2013 Porsche Macan - First Look

Plans are released for Porsche’s new small SUV.

Porsche has confirmed it intends to produce the Macan, a small sport-utility based on the Audi Q5 platform that will be positioned beneath the larger Cayenne SUV. The Stuttgart-based automaker has provided a few details, including a production date of late-2013, and has released a concept drawing.

 

2013 Porsche Macan  

 

The image shows a sleek and compact 4-door sport-ute, with a low greenhouse, a front fascia similar to the one found on the current Cayenne, and modestly pronounced rear fenders. Exaggerated wheels are common to these drawings, and that holds true with the Macan. Don’t count on the production model wearing anything like the mega wheels sketched into this drawing.

 

 Porsche Macan mules undergoing winter testing and disguised by a crafty Audi body-shell. 

 

Eye of the Macan

While early speculation about the vehicle referred to it as the Cajun, the name was only a temporary tag, an eye-roll-inducing amalgamation of Cayenne and Junior. Porsche tells us the Macan name is derived from the Indonesian word for tiger. After similar odd-named German sport-utes like the VW Tiguan and Touareg, we can’t wait to hear how the Macan name is pronounced in various parts of the U.S. and during upcoming auto shows.

 An early illustration of the Porsche Cajun.

Caught Testing

Our spy photographers have caught the Porsche Macan undergoing winter testing. Wearing a crafty Audi body-shell, and parked between a pair of Cayennes, these prototypes offer a few tantalizing details. The two test cars appear to sit lower than the Q5, and seem to have a slightly wider stance than the Audi.

A close-up photo of the front grille shows two pipes running to either side of the engine bay. That hints at a possible twin-turbo arrangement – a powertrain definitely not offered in the Q5.

Porsche Macan mules undergoing winter testing and disguised by a crafty Audi body-shell.

While it’s been expected for some time that the smaller Porsche will be based on the architecture of its corporate sibling, there have been few indications about specific drivetrains.

Like the Cayenne, which shares a platform and certain engines with the VW Touareg, some mechanical overlap appears likely (at least with base models).

Four and Six-Cylinders

Expect the Macan to be offered with a version of the Q5’s 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder and the direct-injection 3.2-liter V-6, both upgraded from their current horsepower of 211 and 270 respectively. Judging from the plumbing fitted to these test mules, we wouldn’t be surprised by a range-topping turbocharged V-6 with somewhere in the region of 350-400 bhp.

Porsche Macan mules undergoing winter testing and disguised by a crafty Audi body-shell.

A hybrid version seems likely, as does a diesel variant – though the latter might only be offered in European markets. Audi’s highly regarded Quattro system with typical Porsche tweaks – such as a bias towards sending more power to the rear wheels – is likely to be standard across the range. An 8-speed automatic transmission equipped with paddle-shifters mounted on the steering wheel is also probable. In a promotional video released by Porsche, the driver can be seen changing gears via paddles mounted behind the steering wheel.

Porsche Macan mules undergoing winter testing and disguised by a crafty Audi body-shell.

Investment and Competition

The Macan promises to be a hugely important addition to the Porsche lineup. Introduced approximately 10 years ago, the Cayenne SUV has become the brand’s best-selling vehicle. Porsche will be investing $655 million to upgrade the Leipzig factory that now builds Cayennes and Panameras to include the Macan. This is the same factory in which the Carrera GT supercar was assembled.

Porsche Macan mules undergoing winter testing and disguised by a crafty Audi body-shell.

Production will begin in 2013, though U.S. sales of the Macan might not start until early 2014. Speculation suggests Porsche might offer a 2-door version, similar to the 2 and 4-door format offered in the Range Rover Evoque. Pricing has not been revealed, though the Macan will likely be a considerable step up from the $36,000 to $44,000 price range of the current Audi Q5.

2012 Ferrari F2012 Formula 1 Race Car

 

 2012 Ferrari F2012 Formula 1

A few days after McLaren F1 presented their 2012 Formula One race car, the MP4-27, the Prancing Horse from Maranello has decided to unveil their 2012 F1 race car. Called the F2012, the race car is the fifty eighth F1 car Ferrari has ever built, and is arguably the most advanced race car it has ever developed.

 

 2012 Ferrari F2012 Formula 1

As far as all the changes that have been done to the car to accommodate for new regulations, the F2012 was fundamentally and meticulously revised, most specifically the height of the front section of the chassis, the position of the exhaust pipes, and the re-tweaking of the car’s electronic engine management system.

