The Vehicles Earth

Ariel Moto Company, makers of the mad-yet-minimalist Atom sportscar, have teamed up with new UK firm Motion Simulation to develop and manufacture the TL1 immersive motion simulator. Featuring a spherical immersive projection screen and adjustable driving position, the TL1's composite pod allows vicarious thrill-seekers to try piloting anything from an F1 car to a combat aircraft with a greater degree of realism than existing simulator chairs. In the video above, the TL1 is configured as as Touring Car racer.

Although Ariel has dispensed with the car entirely in its new venture, the TL1 features more exterior panelling than the skeletal Atom. The composite single-seater pod is based around a three-piece 180-degree spherical projection screen, which gives a greater sense of being within the projected environment than single- or tri-screen flat displays used in other home simulator systems. It's not small, measuring nearly 3m wide and 1.9m tall, but the TL1 is designed to easily disassemble and (most worryingly for unsuspecting friends and family) the components are scaled to be easily carried through a standard household door. Bright exterior colours and smart styling are unlikely to placate a spouse suddenly confronted with a TL1 in the front room, but the composite shell may help protect the user against flying objects or verbal abuse.



TL1 can be configured with a range of simulator controllers, digital video projectors and a built-in PC to suit your virtual vehicular needs. The standard pod's systems are compatible with popular gaming controllers such as Logitech or Thrustmaster wheel and pedal sets. If you're willing to become a pod-person in the name of digital driving mastery, the TL1 is available from Motion Simulation, with the basic pod starting at £11,000.

By Mark Hamilton
Motor Industry

Enthusiasts who have wanted their Toyobaru with Subaru BRZ badges and bumpers can rejoice. Subaru UK have announced the official pricing and specifications for the new BRZ sports car.
Subaru BRZ (2012) UK prices and specs

Early-adopters will have a choice of two models of Subaru BRZ. The range kicks-off with the 2.0i SE, at £24,995 with the standard six-speed manual transmission. That price matches Toyota UK's sole GT 86 model. Your BRZ SE comes with dual-zone climate control aircon, cruise control, six-speaker hi-fi with iPod connectivity, electrically-folding heated door mirrors and power windows. 17-inch wheels, torque-sensing limited-slip differential and foglamps are also standard.

Should you wish to have heated seats, and leather on the seating surfaces as well as the standard-fit leather steering wheel, gearshift and handbrake, you can step up to the otherwise-identical 2.0i SE Lux, for £27.995.



Options on either BRZ are limited to a £500 charge for special paint finishes, and a £1000 Pioneer sat-nav unit. You can also pay £1500 for a six-speed torque-converter automatic transmission with shift paddles, which would appear to be very poor form indeed (unless you have a valid medical reason for being unable to operate a clutch pedal).

If that all sounds a bit much, Subaru is considering an entry-level 2.0i S model for 2013. In the meantime, prospective BRZ owners may run (but not necessarily drift) to the nearest Subaru dealer to place an order, with the first cars arriving during summer 2012.

By Mark Hamilton
Motor Industry

Volkswagen Group's march towards niche-smothering world domination continues with announcement of the VW Golf GTI Cabriolet's UK pricing and specifications. CAR brought you details of the Mk 7 Golf GTI our the April 2012 issue, but if you're looking for something summery to drive to GTI fanfest at Worthersee this year the Mk 6 GTI Cabriolet may be the car for you.
VW Golf GTI Cabriolet: the topdown

The sunlover's variant of the Mk 6 VW Golf GTI appeared at the 2012 Geneva Motorshow and married the tidy Golf Cabriolet soft-top bodystyle with the GTI hot-hatch mechanical and trim package. Although the open-air convertible top exposes drivers to the murmurs of 'partsbin special' along with the frowns of family-car cabrio sceptics they may encounter, the go-faster spec will keep any such encounters brief. VW quotes 0-62mph in 7.3 seconds and a top speed of 147mph for the manual - 0.4s and 2mph slower than the tin-top GTI, and don't ask about the tweaked GTI Edition 35.

Inside you'll find the familiar GTI interior under that fabric roof, which goes from 'look at me!' to 'leave me alone!' in 9.5 seconds. You can activate the roof at speeds up to 18mph and the GTI Cabriolet includes automatic roll-over protection should you decide to confirm the 5-star NCAP rating. 18-inch wheels and GTI exterior styling cues allow a certain smugness when encountering Audi A3 S-Line cabriolet drivers.

VW remains an equal-opportunity transmission provider in the Golf GTI, so you can sneak under the £30k barrier with a six-speed manual GTI Cabriolet. If you prefer shifting ratios without left-leg intervention you can have the DSG model for £30,610. Or about £5k over an equivalent GTI three-door hatchback.

By Mark Hamilton
Motor Industry

Chrysler UK has announced pricing and specification for the new-to-you Chrysler 300C saloon. Right-hand drive markets have had to wait for the new 300C, which first launched in 2011 at the Detroit Motor Show; it's on sale in North America as a Chrysler, and currently available to Continental customers as a Lancia Thema...

