Articles by Viknesh Vijayenthiran

That's where we will get to see the latest evolution of the automaker's design language spearheaded by current design boss Gordon Wagener. Instead of the angular look of the current model, look for softer and more rounded surfaces. At the same time, designers will be injecting some sportiness to the range as it seeks younger buyers. During a recent interview, Wagener explained that “design is the visual language of the brand” and for Mercedes-Benz this meant sporty yet beautiful and elegant lines. AMG models, meanwhile, are about to get a lot more aggressive. This new video gives us a glimpse at the facelifted E Class’ headlight design, confirming that the current model’s dual-unit design will merge into single unit for each of the headlights. As a link to the past, the new headlight will feature a twin set of ‘eyebrow’ daytime running lights, giving the effect of a dual-unit look. We’re also expecting the ‘pontoon’ indentation in the rear renders to be replaced by a sweeping character line, while the bumpers and wheel patterns will also be new for this model. The cabin, too, should be getting a major makeover, with finer wood elements, plusher leathers and brushed aluminium and carbon fiber on sportier variants. A more advanced interface may also be introduced. As for the engine line-up, expect the current V6 and V8 engines to carry over with only minimal changes. The E550 model should get a 320 kilowatt version of the current twin-turbocharged 4.6 litre V8, while the E350 should get a 245 kilowatt version of the current 3.5 litre V6. The E63 AMG's 5.5 litre V8 is expected to remain unchanged, as should the powerplant in the recently introduced E400 Hybrid. www.motorauthority.com  

Sometime in the near future Porsche will be introducing a mid-cycle update to its Cayenne, with the updated SUV most likely being introduced for the 2015 model year. The update will include the typical retouches to the bumpers and lights, as well as some technical changes, the most significant of which will reportedly be a new plug-in hybrid option. We’ve previously told you that the Cayenne, as well as the Panamera, will be receiving a plug-in hybrid option at some point. But now it's tipped that the option will be introduced in calendar year 2014 along with the SUV’s mid-cycle update. The Panamera is expected to soon follow with a plug-in hybrid option, though its system will be used to power only the rear wheels while the Cayenne will stick with all-wheel drive Porsche will be calling its plug-in hybrid system an ‘e-hybrid,’ and a preview of the technology was recently showcased in the Panamera Sport Turismo concept at the 2012 Paris Auto Show. Porsche’s e-hybrid system is an advanced development of the parallel full hybrid the automaker already implements today in the Cayenne S Hybrid and Panamera S Hybrid models. The e-hybrid’s electric motor currently produces about 69 kilowatts, and is matched to a supercharged 3.0-litre V-6 engine producing 245 kilowatts on its own. Working together, the two power sources can accelerate a vehicle the size of the Cayenne in around 9.5 seconds km/h or less. Motor Authority  

Though the upcoming VF Holden Commodore – in the form of its 2014 Chevrolet SS sibling -- won’t be revealed until the Daytona 500 next February, we’ll get a good preview of its styling next month with the reveal of the Chevrolet SS NASCAR race car that will be tackling the 2013 Sprint Cup Series.The new Chevrolet SS NASCAR Sprint Cup race car, which so far has only been seen in full camouflage mode, is expected to be revealed on November 29 at a special event hosted at the Wynn Las Vegas.Chevrolet is the last brand to unveil its new race car for the 2013 Sprint Cup Series, whose regulations were altered to allow designers of the race cars to make them more closely resemble the road cars they represent.What isn’t shared with the production model is pretty much everything under the skin. All NASCAR Sprint Cup challengers feature a tube frame chassis packing a V-8 engine sending drive to the rear wheels.The Chevrolet SS NASCAR Sprint Cup car will be competing alongside racing versions of the Ford Fusion and Toyota Camry.www.motorauthority.com 

