New Hardtop for 3 Series

BMW released pictures of the fourth generation 3 Series convertible today, more than two months before its debut at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit. As with so many other modern day convertibles, BMW has opted to fit the 3 Series with a retractable hardtop instead of a fabric top. According to the company, the three-piece roof is made of lightweight steel and opens in just 22 seconds.

The car definitely looks good judging from the photos, but fitting the car with a hardtop rather than a conventional fabric top has added 400 pounds of unsprung weight over the coupe version. BMW claims the new roof structure will make the cabin of the new 3 series quieter at speed, and that the platform will retain the torsional strength and rigidity to keep the car's handling at levels BMW customers have come to expect.

To offset the weight added from the metal roof, BMW has added plastic side front fenders which weigh 50 per cent less than conventional steel panels. The new top is also claimed to improve visibility to the rear by 38 per cent and the rear side windows are also 30 per cent larger than the outgoing car.

In the US, two versions will be available: the 335i and the 328i. The 330i features twin turbochargers and an intercooler said to produce 300hp at 5,800 rpm and 300 lb-ft of torque at 1,400 – 5,000rpm. Claimed acceleration times to 60 mph are 5.5 seconds for the six-speed manual, and 5.7 seconds for the six-speed Steptronic automatic transmission. Standard cars will see their top speed electronically-limited to 130mph while top speed on vehicles fitted with the Sport Package will be governed at 150mph.

The lesser 328i features a 230hp 3.0 litre inline six-cylinder engine with Valvetronic technology and aluminum/magnesium construction. The horsepower peak is acheived at 6,500rpm and 200 lb-ft of torque is available at 2,750 rpm. BMW claims acceleration from 0 to 60mph can be accomplished in 6.7 seconds for the six-speed manual and in 7.2 seconds with the six-speed automatic. Like the 335i, the 328i is limited to 130 mph or 150 mph if equipped with the Sport Package.

The new six-speed automatic transmission available on both models is claimed to be quicker and more responsive thanks to the hydraulic control system and torque converter which ensure reaction times that are 40% faster than conventional automatics. Gear change timing has been almost halved in this model, while The torque converter clutch connects the engine more directly to enhance performance, engine response, and fuel economy.

Optional gearshift paddles on the steering wheel can also be ticked on the options list on models with the Sport package and automatic transmission. These paddles can be activated directly at any time - even if the gear selector lever is in Drive making it easy to acheive spontaneous performance.

The new convertible features a double-pivot McPherson strut-type aluminum suspension in front and a five-link independent rear suspension, with 17-inch alloy wheels wrapped in 225/45R17 runflat tyres. Even with a complete loss of pressure in one tire, the vehicle can continue to be driven for up to 150 miles at 50 miles per hour to get to the nearest service station. The Tire Pressure Monitor watches the pressures in each tire and will warn the driver as soon as the pressure drops more than 25 percent below the optimum level.
In the interior, BMW has increased shoulder room at the rear by 3.15 inches and elbow room by 4.72 inches. The company has also fitted special leather treated with Sun Reflective technology on the seat upholstery and on the armrests to prevent body contact with excessively hot surfaces. This new leather treatment is able to reduce surface temperatures on dark interior colours by up to 68 °F, and also offers advantages on light-colored upholstery, where the heating effect of sunshine is less severe developed for the seating upholstery. Modified color pigments serve to reflect the infra-red radiation by the sun, very effectively preventing excessive temperatures on the seat surfaces otherwise encountered in weather that would be perfect for open-air motoring.

TVR in Breif

TVR was the brainchild of Blackpool-based engineer Trevor Wilkinson who began building light alloy specials in his workshop as a hobby. The first three cars were built on an Alvis Firebird rolling chassis and powered by a 1172cc side-valved Ford engine with Austin Devon suspension components and a Morris 8 rear axle. The number two car is still in existence today.

Martin Lilley, a shareholder in TVR's former partner Grantura Engineering, purchased the company in 1966. He is credited for transforming the company from a small kit car maker to a veritable sport car manufacturer. Throughout his tenure the company expanded, adding the Vixen, Tuscan and M-Series models which carried on through the 1980s.

Peter Wheeler took over at the helm in 1982 and put the company on the map. He is credited with making the switch from naturally aspirated and turbocharged 6 cylinder engines in favour of a revised Rover V8. In 1990 Wheeler decides to start producing engines in-house and creates the AJP8, a lightweight alloy V8. Originally destined for the Griffith and Chimaera, development took longer than expected and it only became available in the 1996 Cerbera and Tuscan race car.

The 1992 Rover V8-powered Griffith has largely been commended for the company's renaissance. When launched at its first Motor Show, orders were taken every eight minutes. Wheeler continued the product onslaught with the Chimaera, Speed Eight -powered Cerbera and the turbocharged six cylinder (Speed Six) Tuscan model which appeared alongside John Travolta in 'Swordfish'. 1998 saw TVR enter the GT1-class with the 7.7 liter Speed Twelve the engine which propelled the Cerbera to win at its debut in Silverstone.

In 2004, 24 year old Nikolai Smolensky, the son of a Russian billionaire, purchased TVR from Wheeler for an estimated £15 million. The first model produced under the new management was the Sagaris, widely acclaimed as the best TVR ever produced. Sadly, and after much negotiation, Smolensky has opted to close the factory in Blackpool, where the company has been based since its inception. There is no word yet on where the company will relocate.