Stylewise, the new 300C echoes the squat, angular look of its predecessor. But while the exterior looks familiar, Chrysler has significantly updated the interior, moving beyond DaimlerChrysler-era silver plastics to a more class-competitive dashboard and interior trim. The 300C's imposing appearance is befitting of a big car – five metres long, and with a 3052mm wheelbase that shades an Audi A8, let alone the A6 – but dimensionally the exec class has grown to a similar size since the first 300C swaggered into showrooms in 2004.

Chrysler 300C: forget the Hemi, it's a diesel exec

There will be two specification levels, both powered by the higher-tune 236bhp/398 lb ft 3.0-litre V6 diesel engine used in the Thema. On the fuel economy front Chrysler is claiming a combined economy figure of 39.8mpg, and emissions of 185-191g/km depending on the wheels/tyres specified. Those figures put the 300C at the torquier end of the 3.0-litre diesel exec class, but battling the Infiniti M30d at the lower end of the thrifty-and-green front. With European big car buyers' preference for diesel there's no sign of the 3.6-litre V6 or 'Hemi' 5.7-litre V8 petrol engines offered in other markets.

The 300C will be available in £35,995 Limited or £39,995 Executive trim levela. Highlights include adaptive cruise control, heated and ventilated front and rear seats, blind-spot monitoring system, keyless entry, touchscreen multimedia system and what Chrysler proclaims will be 'the largest sunroof in its segment'. Sales begin in June 2012.

By Mark Hamilton
Motor Industry
02 May 2012 10:00


Audi UK has announced prices and availability of the Audi TT RS Plus, the go-faster variant of the already-very-fast RS version of the Audi TT.
Audi TT RS Plus: I killed the last guy who called me a 'hairdresser's car'

The Audi TT RS introduced the regular TT to a gobfull of turbocharged 2.5-litre five-cylinder engine, along with an upgraded chassis, to deliver 335bhp to the road through the Haldex clutch branch of the Quattro family tree.

With the TT TS Plus, Audi has now seen fit to grant an extra 20bhp, bumping the total to 355bhp. Torque climbs 15 lb ft, bringing total twist-action of 343 lb ft. Those tweaks bring the 0-62mph time down to a pub brawl-ending 4.1 seconds (was 4.3) for the coupe, with TT RS roadster coming in at 4.2 seconds (down from 4.4). Motorways will tremble at your 174mph top speed – in countries where that is legal.



For moments when you want to show your kinder, gentler side, Audi claims 32-33mpg and 197-212g/km of CO2 depending on which transmission (pick from a six-speed manual or seven-speed S-tronic) and roof configuration you choose. Visually the 'Rotor' 19-inch alloys will look familiar to followers of our long-term test Audi RS3, and the sports exhaust will leave passers-by in on doubt of your intent.

Prices begin at £48,945 for the TT RS Plus manual coupe, and stretch to £52,265 for the TT RS Plus Roadster with the S-tronic 'box, representing a £3085 premium over the standard TT RS.

By Mark Hamilton
First Official Pictures
02 May 2012 15:06

Kia has launched its new K9 flagship saloon in Korea. The rear-drive V6-engined saloon, dubbed K9 in Kia's domestic market nomenclature, is a first move upmarket for Hyundai's erstwhile budget brand. CAR picked up word of the new Kia last year, when it seemed that Kia would get a V8-engined flagship to match the range-topping Hyundai Equus. It didn't quite turn out that way.
Kia K9: the lowdown

With a 5090mm overall length, 1900mm width, 1490mm height and 3045mm wheelbase, the K9 is close to a standard-wheelbase Jaguar XJ in size. Funnily enough it's the same wheelbase as the Hyundai Equus, and the K9 shares its underpinnings with Hyundai's largest saloon.

K9 gets its motivation from the 286bhp 3.8-litre Lambda V6 petrol engine. A direct-injection V6 in the same capacity will be introduced in 2013, and offer a bump in power output to 329bhp. No sign at this stage of Hyundai's 5.4-litre Tau V8 engine, as seen in the Equus, and Genesis R. But the K9 does benefit from an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Technology-wise, K9 benefits from its Hyundai sister saloons, and features
fully adaptive all-LED headlamps, lane departure warning and blindspot detection systems, a 17-speaker sound system, and adaptive cruise control.

One aspect of the K9 which isn't a Hyundai hand-me-down is the car's styling. The K9 continues the good run of designs under Peter Schreyer's management, and avoids the chintzy details of the Equus.

Kia has no plans to bring K9 to the UK, but will begin export sales to other markets in the fourth quarter of 2012.

By Tim Pollard (artist's impression by Christian Schulte)
First Official Pictures
04 May 2012 10:37

Vauxhall and Opel will announce the name of its new city car - codenamed Junior and bound to replace the Agila - next week.

