BANGLE BIDS BMW BYE

BMW has announced that Director of Design Chris Bangle has resigned from his position at the Munich-based automaker. Mr Bangle will be pursuing other design challenges outside of the motor industry, according to the official word. He has been responsible for the design departments of BMW, MINI and Rolls Royce.

The 53-year-old Bangle will be remembered as the man who changed BMW’s design language forever when he first introduced fans of the blue and white flag to the X5 back in 1999. Later he received mixed reaction for the 2002 7 Series, a car some described as the ugliest in the world while others hailed it as a technological marvel. The 7 Series introduced us to one of the most important car technologies ever, iDrive. Other cars approved by Bangle include the Z4 (both) editions, 3 and 5 Series, as well as the X6, MINI and Rolls Royce Phantom.

Recently BMW designs have toned down the trend started by Bangle, a style he called “flame surfacing” which basically saw convex and concave lines intertwine, mingle and mix all over the body of a car and making it look very sharp. Other designers have also had mixed feelings about him, one even described him as being “deliberately provocative”. Nevertheless a few other manufactures have followed this style of design, albeit in their own unique ways.

I’ve interviewed Bangle right here in South Africa. The one question I remember asking him was “in a world where BMW has been caught and even surpassed by other manufacturers in performance in terms of pure numbers, how will future BMWs differentiate themselves from other premium cars”. He replied by saying “feeling…a BMW will feel different from other cars from moment you see one, to when you get inside it, to when you drive it.”

Adrian van Hooydonk takes over this post. He and Bangle have been working together for 17 years and he was posted as Chief of Design responsible for the BMW brand. Interestingly van Hooydonk was actually the one who designed the 2002 7 Series which is codenamed E65.

Bangle’s work has been utterly influential that in fact he’s possibly the most influential car designer for over 50 years. The designs, while extremely emotional, never lacked vision. I for one will miss Bangle.

GOLF 6 GTI PICTURES RELEASED

Fresh new pictures of the new Golf GTI have been unveiled. The Golf GTI is based on the upcoming Golf VI which will be available in South Africa later on in the year. A concept version of the GTI came to the fore at the 2008 Paris Motor Show. It seems Volkswagen has not deviated too much from that design formula.

Disappointingly power has not increased that much from the 147kW that we currently see in the Golf V GTI. The car uses a 2.0-litre four cylinder turbo to make its 154kW (207hp) which is short of even older generation competitors like the Ford Focus ST (166kW) and the Renault Megane R26 (165kW).

Nevertheless the Scirocco two-door sports car can be seen on the front grille where the happy face is prominent. Previous generation GTI alloy wheels have been fitted on this one as well, but we hope these are not the final wheels. Gone are the twin tailpipes in favour of single separate ones on each side of the car. We also expect to see LED daytime running lights making an appearance in the production car.

Hopefully VW will exhibit the car with full details at the Geneva International Motor Show in a month’s time.

M DIVISION ENGINEERING A SUPER FAST X5

Spy pictures showing the BMW X5 M have surfaced. The X5 M is the high-performance X5 which features a 4.4-litre V8 engine with twin-turbo technology. IN4RIDE has it on good authority that the big SUV will produce in the region of 405kW and 700Nm of torque. This should make it the most powerful production SUV in the world. Such figures promise a 0 – 100km/h time of under 5.5 seconds, which would put it in the league of cars like the Audi RS4, M3 and the Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG.

X5 M is not the only SUV being prepared by BMW’s M Division. The X6 M is also going through its testing paces.

There’s currently no clarity on when these terrible unidentical twins will appear in public but there’s a possibility of a Geneva showing this March.

(Picture shows a normal X5.)

TOYOTA FORTUNER REVISED FOR 2009

TOYOTA SAYS: A number of minor changes have been made to the Fortuner as well as a revised range for this, the most popular SUV in South Africa with 7193 sales in 2008. This placed the Fortuner ninth in the top ten list of passenger vehicles for the year.