 

 2012 Ferrari F2012 Formula 1

According to the folks over at Ferrari, the F2012 comes with a revised suspension lay-out with both the front and rear ends featuring pull-rods that were designed to improve the car’s overall aerodynamic performance. The F2012 also comes with a stepped nose that was designed to follow new requirements set out to lower the front end of the car, while the front wing was developed from the one that was used in the 150º Italia - last year’s F1 race car.

 

 2012 Ferrari F2012 Formula 1

Other important modifications include a redesigned side that improves the car’s side impact structures. Similarly, the radiators on the race were also repositioned while the lower part of the rear of the car was designed to be narrower and more tapered, allowing for improved aerodynamics and mechanical enhancements. Last, the rear wing is also similar to the one used in the 150 Italia and is still fitted with a drag reduction system.

 

 2012 Ferrari F2012 Formula 1

As far as the engine on the car is concerned, the F2012 will carry a revised version of the 150 Italia’s 2.4-liter V8 engine to accommodate new technical regulations that are being enforced for the 2012 season. Ferrari will also be using the KERS system, which maintains its low location in the car while also cutting down on its weight and improving its overall efficiency.

2012 Detroit auto show: Acura NSX concept wins popular vote in foot traffic

 

2012 Acura NSX

With the swarm of media around the new NSX Concept, you’d think the car was destined to be next year’s bestseller. But no, it's just that the NSX lounges on the show floor like a supermodel - one enthusiasts have coveted since before the first production NSX was ever built. It has launched countless automotive love affairs, and sonnets (no, not the Saab) have even been written about the NSX. (OK, I wrote it, but I threw it away.)

 

 2012 Acura NSX

Why do we love this car? Among all the cars I’ve driven over the last 20+ years in automotive journalism, none has had the precise and satisfying steering of the NSX. It never overwhelmed you with its V6 power, but the engineers clearly knew what they were doing when they set out to build a car that could compete with the very best - yet cost a lot less. Even though the same basic car was sold for 15 years, it still felt as capable and contemporary in its last model year (2005) as when it was first introduced (1991).

 

 2012 Acura NSX

I’m not alone in my lust for the NSX around here. In 2007, my colleague Tom Mutlchler wrote how disappointed he was that the concept the company showed a few years ago reminded him more of a Dodge Stealth than the hot mid-engine Acura.

 

 2012 Acura NSX

Tom also wrote about how he’d like to own one some day.

The NSX has been featured as a CR “Personal Pick” for favorite 1990’s sports cars as well as what sports car we’d actually buy.

 

 2012 Acura NSX

So it seems we’re not alone, either. The buzz and anticipation around today’s unveiling was palpable. Let’s not go so far as to say the air was electric, because then you’d think that we were talking about an electric car. But can the new NSX possibly live up to its past?

Acura says that the new NSX will be built, in Ohio, in three years. The next generation V-TEC V6 with direct injection will drive all four wheels through Honda's torque vectoring SH-AWD system.
Sounds great.

 

 2012 Acura NSX

But will Honda be able to recreate some of the magic of the original? The company spent years building its reputation on cars that appealed to people who loved to drive and valued excellent handling over brute horsepower. Then it seemed Honda just pulled the plug on these cars and didn’t replace them with anything that came close: the CRX; Prelude; S2000; and, yes, the Civic Si. (I realize that the Si is still made, but in CR’s evaluations, it took several steps backward with steering that lacks feedback and an engine that no longer sings.)

My guess is that legions of car guys and gals hope Honda gets this one right.

McLaren unveils new MP4-27

 

McLaren has taken the wraps of its new F1 challenger, the MP4-27 at its Woking, England base. 

The car did not feature a platypus-type nose as seen on the new Caterham chassis unveiled last week. Rather than conform to a consensus view that many of the new 2012-spec F1 cars will look uglier than their predecessors, the new McLaren was described as "beautiful" by Jenson Button and "very refined" by Lewis Hamilton.

Director of engineering Tim Goss said: "I think the most obvious change is the loss of the U-shaped sidepods which we pioneered on last year's car. We reverted to a more conventional shape because the U-shape was less suited to the new exhaust geometry restrictions.

 

"For 2012 the exhaust tailpipes now have to exit along the U-channel, so that particular feature was no longer really viable. As a result we decided to adopt a different approach to the way we feed the rear of the car. We have cleaned up the roll-hoop area and now we have much tighter rear bodywork.