It has issued an unusual comic strip announcing the fact that the Vauxhall Junior's name will be confirmed on 8 May 2012.
So what's this picture of the Vauxhall Junior doing here?

That's CAR's artist's impression of the new GM Europe city car.

Strip away the marketing waffle in this comic strip and there are a few nuggets about the Junior. For instance, the three-door Fiat 500 rival is a four-seater and stretches out to 3.7m long - the same footprint as a modern Mini.

Vauxhall confirms it will go on sale in early 2013 and makes great play of the fact that it'll be 'very colourful', hinting at its personalisation programme.

European design chief Mark Adams has previously told CAR: 'We have a heritage in small cars, but we wanted to do this in a contemporary way. It’s modern but with real personality. We want to show we are not in a straightjacket.

'Cars like the Junior will make people realise we are really pushing the Opel-Vauxhall brand. If we’d have tried to introduce it before Insignia, it probably wouldn’t have worked. Now we have the quality, and we’re flirting with more character and personality.’
And what will the Vauxhall Junior be called?

Nobody's saying until next week. The bizarre comic strip suggests that it'll stick with the 'a' sound at the end, like Corsa, Astra and Insignia. The Allegra name has been bandied around, but then Junior kind of ends in a similar sound.

By Mark Hamilton
Motor Industry
03 May 2012 05:15



Renault may have halved its UK product range and taken a profit tumble in 2011, but its budget car subsidiary Dacia has been growing strongly with its range of no-nonsense value-for-money cars. The Dacia Duster SUV has been winning plaudits for its cheap-and-cheerful blend of practicality and value,and leads the UK market launch next month.
Dacia: Renault's developing market brand heads West


Dacia was founded by the Romanian government in 1966, and began with license-production of the Renault 8 (Dacia 1100) and Renault 12 (Dacia 1300). But Renault would prefer you forget the 33 years of old Renault-derived Eastern European automotive oddities and pick up the story in September 1999, when they acquired a 51% ownership stake in Dacia.

Renault-owned Dacia's first model was the 2004 Logan, an object lesson in fuss-free three-box compact saloon design for developing markets spun from existing Renault small-car components. Since then the brand has grown to MPV, van and pickup versions of the Logan, the Sandero hatchback, and the Duster compact crossover SUV. Unlike logical rivals Skoda or Hyundai-Kia who have moved upmarket from humble beginnings, Dacia's remit is to remain a producer of cheap, practical, reliable transportation.
Dacia's delayed UK plans

The original plan was for Dacia to launch in the UK in 2008, with the then-new Sandero supermini. But the global financial crisis refocussed Dacia's plans and in 2010 the company began putting plans in place for right-hand drive Dacias to eventually arrive in the UK in 2013. CAR has tested the Duster in Morocco and found it to be a refreshingly unpretentious family wagon.

Dacia will launch here with a two-car range: Duster in 2012 and the next-generation Sandero joining in 2013. Final pricing has not been set, but Dacia has announced that the Sandero will start under £7000, and the Duster range will begin at under £10,000. Pre-orders will be available for a £100 deposit and the first Dusters will be delivered in January 2013

Nissan has announced that its Juke-R prototype will enter limited production on a build-to-order basis. Yes, really.

Nissan Juke-R (2012): why so serious?

The Juke-R is the result of the Nissan Europe Technical Centre in Cranfield teaming-up with UK motorsport engineering firm RML to stuff the powertrain of a Nissan GTR into a Nissan Juke bodyshell to create 'the world's fastest crossover'. Nissan and RML (known for its WTCC and BTCC championship-winning cars) have previous form in the small car/big engine game, having administered a bootload of BTCC engine to 2003's mid-engined Micra R, and following that with a Nismo-tuned 350Z engine for the Micra 350SR.
Nissan Juke-R (2012) turns internet stardom into production reality

The Juke-R grew up under the watchful gaze of social media, and elicited a suitably viral buzz-generating amount of Facebook likes, Twitter tweets and 'OMG ORSUM!!!1! ROFLOL o_O)' comments on Youtube. Then in January 2012 Nissan took the Juke-R to visit the shy and retiring automotive scene in Dubai. Juke-R acted as pace car to the Dubai 24hr GT endurance race, and proceeded to dispatch high-end European exotics from Mercedes, Ferrari and Lamborghini in made-for-video street racing demo. That helped seal the half-pint GTR's unlikely street cred, and led to demand for replicas which Nissan and RML have seen fit to satisfy.

Buying a Juke-R

Nissan is holding three firm offers for production Juke-Rs, and that initial sales commitment has opened the door to expanding production. The production model will differ from the prototype in having the upgraded 2012 model year GTR powertrain. Those three cars will be delivered in late-summer 2012. If you want to express your interest in owning a Juke-R of your own, send an email to Nissan via this address: Juke-R@Nissan.co.uk If you have to ask the price, you clearly don't get the concept. Go back to wishing for a GTR-based Infiniti supercar LOSER!!!1! lol