Articles by Viknesh Vijayenthiran

In past years, the annual Volkswagen and Audi tuner fest in Wörthersee, Austria has seen the reveal of a number of exciting performance concepts that have led to production. Notable concepts included the Scirocco GT24, Audi A1 clubsport quattro and Golf R Cabriolet, which eventually spawned the respective Scicorro R, Audi A1 quattro and Golf R Cabriolet production cars.  It turns out this year’s event, which takes place from May 8-11, will be no different. We’ve already been treated to a preview of the Audi TT ultra quattro concept, which is said to preview a new lightweight version of the next-generation TT sports car, and now there are reports that a similar hardcore Volkswagen Golf GTI variant will also be previewed at this year’s Wörthersee Tour. Speaking with CAR, Volkswagen R&D boss Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg confirmed that a concept car previewing a future Golf GTI variant would be revealed at the event. He went on to reveal that it won’t be over the top like the Golf GTI W12, a previous Wörthersee concept, but instead will be “more realistic.” Volkswagen is reported to be planning a more hardcore version of its latest 2015 Golf GTI, one that’s said to focus on lightweight design, so it’s possible this is the model the automaker will preview. If this is the case, look for carbon fibre construction and an upgraded electronic differential. Another possibility is the Edition 40 GTI, a 40th anniversary Golf GTI special edition due on the market in 2016, though it’s unlikely this is the car Hackenberg is referring to, given how far its release date is. www.motorauthority.com  

While many top manufacturers in the luxury segment have phased out their diesel V-8 engines, Maserati is reportedly looking to introduce a new one. Apparently the automaker sees a void in the market now that the likes of BMW and Mercedes-Benz are no longer offering a diesel V-8 option on their cars. The information comes from Car and Driver, which reports that the Fiat Chrysler Group is working on a new diesel V-8 engine aimed at global markets, something that is said to be in strong demand. The engine is expected to be a turbocharged V-8 unit displacing 4.0 litres and producing as much as 268 kilowatts and 623 Newton metres of torque. Whether such an engine makes it to production will depend on how well Maserati’s new diesel V-6 engine sells in the upcoming 2014 Ghibli sedan. This engine is a turbocharged 3.0-litre V-6, rated at  202 kilowatts and 599 Newton metres of torque. It is Maserati’s first diesel engine and it was developed together with Ferrari. There is one other major automaker still offering diesel V-8 engines to luxury buyers: the Volkswagen Group. Its latest model equipped with such an engine is the Porsche Cayenne S Diesel, which sports a twin-turbocharged 4.2-litre V-8 good for 285 kilowatts and a massive 848 Newton metres of torque. If this isn’t impressive enough, the Volkswagen Group has even more capable diesel engines in the works. Just this week the automaker announced new technology that will allow its diesel engines to deliver an astonishing 100 kilowatts per litre of displacement. www.motorauthority.com  

Earlier in the year Nissan finally announced motorsport and engineering firm Nismo as its official performance partner. At the time, Nissan also confirmed the launch of its fastest GT-R yet, a new Nismo-enhanced model that would hit the market sometime in 2014.Few details were provided, although Nissan did state that its GT-R Nismo model would draw on lessons learned from racing the GT-R in various motorsport categories around the world, and that it would also deliver more power than the standard model.Now Autocar has managed to come away with a few more details after speaking with Nissan executive vice president Andy Palmer. Palmer revealed that Nissan had begun testing prototypes for the car and that a world debut was scheduled for November’s 2013 Tokyo Motor Show, meaning we’re likely to see it in showrooms as a 2015 model.He also boasted that the GT-R Nismo was expected to lower the Nürburgring production car lap record. The current record stands at 6:48, set by a barely road-legal Radical SR8 LM, though Palmer is likely referring to the 7:12:13 set by the Dodge Viper ACR in 2010.The key will be motorsport know-how taken from Nissan's Nismo race team, particularly in the area of aerodynamics. Pictured above is Nissan’s GT-R Nismo GT-3 endurance racer, which is expected to influence the design. "The majority of the exterior changes are aero and downforce related," Palmer said. "The production car record at the Nurburgring is the gold standard, and we expect to lower that."The current 2014 Nissan GT-R delivers 406 kilowatts and 628 Newton metres of torque, and will lap the Nürburgring in 7:18.6. With prototypes for the new 2015 Nissan GT-R Nismo already testing, we should have the first spy shots very soon.www.motorauthority.com 

If there’s anyone doubting the Fast and Furious franchise’s ability to still stun audiences after all these years, then this is the trailer to watch.

