Articles by Viknesh Vijayenthiran

BMW has established a new partnership with legendary Italian design house Pininfarina, the company responsible for some of the greatest performance cars the world has ever known and an expert in elegance and proportion. To mark the new partnership, the German automaker has commissioned a new coupe concept that it plans to unveil at the 2013 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este on May 24. The concept is the BMW Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupe, the first few images of which are featured here. The concept is clearly a large coupe, and its badging confirms it is powered by a V-12 engine. This powerplant choice, as well as the overall proportions, conjures up thoughts of a modern-day 8-Series, though its creators stress that it is strictly a one-off. Generous surface design and taut contours give an elegant look, while hallmark BMW proportions--a long wheelbase, stretched hood, short overhangs and a set-back greenhouse--hint at the concept’s performance. On the inside, the BMW Gran Lusso Coupe is said to blend themes of elegance and luxury. The minimalist and driver-focused layout of the classic BMW cabin is lent a thoroughly new touch through the influence of Pininfarina, though we’ll have to wait another to week to find out just what that entails. As for the partnership between BMW and Pininfarina, the respective design approaches of the two firms should encourage fresh creative impulses when merged. Given the similarities between recent BMW designs, there’s no doubt the automaker could do with some new ideas. Hopefully Pininfarina’s penchant for elegance will define the look of BMW’s future cars, too. Stay tuned for an update. www.motorauthority.com  

Photos of a slightly updated BMW M5 due on the market later this year have surfaced early, thanks to the inadvertent launch of the car’s configurator on BMW’s German website. The images were scooped by enthusiast website BimmerToday and have also appeared on WorldCarFans, however, BMW has since removed the configurator from its website. Our own spy shots of prototypes previously confirmed that an updated M5 was in the works, but now, thanks to these images, we can look past the camouflage gear. They show only minor updates to the car, which makes sense since the current ‘F10’ BMW M5 was launched on the market only last year. The changes consist of minor tweaks to the lights and a new grille that resembles the unit on the M6. Changes in the cabin are also barely noticeable, though we can see a slightly thinner steering wheel and what appears to be a new touch-pad integrated with the iDrive controller. Under the hood, BMW is expected to offer a new Competition Package for its updated M5 to better align the car’s performance with more powerful rivals such as the Audi RS 6/RS 7 and recently updated 2014 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG. The M5’s new Competition Package is expected to bump output from the car's twin-turbocharged 4.4-litre V-8 to around 429 kilowatts. The standard power rating, however, will likely remain at 418 kilowatts. Now that images of the updated M5 have already hit BMW’s website, the official reveal should be taking place soon. We’re expecting the first cars in showrooms in overseas markets mid-year, which means they’re likely to list as 2014 models. www.motorauthority.com  

Following the reveal of the new 2014 Porsche 911 Turbo last week, we’re now down to just a few Type 991 Porsche 911 variants that are yet to surface. They include new generations of the 911 Targa, 911 GT3 RS and supercar-rivalling 911 GT2 and 911 GT2 RS. Today, we have the first details on the new 911 GT2, courtesy of Autocar. The British outlet reports that we’ll see the car at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show next March. It will once again feature a similar spec to its 911 Turbo sibling, but to separate the two the 911 GT2 will stick to rear-wheel drive and have a higher output. This means it will feature a twin-turbocharged 3.8-litre flat-six engine, four-wheel steering and engine stop-start technology. Peak output is said to at least match the 412kW of the recently unveiled 911 Turbo S, representing a 22kW boost over the outgoing 911 GT2.  As for the transmission, Porsche’s seven-speed PDK dual-clutch unit is said to replace the outgoing model’s six-speed manual. Initial performance specs include a top speed in excess of 320km/h and a 0-96km/h time of 3.0 seconds or less. By 2015, the new 911 GT2 RS is expected to land. This model is expected to match the 456kW of the outgoing model but should benefit from a lighter curb weight, the quick-shifting PDK and the new four-wheel steering setup. www.motorauthority.com  

Audi’s A1 and R18 couldn’t be more different, though for this week’s 2013 Wörthersee Tour the brand with the four rings revealed an A1 hatch that was inspired by the highly successful R18 race car.The R18 is the most extreme vehicle produced by Audi, and in its latest e-tron quattro trim has proven unbeatable on the race track.The A1, meanwhile, is one of Audi’s least potent models and, as far as we’re aware, doesn’t compete in any forms of motorsport. That hasn’t stopped Audi from linking the two.The R18-inspired A1 at the Wörthersee Tour features an accessories kit that Audi plans to offer for its stylish subcompact. The kit is called the “Competition Kit R18” and it comes in gray and red colour schemes.It features some simple upgrades such as a split rear wing spoiler, a lip spoiler in the front, custom wheels, and a special centre console in the cabin. The “378”  decal featured on parts of the car represents the number of laps of the La Sarthe race track completed by the racing-winning R18 at last year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.www.motorauthority.com 

Sébastien Loeb, possibly the most competent driver in any field of motorsport (we’re yet to see him in an F1 car, though), goes for his first test drive of Peugeot’s 652 kilowatt 208 T16 Pikes Peak mo

This sporty version of Volkswagen’s Amarok ute is strictly a concept, though it confirms the German carmaker has recognized the all around awesomeness of performance utes and is at least toying with the idea of building one of its own.The new concept is called the Amarok R-Style and was revealed at the 2013 Wörthersee Tour tuning event taking place in Austria, the same event where a hardcore VW GTI concept and lightweight Audi TT were also shown.It features 22-inch alloy wheels, lowered springs and a wide-body kit. There are also plenty of carbon fibre accents and a chunky sports bar running across the back of the cab.The headlights have also been dressed up with LEDs and the interior given a sporty look with a bespoke dash and centre console and carbon fibre detailing.Power in this Amarok R-Style pickup comes from a 200kW/600Nm 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel, replacing the production model’s 2.0 litre four. This, says VW, is enough for 0-100km/h acceleration of less than eight seconds.For more from the 2013 Wörthersee Tour, take a look at our gallery of the weirdest and most wonderful.www.motorauthority.com 