The Fortuner retains its 5-model line-up based on a choice of 4.0-litre V6 petrol or 3.0-litre D-4D diesel engines and choice of Raised Body 4X2 or 4X4 driveline but the models that make up the range change. The 4.0-litre V6 petrol 4X4 with manual transmission is discontinued while the 4.0-litre V6 Raised Body 4X2 manual transmission model is replaced by one with automatic transmission to join the established 4X4 automatic model. In both cases the transmission is an advanced 5-speed electronically controlled unit.

The range of 3.0-litre D-4D engine models is expanded from two to three variants. The existing Fortuner 3.0 D-4D 4X2 Raised Body manual and the 3.0 D-4D 4X4 manual are retained. An addition to the Fortuner 3.0 D-4D line-up is a Raised Body 4X2 model with automatic transmission. The automatic transmission fitted to the Fortuner 3.0 D-4D model is a 4-speed electronically controlled unit.

The 4.0-litre petrol engine produces 175kW with a maximum torque of 376Nm. The 3.0 D-4D diesel engine produces 120kW with maximum torque of 343Nm.

The revisions to the model line-up come together with a number of interior and exterior specification changes that offer both styling and functional improvements to the Fortuner. Changes to the exterior are highlighted by a revised frontal treatment with a new headlamp design. The rear combination lamp design is also new. The power side mirrors are now power retractable. The size of the alloy wheels in increased from 16 inch to 17 inch diameter fitted with 265/65 R17 tyres.

Functional items added to the interior specification include 6-way power adjustment for the driver’s seat; a dual system (split front and rear) auto-air conditioner with climate control and improved air distribution to the third seat position; and steering wheel mounted satellite controls for the audio system. Cruise control is now also included in the specification on the 4.0 V6 and 3.0 D-4D models.

Aesthetic improvements include wood panel inserts for the centre cluster and power window switch surrounds, and a larger vanity mirror with cover. Seat covers are now “Sand Beige” a darker shade than the existing Ivory upholstery.

Side and curtain shield airbags are fitted to all models in the range. On the 3.0 D-4D derivatives an electronic driver aids package including Vehicle Stability Control, ABS, EBD, VSC, Brake Assist is fitted. The ABS is fitted to the 4.0 V6 petrol models.

Fuel tank capacity is increased by 23% for extended range, a feature that will be welcomed by those owners that use their vehicles in remote areas. Fuel tank capacity is now 80 litres, a 15 litre improvement over the original tank capacity.

HONDA'S ULTIMATE ROADSTER SAYS GOODBYE

HONDA SAYS: The Honda S2000 Ultimate Edition will go on sale from March 2009 in Europe. This limited edition has been produced to mark the end of production for the award winning sports car.

The Ultimate Edition retains its highly acclaimed 2.0 litre 9000rpm VTEC engine and combines it with a Grand Prix White body and graphite coloured alloy wheels. The shade of the paint evokes the colour first used on Honda's 1964 F1 car and many sporting models since. The exterior colour combination with the dark metal alloy wheels and unique black S2000 badging gives a fresh look to the timeless shape of the roadster body.

The white exterior will be matched with a red leather interior and complimented by unique red colouring for stitching on the gear lever gaiter. Ultimate Editions will be marked out by their unique numbered plaques on the kickplates, denoting their position in the series.

The two-seater sports car may now be almost 10-years old, but its 177kW (240PS) 2-litre is still one of the highest output per litre and highest revving engines ever made. In recognition of its incredible power output, the Honda S2000's engine has won the International Engine of the Year category for 1.8 to 2.2 litre engines five times in its lifetime.

As the name suggests, the Honda S2000 Ultimate Edition will be the last version before global production of the model ceases altogether at the end of June 2009. Since the introduction of the Honda S2000 in 1999 until the end of 2008, Honda has sold 110 673 units worldwide – 19 987 of those in Europe.

The first viewing of the Ultimate Edition will be the 2009 Geneva International Motor Show starting with the press day on the 3^rd of March.