Missile Corvette
For 60 years, the Chevy Corvette has been the definitive
American sports car, and the latest C7 model is out to redefine itself,
starting with a special suffix - Stingray, a hallowed name in the Motor City since
1963.
The edgy exterior profile is still classic Corvette, with a
long “dash-to-axle” ratio and a “fighter jet” canopy, but the tail-lights have
broken with tradition - abandoning the signature round lenses for trapezoidal,
3D-effect LED lamps. Even more dramatic are the quadruple exhaust tailpipes,
arranged in a row like a battery of baby bazookas.
Missile Corvette
Carbon fiber (for the bonnet and roof), various composite
materials and good old fiberglass (it’s a Corvette, after all) shed 17kg from
the kerb weight, while the aluminum chassis is 45kg lighter than the old steel
frame and also 57 per cent stiffer. Chevrolet claims a 50:50 weight
distribution and higher power-per-kilogram than the current Porsche 911
Carrera.
The Corvette even sports a 7-speed manual gearbox, just like
the “991” 911, but it goes one up with Active Rev Matching, which blips the
throttle between gear changes for perfectly smooth engagement (similar to
Nissan’s SynchroRev system in the 370Z). It can be disabled by the driver who
prefers to perform his own heel-and-toe. A 6-speed paddle-shift automatic is
also available.
Under the hood is the newest development of GM’s
“small-block” 6.2-litre pushrod V8, which sends 450bhp and 610Nm to the rear
transaxle, achieves a sub-4sec century sprint, and returns over 11km per liter
on the highway. The suspension still uses transverse leaf springs, together
with less retro items such as Magnetic Ride Control and Bilstein shocks.
Inside the Corvette, Chevrolet promises unprecedented attention
to detail, materials and quality.
Sadly for local enthusiasts, the Chevy C7 missile Corvette
will remain left-hand drive for now.
Junior Lexus Saloon
As the only Japanese car able to challenge the German
triumvirate of the BMW 3 Series, Mercedes C-Class and Audi A4, the Lexus IS has
been looking really long in the tooth after the Bimmer was replaced and both
the Merc and the Audi were refreshed. Now, it’s the Lexus’ turn for a model
change - eight years after its debut.
Junior Lexus
Saloon
The styling of the all-new, third-generation IS appears to
be far more daring than before. Lexus’ signature spindle grille dominates the
front end, with the F Sport variant having an even more aggressive killer
grille. Another striking design detail is the “rising” crease line on the
bodyside.
A longer wheelbase and greater width have increased the
cabin space, while the split-fold back seat (a novelty for IS owners) has
enhanced interior versatility. Dashboard delights include an analogue clock, an
LFA-inspired steering wheel, a fancy “moving-ring” instrument cluster, and
“electrostatic” control of the air-con temperature (adjusted with a
finger-swipe on a thin metal strip).
Three models will be available - IS250, IS350, and hybrid
IS300h. The car will arrive in Singapore around June.
Junior Infiniti Saloon
The Q50 might be a left-field alternative to the latest
Lexus IS, but it is on the right track in terms of design, engineering and
positioning. It also introduces a new model nomenclature from Nissan's upmarket
division. Henceforth, the entire Infiniti lineup will be either Q (for saloon)
or QX (crossover), followed by a two-number code to identify the model. In this
case, the Q50 replaces the G37.
Junior Infiniti
Saloon
Quirky naming aside, the Q50 has stuck to the sports saloon
template set by the G37 and the larger M37. The styling is still more about
presence than elegance, and the initial engines are big hearty units (3.7L
petrol V6 or 3.5L petrol-electric V6).
With Infiniti working closely with Red Bull Racing,
three-time F1 world champion Sebastian Vettel was roped in to provide
invaluable input on the Q50's performance and handling.
He probably found the Q50 cabin to be spacious, comfortable
and nicely equipped. Active safety aids help "non-Vetter drivers stay out
of trouble.