The current land speed record stands at 1228km/h, which was set back in 1997 by Brit Andy Green driving the jet-powered ThrustSSC. However, there’s a new race on to see who can beat that time, and this time challengers are hoping to crack a top speed of 1609 km/h (1000mph). Most of our coverage has centred on Andy Green’s latest endeavour, the Bloodhound SSC, a rocket-powered car that’s already well into testing and has a targeted top speed of 1689 km/h. However, as we first reported in 2009, an Australian team is also hoping to set a new land speed record, and recently it unveiled its contender, the Aussie Invader 5R. The team is being led by Australian drag race legend Rosco McGlashan, 62, who has dreamed of setting a land speed record since he was 12, after he saw early daredevils racing across Australia's Lake Eyre dry salt lake in the early ‘60s. Going by proposed specs, the Aussie Invader 5R is more powerful than the rival Bloodhound SSC and is claimed to be capable of accelerating almost three times as fast. In fact, McGlashan and his team claim the Aussie Invader 5R will need just 20 seconds to go from 0-1,000 mph (1609km/h) thanks to its 62,000 pounds of thrust (about 200,000 horsepower). By comparison, the Bloodhound SSC is expected to take 55 seconds to achieve the same speed. The vehicle, which is estimated to cost over $4million AUD just to build, features four individual thrusters and weighs almost seven tons without its liquid oxygen and kerosene-based biofuel. This weight is essential for keeping the vehicle grounded. In fact, it will ride on four solid aluminium wheels, which each weigh about 100kg. In order to achieve the official world record, the vehicle must be able to reach the top speed twice within a one-hour window, with the average of the two speeds being used for the final result. If all goes to plan, McGlashan hopes to start testing the Aussie Invader 5R next year and attempt to set the new record in 2014. www.motorauthority.com  

A hotted up ‘R’ version of the Volkswagen Polo, essentially a smaller version of the recently launched Golf R, has been rumoured to be in development for close to two years. Volkswagen has previously denied such a model, maintaining it would prove too costly for buyers in the sub-compact segment. However, at the annual GTI Meeting at Wörthersee earlier this year, Volkswagen rolled out the Polo R WRC Street Concept, essentially a road-going version of its Polo WRC car that will be competing in the World Rally Championship from 2013 onwards. Now, there are reports claiming the production Polo R will make its official world debut at March’s 2013 Geneva Motor Show, before going on sale shortly afterwards. Speaking with Autocar, Volkswagen R&D chief Ulrich Hackenberg confirmed the Polo R would debut at the Geneva show, with its launch coinciding with the automaker’s WRC entry. He went on to reveal that the car’s introduction is due to the desire of VW’s motorsport division, which is hoping to draw attention to its WRC efforts, and that originally VW had no plans to launch such a model. Like the Polo R WRC Street Concept, the production Polo R will get a tuned version of the turbocharged 155kW/280Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine from the outgoing MkVI Golf GTI. Peak output will be tuned up to around 168kW of power, which should give it a nice edge over the 132kW Polo GTI but keep it under the Golf R’s 188kW/330Nm. To ensure it doesn’t encroach on the performance of its Golf R big brother, the Polo R will remain a front-wheel drive model, though it will still benefit from a mechanical limited-slip differential. Expect a 0-100km/h time of around 6.0 seconds (the Golf GTI does 6.9, while the Golf R dispatches it in 5.9) and a top speed of 242km/h.www.motorauthority.com   

With the introduction of an updated VF Holden Commodore pegged for early next year, HSV, official tuner to Holden, will be introducing its own new models based on the car in the form of the F Series range. Prototypes for HSV’s F Series are already testing, and according to some reports the noise emanating from under their hoods has the signature whine of a supercharger. With HSV’s direct rival FPV having won the local power stakes with its own range of supercharged Ford Falcon GT sedans, the decision to adopt supercharged power for its new F Series is a no-brainer for HSV, especially when Holden’s parent, General Motors, already has several supercharged V-8s in its parts bin. According to Go Auto, the most likely option for HSV is using the supercharged 6.2-litre LSA V-8 found in the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, with which the Holden Commodore and HSV’s model range shares a Zeta platform. While output of the Camaro ZL1’s engine stands at 432kW of power and 753Nm of torque, for application in the HSV F Series the numbers will likely be toned down. HSV’s current flagship, the GTS, only develops 325kW and 550Nm, so expect only a gradual rise in output initially, probably enough to just eclipse the 335kW/570Nm rating of its FPV GT rival. www.motorauthority.com

