'Race-bred' Aston Martin
Aston Martin is following in the footsteps of Porsche and McLaren. It has released the Vantage GT8, a more "extreme" version of the V8 Vantage.
It touts the new variant as a "race-bred" car which weighs 100kg less than the V8 Vantage.
Limited to 150 production cars, it is powered by a revised 4.7-litre V8 mated to either a six-speed manual or seven-speed automatic with paddle shift.
Hybrid as an upgrade
GKN Automotive and Volvo Cars are continuing their driveline development partnership with the new Volvo S90 plug-in hybrid.
By producing an eAxle system that fits in the same space as a standard rear-drive module, GKN enables Volvo to offer a plug-in hybrid as a simple, high- performance upgrade.
The eAxle takes power from a 65kW, 240Nm electric motor paired with a two-stage single- speed gearbox with a ratio of 10:1.
The system supports both pure electric driving and full all-wheel drive capability where the rear wheels are driven by electric power and the front by a combustion engine.
The technology was first seen in the Volvo XC90 T8 plug-in hybrid.
Audi sport driving next month
The Audi Sport Driving Experience is back and will take place from May 13 to 22.
Star cars available will include the new R8 as well as RS3 Sportback. The event will also see participants engage in a series of exercises designed by trainers from the Audi Driving Experience team.
Most expensive car in Singapore
The second Koenigsegg has been registered here.
Said to cost between $6.8 million and $7 million, the Agera RS (above) would be the costliest car ever put on the road here.
The car has an open market value of about $1.4 million, which means the agent had a profit margin of about $2.5 million - making it the fattest profit any company has made on a car.
Limited to 25 cars worldwide, the Agera RS is powered by a 5-litre twin-turbo V8 producing 1,160bhp.
Driver-focused coupe
The BMW M2 Coupe is here. Touted as the most driver- focused new model in BMW's table, the pocket rocket is powered by a turbocharged 2,979cc 24-valve inline-6 paired with a seven- speed dual-clutch transmission.
It has 370bhp and 465Nm at its disposal and accomplishes the century sprint in 4.3 seconds.
Prices start from $276,800 with COE.
Hi-tech cockpits
Peugeot's next-generation of cockpits will feature a new head-up display, a 12.3-inch high-resolution infotainment monitor and a tablet touchscreen control. It will offer 3D navigation and real-time traffic information from TomTom Traffic.
Latest models at car expo
Cars@Expo is back, ready to rev up your weekend. Organised by Singapore Press Holdings and spanning 17,000 sq m of exhibition space at Singapore Expo Halls 4 and 5, it will feature cars from 26 brands.
Check out the latest models from BMW, Audi, Honda, Volvo, Infiniti, Jaguar, Land Rover, Renault, Nissan, Toyota, Volkswagen, Opel, Mazda, Subaru, Kia, Mitsubishi, Citroen, Ford, Hyundai, Peugeot, Suzuki, Chevrolet, Jeep, Chrysler, Ferrari and Harley-Davidson. There will also be eight parallel importers, 11 used car dealers and 14 accessory and service providers at the show. In all, about 350 cars will be displayed. The event is on today and tomorrow, from 10am to 8pm. Admission is free.
Ex-BMW manager heads Chinese venture
Chinese electric vehicle company Tencent Holdings has hired a team of managers from BMW AG's i subbrand, Bloomberg reported.
Mr Carsten Breitfeld, the former project manager for BMW's i8 plug-in sports car, will join Tencent-backed Future Mobility as its chief executive officer. He will be joined by ex-BMW executives Dirk Abendroth, Benoit Jacob and Henrik Wenders.
Chinese electric vehicle start-ups are driving competition for experienced auto industry executives and Silicon Valley talent as they seek to produce connected, highly automated vehicles.
Christopher Tan