 

"In previous years the exhausts exited directly into the rear corner of the floor; we can't do that anymore so, as you'd expect, that changes the flow characteristics at the rear. The knock-on effect is that all the aero devices at the rear of the car have had to be redesigned."

 

Technical director Paddy Lowe added: "One of the more satisfying challenges was being able to develop and expand our knowledge of the Pirelli tyres because 2011 was very much a learning year. We have used our experience from the past 12 months to design the car's layout, aerodynamics and vehicle dynamics around improved tyre utilisation."

 

McLaren had a traumatic 2011 pre-season test programme, afflicted by exhaust unreliability, and is hoping to make a strong starter to 2012. The on-track action kicks off next Tuesday, February 7, at Jerez, where both Button and Hamilton will put the new MP4-27 through its paces.

 

Jenson Button said, "With the regulations remaining relatively stable, we've really been able to focus on the detail with this year's car. I still think we had a very fast package last year - it was very strong in certain areas - and our race pace was almost always fantastic, but we're hoping for a further step forwards in 2012. With Mercedes-Benz, I think we also had the best overall engine and KERS Hybrid package in the pitlane."

 

"We were also able to continuously develop throughout the year to match Red Bull - and that shows that we have the knowledge, effort and resources to sustain our efforts across the course of a whole season, which can be crucial."

 

"I know that the whole team is extremely proud of the MP4-27. It may look like a direct evolution of last year's car, but we've analysed every area of performance over the winter and the whole car has benefited from lots of fresh thinking and new ideas in every area. I'm really looking forward to getting behind the wheel in Spain next week."

 

"I know that everyone will be watching us very closely to see what progress we make during the pre-season tests, but I genuinely believe we have every reason to feel optimistic about the progress we've made and our competitiveness this year."

 

Lewis hamilton said, "The winter has been a great opportunity to recharge - I got away into the mountains, spent a lot of time hiking and running, improving my fitness and starting to prepare for the new year."

 

"It's always great to get away from everything; change the scenery. And what's great about Formula 1 is that you start each season with the baseline completely reset - everybody starts again from zero - and that always makes me so hungry."

 

"I've been keenly following the development of MP4-27 over the winter and I've been really encouraged by the results and the data that the engineers have been showing me. I think we already had a very strong base to build upon: Jenson and I won six races with MP4-26 last year and I think we've been able to retain all the strengths and the reliability of that design while also incorporating lots of improvements and new ideas into the new car."

 

"Of course, the biggest changes for 2012 are the modifications to the exhaust regulations - that will reduce the downforce and grip that we had last year, but it just puts the emphasis on the designers to try and claw some of that back in other areas."

"I get the feeling the MP4-27 is going to feel very new and exciting when we get to drive it for the first time."

Team Principal Martin Whitmarsh said, "The 2012 season will be an important one for Vodafone McLaren Mercedes: having finished second in the constructors' championship for the past two seasons, we're determined to mount a sustained, hard challenge for both world titles."

 

"Our engineering team continues to develop and grow: while the key names who head the department are well known - Tim Goss, Paddy Lowe and Neil Oatley - it's the strength in depth within the department that continually impresses. I'm extremely proud of our efforts to invest in and recruit young graduate engineers and to develop and school them in the ways of Formula 1."

"We have a fantastically committed team of individuals, and MP4-27 is the fruit of their labours - it's a beautiful car, and one we feel is the perfect platform from which to launch our assault on the world championship. While there are clear visual changes to this year's car, there's greater change beneath the skin, with lots of fresh thinking applied to every major system. The car is pleasingly complete."

"I don't think we want for anything from our drivers, either: in Jenson and Lewis, I believe we have the very best line-up in Formula 1 - the perfect blend of experience, speed and aggression. They complement each other perfectly."

"For 2012, we are well aware that Red Bull remains a very powerful and capable operation, and that both Ferrari and Mercedes AMG are ramping up their operational capacity. We have no room to be complacent - what you see today only scratches the surface of what we're planning to deliver to the track both from an engineering and operational point of view throughout 2012."

"I'm pleased and confident that we've left no stone unturned in our quest for performance. Now, our focus invariably turns to the track as we evaluate MP4-27 ahead of the start of the 2012 season in Melbourne on March 18. These will be a fascinating three weeks."