Monday, August 24, 2015
McLaren Honda looks towards the Spanish Grand Prix 2015.
| Grand Prix Preview | Spain 2015 |
| Facts & Stats: Circuit de Catalunya |
| The Circuit |
The Circuit de Catalunya is the sixth Spanish venue to host a world championship Grand Prix, after Pebralbes, Montjuic Park, Valencia, Jarama and Jerez. It’s located in the northern industrial suburbs of Barcelona and has been a permanent fixture on the Formula 1 calendar since 1991. However, it hasn’t always hosted motorised events; it was one of the many building projects ahead of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, during which the track hosted the time-trial cycling events. The circuit’s layout is a thorough test of man and machine. Only three of its 16 turns are taken at less than 100km/h (62mph); the remainder are all medium and high-speed corners, which test a car’s high-speed balance and aerodynamic efficiency. These challenges have made the circuit a popular testing venue over the years, the most recent tests taking place last February. Overtaking is notoriously difficult. Eighteen of the 24 Grands Prix staged at the Circuit de Catalunya have been won from pole position, which is the highest ratio of any track on the calendar – including Monaco. As a result, a good qualifying performance is key. A good start is also important because the run from pole position to the apex of Turn One is the longest of the season. A lot can be won and lost during this 730-metre dash and you often see drivers being very aggressive under braking for the first corner. This is a challenging circuit for tyres because the combination of old, abrasive asphalt and fast corners puts a lot of energy through the rubber, particularly the front left. To combat these stresses, Pirelli are taking their two hardest compounds to the race, the Medium (Option) and Hard (Prime). |
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| Spanish Grand Prix 8th - 10th May Circuit de Catalunya |
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| McLaren at the Spanish Grand Prix |
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2016 Nissan GT-R 45th Anniversary Gold Edition
Nissan has released more photos of the 2016 GT-R 45th Anniversary Edition, a limited run series of which fewer than 30 units will reach the United States (of a global production of 45 units).
Based on the GT-R Premium model, the limited edition commemorates the GT-R’s long heritage of high performance. All 2016 Nissan GT-R 45th Anniversary Edition models feature a special gold paint color, the same “Silica Brass” hue seen on the 2001 Skyline GT-R M-Spec (R34 Type).
The limited edition model also sports a special gold-tone VIN plate located inside the engine compartment and a special commemorative plaque on the interior center console.
The 2016 GT-R 45th Anniversary Edition is priced from $102,770, making it $1,000 more expensive than the base Premium model. With the exception of the gold-tone VIN plate, nothing changes under the hood, as the anniversary model features the same VR38DETT 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6 engine from the base model which produces 550PS (542hp) and 463lb-ft (627Nm) of torque.
PHOTO GALLERY
Finance Director pops out for a bag of sugar and comes back with three brand new MG3 cars.
Rebecca Allen only popped out for a bag of sugar – and came back with three shiny new MG3s! But Rebecca, the Finance Director of a specialist engineering company in Sheffield, says she got better value with her fleet of cars than even special supermarket offers.
She explained: “It was one of those amazing coincidences – we were looking for cars for our sales team but nothing we looked at matched our list of requirements.
“At lunchtime I’d just nipped out to our local supermarket when I saw a line-up of MGs at the MG dealer just across the road and decided to pop in. My dad had owned MGs in the past so I knew the brand, but hadn't got up close to the latest models.”
An hour or so later and Rebecca had solved her company’s fleet issue and ordered three new MG3s.
She said: “The more we looked at the MG3 the more they made sense. The price was extremely competitive alone, but then when we looked at all the extra equipment we got on the MGs as standard, it made even stronger financial sense.
“Our sales team all love them and they get a great reception when we go to see clients. Buying the MG3s was a really good move by us and the dealer has provided an excellent service. We couldn't be more pleased.”
Rebecca works for Straaltechniek UK Ltd; an independent specialist shot blasting and engineering company with links to a large Belgium-based group. The UK company was founded 16 years ago by Rebecca’s father and now employs 26 people.
They supply, install and service shot blasting and shot peening equipment throughout the world and also provide a wide range of specialist engineering services ranging from advanced CNC machining to laser and plasma cutting, welding, fabrication and paint shop work.
The company is very proud of the engineering heritage of Sheffield and is a member of the ‘Made in Sheffield’ group.
Rebecca said: “MG’s an iconic British brand and it’s good to know that the cars we have were largely designed and engineered in Britain.”
Chris Grace, Sales Executive at Eric Stead (Garages) Ltd, who supplied the MG3s said: “We are delighted that Rebecca and her team are so pleased with the cars.
“Straaltechniek is a very well known local company and it’s great that they have put their confidence in the MG3. It’s a great car and was way ahead on value of any of the cars that Rebecca had been looking at.”
2015 2016 SEAT Alhambra minivan Show Updates
Upgraded engines for the SEAT Alhambra is now meet environmental standards "Euro 6", and they have become 15% more efficient. Petrol motors consist of versions 1.4 TSI (150 hp) and 2.0 TSI (220 hp) and diesel include: 1.6 TDI (115 hp) and 2.0 TDI (150 hp or 184 hp .with.).