Volkswagen's hardcore Golf GTI concept that we told you was heading for Austria’s annual Wörthersee Tour tuning event has turned out to be a striking race car concept dubbed the Design Vision GTI. The concept is based on the latest 2015 Volkswagen Golf GTI, the seventh generation of the iconic hot hatch, and has been developed as a ready-to-race product. The regular VW Golf GTI drivetrain has been thoroughly overhauled for the concept, with the standard four-cylinder turbo replaced by a twin-turbocharged and direct-injected 3.0-litre V6. Peak output now registers at 375kW and 560Nm, which is more than double that of the regular Golf GTI. All this power and torque is distributed to the wheels via a seven-speed DSG dual-clutch transmission and Haldex all-wheel-drive system. Volkswagen boasts the concept will hit 100km/h from rest in just 3.9 seconds and max out at 300km/h. In order to slow this souped-up Golf GTI, designers fitted large carbon ceramic brakes, sized 380mm up front and 355mm at the back. The 20-inch wheels, which feature the GTI’s ‘Austin’ pattern, come with special blades designed to vent hot air generated by the brakes through the wheel openings. The wheel bolts are covered to give the appearance of a centre-lock design.   The design team for the Design Vision GTI, led by Volkswagen brand design chief Klaus Bischoff, has drawn the C-pillars and sills outward, thus creating space for substantially wider front and rear tracks, as well as the specially developed wheels (with 235 tyres in the front and 275s at the rear). The concept is slightly shorter than a regular Golf GTI, however, thanks mainly to a more compact rear bumper treatment, and it sits a bit lower as well. One particularly neat element is the GTI's typical red grille divide, which on the concept also divides the headlights. The actual lighting elements are set back, giving them a deep, sunken look. Inside, designers had a ‘pure GTI’ focus, which meant concentrating on the truly essential but with a little style. This meant as few switches as necessary, so that they can be operated intuitively even while driving hard. Unique features include an electrical kill switch, a push-button for a fire extinguisher and an ESP deactivation button. The car has three drive modes: "Street," "Sport" and "Track". The shapes of the dashboard and the center console correspond to the GTI's, but are even more driver oriented, with tauter surfaces and harder edges. The race-car impression is reinforced by the use of carbon fiber, which is combined with Alcantara and Nappa leather. The rear seats have also gone; their space taken by an X-shaped cross member that further strengthens body stiffness. Volkswagen explains that the aim of the design was to provide a glance into the future of the GTI. Though we’re unlikely to see the Design Vision GTI enter production, many of the concept’s features are likely to appear on eventual race versions of the latest Golf as well as the more extreme 2015 Golf R hot hatch due out next year. The 2013 Wörthersee Tour kicks off today and concludes on May 11. www.motorauthority.com  

The widespread recall affecting more than 3.4 million vehicles from several different makes has now hit German luxury brand BMW.According to the carmaker, roughly 220,000 of its 2002 and 2003 3-Series models have been affected by the recall worldwide, including 3300 of the popular BMW 3 Series in Australia.The recall is due to a defective airbag from Japanese supplier Takata Corp. Other makes with vehicles featuring the defective airbag include Honda, Infiniti, Lexus, Mazda, Nissan, Pontiac and Toyota.The root of the problem is an airbag inflator that deteriorates over time. This can cause the inflator to rupture when the airbag is triggered, which in turn can cause injury to occupants by pieces of the inflator breaking off and turning into projectiles.For BMW, the recall affects 325i, 325xi, 330i, 330xi sedans; 325Ci and 330Ci coupes and convertibles; 325iT and 325xiT Sports Wagons; and M3 coupes and convertibles around the world from the 2002 and 2003 model years, and the airbag in question is the passenger side frontal unit.BMW is in the process of notifying owners affected by the recall. Once replacement parts are available, BMW will notify owners again to contact their dealers and schedule a replacement of the passenger airbag, free of charge.www.motorauthority.com 

Ferrari has denied claims it is already at work on a more extreme version of its LaFerrari supercar. The claims were made in an article from Autocar, which has since pulled the original post from its website. The British outlet had based its claims on an interview with the LaFerrari’s chief designer, Flavio Manzoni, in which he said: “When we were producing the original design proposals for LaFerrari, there was one proposal that I thought was especially beautiful. So we decided to keep that one back for something truly special in the future.” Speaking with Carsales, a spokesman for Ferrari said there were no plans whatsoever to build additional, limited edition versions of the LaFerrari, which itself will be limited to just 499 units in total. As for Manzoni’s comments, the spokesman said there were numerous design proposals for the LaFerrari, some of which are being closely guarded by Ferrari as the company would like to use them in the future. He went on to explain that this was incorrectly interpreted by Autocar as confirmation of a more extreme LaFerrari model. “It is entirely normal that some design flourishes will be held back for future products,” the spokesman said. “If we showed all our designs now, they might be stolen by the competition and used by others.” Ferrari’s official rebuttal of the claims should be welcome news to the 499 lucky buyers offered a build slot for the new LaFerrari. As for that “truly special” model mentioned by Manzoni, it’s possible that it could be something along the lines of the original FXX experimental car, which despite being based on the previous Enzo featured its own unique look. www.motorauthority.com  

At the recent 2013 New York Auto Show, Jaguar took the covers off a hardcore, track-focused version of its already extreme XKR-S, the new 2014 XKR-S GT, which can best be described as a race car made