Hyundai’s second generation of its rear-wheel-drive Genesis sedan will debut at the 2014 Detroit Auto Show next January, the same event that this year saw the reveal of the forward-looking HCD-14 Genesis concept car.The information was revealed to Edmunds by Brandon Ramirez, a senior product planner for Hyundai’s American operations. This is slightly later than anticipated, which means we may see the new Genesis sedan’s showroom appearance delayed until the start of the 2015 model year and not during the upcoming 2014 model year. Prototypes of the car have been spotted all across Europe, with the latest versions seen conducting some high-speed tests at Germany’s Nürburgring circuit. They show several design elements borrowed from the HCD-14 Genesis concept and confirm the new car will have a sleek and somewhat elegant look.With Hyundai having updated the Genesis’ powertrain lineup only last year, expect similar numbers for the new model. This means the base Genesis will come with a 3.8-litre V6 rated at 245 kilowatts, and the range-topper, possibly keeping its R-Spec label, will continue with a 5.0-litre V8 rated at 315 kilowatts.An eight-speed automatic should continue as standard and it's possible a new diesel option will be offered overseas. It should be noted that Hyundai has previewed a new turbocharged and direct-injected 3.3-litre V6 engine that delivers 266 kilowatts, though it’s not clear if this engine will appear in the new Genesis.The engine was previewed in the stunning HND-9 coupe concept, which previews the second-generation Genesis Coupe due around 2015. The new Genesis sedan and its eventual coupe variant will once again share a platform, but this time around all-wheel drive will be available as an option.www.motorauthority.com  

Volvo is in a race to renew its aging lineup and will soon launch the first of its next-generation models, a redesigned XC90 SUV that’s due at the end of 2014.This redesigned XC90 will be the first to be based on a modular platform developed by Volvo: the Scalable Platform Architecture (SPA). The platform will eventually spawn replacements for all of Volvo’s lineup from the S60 sedan up.At the same time, Volvo is working with its parent company Geely to develop a new small car platform that will be used for everything smaller than the S60. According to a report from CAR, these two platforms will also see some brand new additions join Volvo’s lineup over the coming years.At the entry-level, Volvo’s small car platform is said to spawn a compact hatchback targeting the likes of the Volkswagen Golf and labelled a ‘C40’. It will be smaller than the current V40, which is positioned as a premium five-door wagon. The V40 is based on an aging platform developed during Volvo’s Ford days which is due to finally be retired at the end of the V40’s life.The C40 Golf rival should arrive around 2016 and should also have its own ‘XC40’ crossover variant. The XC40 is said to be a proper crossover and not just a jacked-up wagon like the V40 Cross Country. This model will target the likes of the Buick Encore and a new compact crossover coming from Lexus.Moving up the ladder, we arrive at the smallest SPA-based model, the next-generation S60 sedan, which is tipped to arrive in 2017. It will once again spawn an XC60 crossover, which is likely to arrive a year later. It’s not clear if there will be another generation of the V60 wagon, though a new ‘C60’ coupe targeting the BMW 4-Series is said to be planned for 2016.Above this will sit an ‘S90’ premium sedan. This will be the successor to the current S80 and will target vehicles such as BMW’s 5-Series. It will reportedly have a wagon variant, a new ‘V90,’ which will replace the current V70 and compete against vehicles such as the Audi A6 Avant.Importantly, Volvo’s entire lineup will feature engines with no more than four-cylinders. For additional performance, the automaker is turning to turbocharging and hybrid technology. Volvo fans certainly have a lot to look forward to, and the party looks set to start before next year is out.www.motorauthority.com 