Home sales updated SEAT Alhambra and the prices will be announced in the autumn of 2015.
AUDI sees growth in every market except Russia, but still manages to see significant growth in April
- Around 152,850 deliveries worldwide in the month – up 2.5 percent
- Sales chief Luca de Meo: “New all-time highs despite upcoming model changes”
- Sales in the Americas grew by 12.7 percent
After the best first quarter in the company’s history, Audi also sold more cars in April: around 152,850 deliveries exceeded prior-year sales in April by 2.5 percent. Demand again increased in all regions of the world compared with the same month of the preceding year.
AUDI AG’s business developed positively especially on the American continent: deliveries to customers climbed by 12.7 percent. From January to April, global unit sales of the company thus grew by 5.2 percent to around 591,050 premium automobiles.
“Audi remains on course and posted a solid sales performance in April. Despite the upcoming generation changes in key model families and sales markets we have surpassed the record figures of the previous year,” says Luca de Meo, Board Member for Sales and Marketing at AUDI AG. “In the coming months we intend to continue growing worldwide.”
In the U.S., Audi sales in the past month grew by 7.5 percent to 16,827 units. In particular, the brand’s SUVs were in high demand among U.S. customers: altogether, sales of the Q models increased by 35.6 percent to 6,447 units.
Across all models, deliveries by Audi of America have increased since the beginning of the year by 11.9 percent to 56,925 units, marking significantly faster growth than the U.S. market as a whole. Double‑digit growth for the month of April was reported in the region by Canada (up 36.6% to 3,219 cars) and Brazil (up 67.5% to 1,856 cars).
In Europe, Audi concluded the past month slightly above the figures for April 2014 and delivered around 71,750 cars to customers, 0.9 percent more than a year ago. Key Western European markets such as Italy (up 22.4% to 5,225 cars), Spain (up 15.8% to 4,100 cars) and Sweden (up 21.1% to 1,879 cars) led the monthly balance sheet as growth drivers.
The Western European region reported a sales increase of 3.1 percent to around 67,300 cars for April. Cumulatively, Audi unit sales in this region amounted to around 262,550 cars, an increase of 4.6 percent. The brand’s full‑size category models in particular are experiencing significantly increasing demand in the Western European markets.
Sales of the updated Audi A6 already available there have risen by 15.8 percent since January to around 32,250 cars delivered. Also the new Audi Q7 is drawing strong customer interest for the brand’s top segment: advanced orders for the full‑size SUV are already on a high level, ahead of its market introduction. The model will premiere at dealer showrooms in first markets from mid‑year on and will start to be handed over to customers at that time.
In Russia, the negative market trend continued also for Audi in April: since the beginning of 2015, local sales have declined by one‑third (down 31% to 8,248 cars). By contrast, the brand with the four rings has enjoyed strong momentum in Turkey; the A3 Sedan in particular has attracted customers to the dealerships. 6,829 additional Turkish Audi drivers represent an increase of 47.7 percent during the first four months of the year; growth for April even amounted to 54.8 percent.
In the Chinese market, Audi sold 178,612 cars so far this year, 5.2 percent more than in the same period of 2014. In April, 45,296 sales were at the high level of the prior‑year month. In Spring 2014, Audi introduced the new A3 Sportback and the A3 Sedan as an additional member of the model family to Chinese dealerships and thereby significantly strengthened its position in the strategically important segment of premium compact cars. With the A3 and the Q3, Audi is also the leading premium manufacturer in the compact segment in China.
Audi is already selling more premium compact cars in China than in any other market, even though the share of compact cars in the Chinese market as a whole is still low compared to the international level.
| Sales for AUDI AG | In April | Cumulative | ||||
| 2015 | 2014 | Change from 2014 | 2015 | 2014 | Change from 2014 | |
| World | 152,850 | 149,046 | +2.5% | 591,050 | 561,894 | +5.2% |
| Europe | 71,750 | 71,152 | +0.9% | 279,000 | 271,505 | +2.8% |
| -Germany | 25,663 | 25,503 | +0.6% | 98,871 | 91,961 | +7.5% |
| -UK | 13,126 | 12,630 | +3.9% | 58,907 | 56,301 | +4.6% |
| -France | 5,712 | 5,691 | +0.4% | 20,321 | 20,272 | +0.2% |
| -Italy | 5,225 | 4,270 | +22.4% | 17,821 | 16,807 | +6.0% |
| -Spain | 4,100 | 3,541 | +15.8% | 16,422 | 15,060 | +9.0% |
| -Russia | 2,116 | 3,660 | -42.2% | 8,248 | 11,946 | -31.0% |
| USA | 16,827 | 15,653 | +7.5% | 56,925 | 50,881 | +11.9% |
| Mexico | 957 | 951 | +0.6% | 4,152 | 4,026 | +3.1% |
| Brazil | 1,856 | 1,108 | +67.5% | 5,870 | 4,223 | +39.0% |
| China (incl. Hong Kong) | 45,296 | 45,216 | +0.2% | 178,612 | 169,736 | +5.2% |
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