, its relationship with PSA will result in a design less radical than the new 208. The three-door Corsa will be axed, reflecting an industry trend to discontinue such bodystyles, which are less popular with buyers. Producing only a
Origin: New Vauxhall Corsa leaks online ahead of imminent reveal
Nova Scotia trying to get ahead of the future of driving
Cabot Trail in Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia.Handout The last time Nova Scotia made major changes to the rules of the road, William Lyon Mackenzie King was shuffling around the Prime Minister’s office and World War II had yet to begin. While it has been amended many times, Nova Scotia’s Motor Vehicle Act hasn’t been rewritten in nearly a century. A new government bill aims to change that fact. Introduced as Bill 80 in October, the Traffic Safety Act uses flexible language so government can update it in the future, responding to changes in how roads are used. For example, in planning for the eventuality of fully autonomous vehicles or vehicles with autonomous-like driving aids, the new Act has included provisions dictating drivers must be ready to grab control of the vehicle at all times. From the legislation: “A (driver) must be positioned at the controls of the vehicle and, at all times while a vehicle is being driven on a highway, the person must be able to personally drive the vehicle, irrespective of whether the vehicle is capable of operating autonomously or in an autonomous mode. (S.153)” The replacement for the old Motor Vehicle Act also clamps down on the use of devices which are a major contributor to distracted driving. The old law only specified texting as a moving offense, creating legal issues such as people beating distracted driving charges in court by claiming they used a cellphone for something other than texting. In those cases, the onus was on the cops and prosecution to prove the activity. These new regs cover “hand-held communication/entertainment device” and any other “prescribed electronic device” including a GPS, so scofflaws planning to use that old defence are out of luck. Fines for this infraction have jumped, too. Still, the snazzy new Traffic Safety Act doesn’t entirely leave the old world behind. One section refers to the mishandling of a “beast of burden” on a highway. We doubt they’re talking about the Rolling Stones song, but maybe they’re referring to semi-trailers. The revised language also recognizes roadways as shared spaces and that pedestrians, cyclists, and those who respond to roadside emergencies deserve extra protection from motor vehicles. A government spokesperson said it will take about two years from passage before all new regulations and the new law are in place. Check out the new Traffic Safety Act at this link:
Origin: Nova Scotia trying to get ahead of the future of driving
All about car 