TVR production leaving Britain

TVR, one of Britain's few remaining independent automakers, said today it will end vehicle production at its Blackpool factory and move operations elsewhere.

The company, which was bought in 2004 by Nikolai Smolensky, employs 260 people in the Blackpool factory, where it has been building cars since Trevor Wilkinson established the company in 1947. Production will likely move to either Russia or France, but engines will remain British built.

"We need to secure the future of the company and move it forward," Nikolai Smolensky said in a statement, "I am afraid we see no other way to do so."

Only last month TVR had raised employee's hopes when it assured them it would stay in Blackpool though it had announced it would cut 71 jobs and cut production nearly tenfold in April this year.

Ford won't sell

A report in The Detroit News states Sir Anthony Bamford, chairman of JCB, has abandoned his pursuit of Ford Motor Co.'s Jaguar division.

In August, the head of the large construction equipment manufacturer had expressed an interest in purchasing Jaguar if it would be cut loose of Land Rover, but Ford has decided it would not split the two. According to a report in today's Financial Times, Bamford said, "I am not interested in buying the two together and am therefore not getting involved".

Ford, who has been suffering considerable losses from the Jaguar division which it bought in 1989 for $3.03 billion, put sport car maker Aston Martin up for sale in August and recently announced it would sell Automobile Protection Corp., an extended warranty service. The company lost an estimated $1.4 billion in the first half of this year and continues to struggle with massive legacy and restructuring costs.

Unless JCB or another British-based company (Prodrive?) show interest in purchasing Aston Martin, it seems the British car industry will continue to solely consist of small niche manufacturers.

Peugeot set to close Ryton plant early

PSA/Peugeot-Citroen announced today that the Ryton plant will close in January 2007 rather than in July as previously stated.

In April, the automaker announced plans to close the plant in stages, the first of which began in August this year. In all 2,300 workers will effecively be made redundant.

Peugeot issued a statement saying the closure had been accelerated due to "an increasing number of requests to leave from employees wishing to start new jobs". It also said the number of these requests was growing.

Unions have fervently criticized the automaker's decision to close the plant while it opens a state of the art facility in Slovakia, where labor and running costs are cheaper. The Transport and General Workers Union (T&G) have said they would maintain a campaign urging customers to boycott Peugeot and Citroen vehicles.

Peugeot has consistently maintained that higher raw material costs are to blame and denied that benefits from cheaper manufacturing costs in eastern Europe are the reason for the closure.

Volkswagen and Ford Sales on the Rise in China

According to Reuters, Volkswagen AG sales in China have risen 28.7 percent in the first nine months of this year, compared with the same period last year.

Including imports, the maker of Volkswagen and Audi brand cars sold 524,558 vehicles in China during the period, compared with 407,548 units a year earlier, according to a company press release.

Sales of the Volkswagen brand group, including Skoda, came to 464,589 units during the period, up from 371,425 units a year earlier, while sales of the Audi brands amounted to 59,883 units, versus 36,086 units, the report stated. Volkswagen AG market share in China is expected to reach 17.5 percent, slightly above the previous year. Last year Volkswagen sold 570,876 vehicles and had a 17.3 percent market share.

Ford Motor Co., which has been a relative late comer to the growing Chinese automarket, saw China sales surge 105.5 percent to 114,685 units in the first three quarters of this year, bringing the company'stotal sales up to 114,685 vehicles in the first three quarters according to a statement issued by the company.

Sales of Ford/Lincoln brand vehicles, both locally produced and imported, came to 106,523 units during the period, up 111 percent, while those of affiliated brands, including Volvo, Jaguar and Land Rover, rose 42 percent to 8,162 units.

Demand for the Ford Focus sedan was particularly strong, helping push up sales at Changan Ford Mazda Automobile - a joint venture with Mazda Motor Corp. and Changan Automobile Co. Ltd., by 147 percent to 87,930 units.

Ford, along with Changan and Mazda, are expanding a facility in the southwest city of Chongqing. They are also building a plant in Nanjing, some three hours by road from Shanghai, boosting its annual production capacity to 360,000 by 2007.

No more confusion at the pump

Land Rover has announced that the new 2007 Range Rover TDV8 will be the first ever vehicle to offer a system which prevents filling the diesel tank with conventional petrol. The 'petrol fuel guard system' as it is called, helps prevent drivers filling the diesel vehicle with petrol by incorporating a mechanical shutter into the vehicle's diesel filler head which automatically prevents petrol being dispensed.

Unleaded petrol dispensers are thinner than the diesel fillers and go deeper down the neck of the vehicle's fuel tank, thereby activating the shutter when the system detects the petrol nozzle.

Land Rover's chief programme engineer Paul Walker claims the new TDV8 engine is so powerful and refined that there is a greater danger of the driver mistaking the vehicle for a petrol-powered derivative. I, on the other hand, remain convinced that his innovative solution is more of a gimmick than anything else, especially when its only available on a vehicle which costs between £54,000 and £75,000. But if you're into gadetry and big luxury trucks, the 2007 Range Rover goes on sale this week.