In July of this year, one of the greatest designers of all time, the legendary Sergio Pininfarina, son of Pininfarina founder Battista Farina, passed away at age 85. During his lifetime, he penned some of most famed cars ever to see the light of the day, many of which were designed for Ferrari. In honour of his contribution to Ferrari, the Italian sports car manufacturer will be hosting an exhibition at its official museum in Maranello, Italy. The new exhibition, titled Le grandi Ferrari di Sergio Pininfarina (Sergio Pininfarina’s great Ferraris), will provide visitors with the chance to get to know the most beautiful Ferraris designed by Pininfarina over 60 years in collaboration with the Prancing Horse. The collection of cars will be housed in three different halls, one each for race cars, concepts and production cars. In the race car hall, some of the highlights will include a Le Mans winning 250 LM, the 250 SWB Stirling Moss drove to win the Touring Trophy, and the experimental Formula 1 Sigma, suggested by Pininfarina in the 1960s.  Moving onto the concept hall, visitors will find cars like the Modulo, the P6 and the extraordinary four-door Pinin. Finally, in the production car hall, visitors will be greeted with a collection of front-engined Berlinettas, the BB prototype, and several other notable models.  Additionally, there will also be a huge mural with all Ferraris ever created by Pininfarina from 1952 until today, including some undisclosed material from the Pininfarina family’s personal collection!  Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo, Piero Ferrari and the Pininfarina family will be present at the opening ceremony of the new exhibition from October 27, 2012, to January 7, 2013. www.motorauthority.com  

At last week’s 2012 Paris Auto Show Bentley unveiled a race car concept based on its luxury-oriented Continental GT. Simply labelled the Continental GT3, the one-off concept is confirmation of Bentley’s interest in returning to motorsports, which could include a new one-make racing series for the Continental coupe similar to what rivals such as Maserati and Lamborghini currently do with some of their cars.  While Bentley concedes the concept provides a solid foundation for the automaker’s “long-term” motorsport plans, to keep interest alive in the shorter term, we could see a road-going version of the car. In fact, as early as October of last year we reported that Bentley could launch a track-focused version of its Continental GT, perhaps as a replacement for the Continental Supersports model. Now, Autocar is reporting that this track-focused version could be a production Bentley Continental GT3. With pricing similar to the range-topping Continental Supersports, somewhere close to $553k, the production Continental GT3 would be the most potent model in the Continental range. This means that output from its twin-turbocharged 6.0-litre W-12 engine would likely be turned up to around 522 kilowatts. However, the lighter and more responsive twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8 may be offered instead. Going into the future, Bentley will be positioning its 12-cylinder engines at the prestige end of the market, while the V-8s will be aimed at performance buyers.  Though the race concept featured a rear-wheel drive chassis, the production version would likely remain all-wheel drive for safety reasons. Other changes would likely include a more subtle exterior and a plusher cabin -- it's still a Bentley after all. If given the green light, expect the production Continental GT3 to go on sale in 2014 at the earliest. Numbers will be limited, so perhaps only around 300 examples will see the light of day. www.motorauthority.com  

The decision to go even smaller would be driven by consumer environmental concerns, according to the brand’s design director Gerry McGovern. The new vehicle would compete against the likes of the MINI Countryman and new Buick Encore in one of the fastest growing segments of the new car market.Speaking with industry journal Automotive News, McGovern explained that it’s an important decision for the brand considering buyers are becoming more and more concerned with the environment.“Certainly, I think we can go smaller,” he said when quizzed about Land Rover’s future plans. “In a world focusing on sustainability you could argue that smaller and lighter is the way to go.”The compact crossover market is heating up with plenty of new entries set to come onto the market in the near future. Some of these include a new model from Jeep, the Fiat 500X, Mercedes-Benz ‘GLA’ Class, and a long-rumoured Audi Q1.www.motorauthority.com

...and now, in the lead up to the car’s sales launch early next year, Aston Martin has released a flood of new images and videos.The new Vanquish is expected to be arriving as a 2014 model. For that sum you get a stylish GT coupe with supercar performance, a full carbon fiber body and a bespoke interior that only a few of the world's car brands are capable of crafting.You’ll also have the knowledge that you’re driving Aston Martin’s latest flagship model now that the One-77 supercar is sold out and the DBS is on its way out soon.Though the exterior is mostly new, underneath is a modified version of Aston Martin’s existing VH platform and 6.0-litre V-12 engine. Peak output is rated at 421kW and 620Nm of torque, with drive sent to the rear wheels via a Touchtronic 2 six-speed automatic with paddle shifters. No manual or dual-clutch unit has been mentioned.    In terms of performance, Aston Martin promises 0-100 km/h acceleration in just 4.1 seconds and a top speed of 295 km/h.Though the Vanquish is hardly what you’d call practical, Aston Martin’s design team has managed to increase trunk space by 60 percent compared to the DBS. Buyers are also offered the choice of 2 or 2+2 seating configurations.Motor Authority