The Q50 is expected to reach the local Infiniti dealership
by the end of this year.
Mercedes - Baby CLS
This is what happens when Mercedes-Benz designers marry the
prestigious CLS saloon with the audacious A-Class supermini. The result is a
compact, impossibly curvy notchback named CLA that cuts through the air so
well, it has set a new world-record low for coefficient of drag. Inside the
cabin, one-piece integrated seats and cooltouch”
galvanized silver trim underscore the sporty character of the CLA, while its
cockpit’s seamless iPhone integration is in tune with Twitter tweeters and
Facebook fans. The CLA is actually based on the A-Class, so it shares the
hatchback’s front-drive engine and 7-speed dual-clutch transmission.
Mercedes - Baby
CLS
Aston’s Hot ‘100’
This year is the 100th anniversary of Aston Martin, and its
first big slice of “birthday cake" comes in the form of the Centenary
Edition - a special specification available worldwide on 100 examples of each
Aston model line. Shown here on a Vanquish, the commemorative spec includes
unique graduated paintwork (which adds 18 hours to the already laborious paint
process), solid sterling silver badges with enamel inlay, and Deep Soft black
leather previously reserved for the One-77 hypercar. Each Centenary Edition
Aston will also be delivered together with a gift box - inside are a pair of
glass keys, two bespoke key pouches made from the same leather in the vehicle,
solid-silver cufflinks and Rollerball pen, a set of high-end Bang & Olufsen
headphones, and a premium polishing cloth. Not that the average Aston owner
would be getting his hands dirty to keep his car clean, of course.
Aston’s Hot ‘100’
On a Roll
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has reached a double milestone - 10 years
in the limousine business under BMW, and the highest annual sales in the
108-year history of the marque. A total of 3,575 brand-new Rollers, most of
them with some element of personalization, were delivered to customers in 2012
(37 more units than in 2011), with the number of R-R dealerships worldwide also
exceeding 100 for the first time ever. Last year, the Goodwood factory’s
average daily output of close to 10 “motor cars” was a far cry from 2003, when
initial production of the “reborn” Phantom was at the rate of one or two per
day.
Rolls Royce
Good try
After 10 years of trying to make Maybach desirable
and profitable, Daimler has quietly brought the curtain down on its ill-fated
rival to Rolls-Royce. But the German automaker isn't exiting the super-deluxe
segment completely - the next Mercedes S-Class will probably spawn a Pullman
stretch limo.
On a Roll, too
Bentley, the other British limo specialist, also had
a great year in 2012. Global sales of its two-door Continentals, four-door
Flying Spurs and flagship Mulsanne rose by 22 per cent to just over 8,500 cars.
Over a quarter of them were shipped to the US, which remains the number one
market for Bentley. China is close behind, however, with moneyed mainland
Chinese already the biggest buyers of Bentley saloons.
Giant Panda
This should take some attention away from Kai Kai
and Jia Jia at the Singapore Zoo... The Fiat Panda Monster Truck, true to its
name, is a freakish combination of a Panda 4x4 supermini “soft-roader” with the
floor pan of a Jeep CJ7 and the road wheels of a tractor. Those tires are 1.5m
in diameter and half a meter wide, and the mutant Panda stands at a towering
3.9m. It’s fully driveable, too. The Panda “Bigfoot” was put together for a
television commercial - which would be a funny one, of course.
Giant Panda – Jeep
CJ7
Raptors - Are all the rage
According to Ford, its F-150 SVT Raptor has overtaken
General Motors' Hummer as the most sought-after truck toy in America. And the
Raptor's appeal to children (and adults who are kids-at-heart) has gone
international, thanks to licensing tie-ups with toymakers Mattel and
Fisher-Price. The speedy Ford lorry is also popular in the digital arena - it
stars in Electronic Arts' best-selling racing game Need For Speed: Most Wanted,
and is one of the most downloaded vehicles in racing simulator Forza Motorsport
4 on the Xbox 360.
