Each week, our German correspondent slices and dices the latest rumblings, news, and quick-hit driving impressions from the other side of the pond. His byline may say Jens Meiners, but we simply call him . . . the Continental.
I’ve finally had the chance to spend a bit of time behind the wheel of the Tata Nano. Designed to motorize India at a price of “one lakh” (100,000 rupees or around $2000), the car has since seen its price rise to over $3000. I remember that when the Nano was announced and launched, the project sent shock waves through the auto industry. A number of esteemed suppliers were proud to be on board of the promising project. But its launch was delayed, and its sales are disappointing.
The Nano reminds me a lot of the Citroën 2CV that was built until 1990, with a throbbing two-cylinder engine capable of propelling the four-door car to a mere 65 mph. The suspension is soft, body roll is severe, and it is no pleasure to drive the Nano at its (low) limit. The rear engine can get the tail swinging around, especially in the wet. Then good luck catching it with the indirect and imprecise steering. Space utilization, on the other hand, is a high point. It is possible to find a comfortable seating position even in the rear. Fit and finish is no better than you’d expect of the cheapest car being currently produced. A few years ago, there was much talk of a European-market Nano substantially re-engineered for Western tastes. Such a derivative would have its price inflated to at least $5000—way too much in light of the serious offerings by the Koreans and by Renault subsidiary Dacia, which don’t cost that much more. Everybody involved has become awfully quiet about the Nano Europe.
On the other side of the spectrum, production of the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 will end in the fall. By then, exactly 300 units will have been built. The next model to be launched by Bugatti is the Galibier, a super-powerful four-door sedan that will dwarf a Porsche Panamera. A two-door deriative of the Galibier is a possible follow-up model.
The new Mercedes B-class, a sort of compact minivan, may look boring, but it will be extremely aerdynamic, with a drag coefficient of 0.26 or an almost incredibly low 0.24 with a special package. The new gasoline engine is a 1.6-liter turbo four with 120 or 154 hp (and 148 or 184 lb-ft of torque), or a 1.8-liter turbo-diesel (107 hp/184 lb-ft or 133 hp/221 lb-ft). A six-speed manual remains standard, while the optional CVT will be replaced by a dual-clutch box. European launch is this October; the more conventionally styled A-class will follow a year later.
Over here in Europe, the official launch of the Peugeot 3008 Hybrid4, an all-wheel-drive diesel hybrid with a hybrid system provided by supplier Bosch, has been delayed due to some planning obstacles. At a late stage, PSA canceled its hotel in Norway as only a launch on French shores (in Brittany) was deemed suitable—only to find out that all possible locations are booked. Now the launch has been postponed until September. It gives Volvo a unique chance to launch its V60 diesel hybrid before Peugeot. Will the Chinese-owned carmaker go for it? I doubt it.
A Citroën C6 and a Peugeot RCZ, by the way, have been sighted in the U.S., but the French automotive conglomerate PSA insists that a launch of either brand on the U.S. market is no option in the mid term.
Audi will launch its facelifted A5 and S5 models in early September. The A5′s naturally aspirated 3.2-liter V-6 is expected to go in favor of a version of the supercharged 3.0-liter V-6, which is misleadingly dubbed “3.0T.” Not much later, we’ll see a turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8 for the S6, S7, and S8 models. And in the autumn, a few journalists will likely get their hands on last year’s Spyder concept.
The Pope is going hybrid: On the occasion of a visit to Germany this fall, he will be chauffeured around in a new Mercedes-Benz M-class with a hybrid powertrain, reports the German magazine Wirtschaftswoche. The armored SUV can go about 20 miles on an electric charge; a fully electric vehicle was deemed unacceptable in case the pope needs to flee a terrorist attack or similar. It is said that about 60 popemobiles were built by different carmakers; all of them carry the license plate “SCV 1.” This combination stands for “Status Civitatis Vaticanae,” although another interpretation is that it actually means “Si Christus vidisset” (“If Christ saw that”).
Jens Meiners 02 Jul, 2011--
Source: http://blog.caranddriver.com/the-continental-driving-the-modern-day-2cv-audi-a5s5-refresh-and-the-meaning-of-the-popemobiles-license-plate/
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