Given the success of the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe, it’s safe to assume the prestigious British brand will launch a similar drophead version of its latest 2014 Wraith.However, we can’t say with certainty that a Wraith Drophead Coupe will be launched until we either see some spy shots or Rolls-Royce confirms the matter. But Rolls-Royce's boss has now come close to doing the latter.Speaking with media at the UK launch of the Wraith, held fittingly at the Harrods luxury department store in London’s upmarket Knightsbridge, Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös strongly suggested that that a Wraith Drophead Coupe was in the pipeline.“The design certainly lends itself to a drophead coupe, and I think that will be the next variant,” Müller-Ötvös revealed to Auto Express. Unfortunately, he went on to say that producing another Wraith variant could take “some time.”One variant that we definitely won’t be seeing, however, is an SUV. Müller-Ötvös confirmed that there were no plans for a Rolls-Royce SUV despite some rumours to the contrary.Finally, the Rolls-Royce CEO mentioned some of his company’s plans for the next-generation Phantom flagship sedan. He said that a plug-in hybrid was definitely the way to go with such a car, as some city centres, particularly in Europe, may have restrictions on the use of non-electrified vehicles when the model is finally launched.As previously reported, Rolls-Royce ruled out an all-electric Phantom because of range concerns, saying plug-in was a better option. The next-generation Phantom is tipped to arrive sometime around 2016.www.motorauthority.com

Bugatti now has two world records under its belt: the production car land speed record and the production car land speed record for an open-top car. While the first record, which stands at 430km/h, was set almost three years ago by the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, the second was set only this month by Bugatti’s aptly named Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse World Record Car. The World Record Car was driven to a top speed of 408.84 kilometers per hour on the Volkswagen Group’s Ehra-Lessien test track, renowned for its 9 km straight, by Chinese racing driver Anthony Liu. This video captures all the action from Liu’s epic run and is proof that the Veyron has been engineered to such a magnitude that the car’s stability and cabin ambience remains pleasant even when driving roofless at speeds faster than that of a passenger jet at takeoff. The World Record Car isn’t exactly a new model, as it is essentially a Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse with its speed limiter removed. The Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse’s top speed was limited to 375km/h in the interest of safety. It features the same quad-turbocharged, 8.0-litre W-16 engine found in all Veyrons, but its peak output of 882 kilowatts and 1500 newton metres of torque matches that of the Veyron Super Sport. The record-breaking car was recently presented at the 2013 Shanghai Auto Show and will spawn eight additional examples, each priced from 1.99 million euros (approximately $2.52AUD million ). Unlike the Veyron Super Sport, which had its speed limited to 16km/h below the 430km/h record when sold to the public, all eight examples of the new World Record Car destined for public sale will be able to reach the 408km/h record for an open-top car. www.motorauthority.com  

Alfa Romeo’s tiny MiTo hatchback currently comes exclusively as a three-door -- and competes with other premium light models such as the Audi A1 and MINI Cooper hatch. Although the Alfa Romeo brand returns to US shores later this year, the MiTo won’t be making the trip as the car’s design is already several years old and predicted demand in the has been deemed too low. The good news is that a successor is planned and that it may add extra models. The information comes from Car and Driver, which reports that the next-generation MiTo will enter production around 2016 and will likely spawn more body styles including a possible crossover variant. The key is utilising the platform underpinning the Fiat 500L, which can accommodate all-wheel drive and crossover designs. In fact, this platform will soon spawn subcompact crossovers for Fiat and even Jeep.    Engines would also be shared with Fiat products, with the entry-level option being a turbocharged two-cylinder engine rated at roughly 74kW, and the range-topper getting a turbocharged four-cylinder unit with around 150kW on tap (the current MiTo develops between 62 and 125kW). There’s even talk of a plug-in hybrid model. www.motorauthority.com

News of the stunt first broke a few weeks ago when video, filmed by the father, Mohammed Nisham, went viral on YouTube. The video showed the boy driving the mid-engine supercar on a residential street and with a friend in the passenger seat. Police eventually became aware of the video and have since charged Nisham for encouraging underage driving and for allowing an unlicensed child to drive a vehicle, according to the Times Of India.  Nisham is alleged to have said he allowed his son to drive the car as a surprise on his ninth birthday, after the boy had pleaded for months for permission. The boy’s mother, meanwhile, is alleged to have said that she was proud of her son’s driving skill and was hoping to encourage him. The boy is reported to have driven some of the family’s other vehicles including a Lamborghini and Bentley. While we love to see young people show an interest in cars, allowing a nine-year-old to drive a 360 kilowatt Ferrari is incredibly stupid, especially when you consider that the boy can barely see over the dash, is unlicensed and thus uninsured, and there are several people including children also on the road. www.motorauthority.com <img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="{filedir_1}Ferrari-driving-kid-composite-inpage.jpg" src="{filedir_1}Ferrari-driving-kid-composite-inpage.jpg" style="width: 650px; height: 366px;" /><br />  </p>