Lexus Goes Small for its Big Game Commercial

Lexus Goes Small for its Big Game Commercial
BMW Fixes Major Security Flaw in 2.2M Cars
BMW, Toyota May Collaborate on Mini Minor
Mercedes’ Role in Aston Martin’s Future
Next-Gen Nissan GT-R Hybrid Coming in 2018 ‘at the Earliest’
Aston Martin Won’t Go Downmarket to Chase Sales

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Lexus has decided to go small for this its Super Bowl commercial this year.

With the Japanese automaker's new RC 350 as the focus for this year's ad, the company is actually showing off just how fun and versatile it is… in remote-control form. With precision drifting and Japan's legendary Drift44 behind the controls, the commercial spotlights a remote control RC 350 swinging sideways with ease.

SEE ALSO: 2015 Lexus RC 350 F Sport Review

But having a remote control car as the focus of your commercial doesn't exactly sell cars. Obviously Lexus is well aware of that, which is why it shows off what the real model can do and just how nimble the production coupe is.

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  Discuss this story at our Lexus forum

BMW Fixes Major Security Flaw in 2.2M Cars

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BMW has fixed a major security flaw that would have allowed hackers to unlock car doors.

In about 2.2 million BMW vehicles equipped with the ConnectedDrive system, hackers were able to unlock the doors remotely to unprotected remote signals. Models at risk included everything from the Mini hatchback all the way up to a brand new Rolls-Royce. BMW said officials with the German motorist association ADAC found the problem, which has now been fixed.

SEE ALSO: BMW Updates Connected Drive

In cars equipped with the system, owners are able to unlock the doors remotely from a smart phone along with a number of other actions such as activating the air conditioning or heat. BMW says that the issue was when the data was transmitted, it was not protected. The issue did not require a recall as BMW was able to fix it remotely.

"The online capability of BMW Group ConnectedDrive allowed the gap to be closed quickly and safely in all vehicles," BMW said. "There was no need for vehicles to go to the workshop."

[Source: Automotive News]

Discus this story at our BMW Forum

BMW, Toyota May Collaborate on Mini Minor

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A brand new entry-level Mini might be the result of a collaboration between BMW and Toyota.

News broke recently that BMW is considering a new entry-level Mini model that will potentially use the Minor nameplate. Toyota may also add the new small car to its lineup using the Starlet badge, though it likely wouldn't be sold in North America.

If built, the Minor would be smaller and less expensive than the current three-door Mini. Based on what we know from the Rocketman concept, the Minor would be about 11-feet, 4-inches long. Eventually, an all-electric version of the Mini Minor is also supposed to join the lineup.

BMW and Toyota aligned in 2011 to work on diesel engines, but have since entered into a deeper collaboration. The most recent project is a new sports car that will be the Z4 replacement for BMW and a new Supra for Toyota.

[Source: Auto Bild via Auto News]

Discuss this story at our MINI Forum

Mercedes’ Role in Aston Martin’s Future

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Several years ago Aston Martin inked a deal with Mercedes-Benz. The German firm secured a non-voting 5 percent stake in the famous sports-car maker and in exchange the folks in Britain are getting a number of important technologies.

"We look to Mercedes for three things, there's the powertrain (read: transmissions), the electrical architecture, and specifically there's the base architecture in terms of V8 engines and technology. And that's really where we're putting our focus today," said Julian Jenkins, Aston Martin's president of the Americas.

What this means for future Aston Martin powertrains is unclear. The folks at AMG are known for building muscular, naturally aspirated engines, though in recent years they've rapidly adopted forced-induction as a way of improving fuel efficiency without sacrificing performance.

Jenkins wouldn't comment, but it seems likely that turbochargers will find their way into future Aston Martins when their corporate tie-up finally bears fruit. This likely means the company's glorious 6.0-liter V12 is living on borrowed time.

Further clarifying what's in the works, Matthew Clarke, public relations and brand communications manager for Aston Martin said, "This is not a supply deal, this is a technical partnership, so, we're not just going to lift undoubtedly very good AMG-Mercedes technology and put it in our cars." He said whatever they borrow has to be tailored to meet their specific needs.

As for a timetable Clarke said, "The first sort of Mercedes-influenced car is a little while yet." When pressed harder he responded, "A couple years is a good guess."

Discuss this story on our Luxury-Lifestyle Forum.

Next-Gen Nissan GT-R Hybrid Coming in 2018 ‘at the Earliest’

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New rumors on the next-generation Nissan GT-R have surfaced.

In a recent interview with Top Gear the Japanese automaker's Chief Creative Officer, Shiro Nakamura, revealed that the redesigned R36 GT-R won't make an appearance until 2018 at the earliest. According to Nakamura the current GT-R, which is regularly updated every year, is still selling well and the current GT-R engineering team believes there's even more untapped potential from the sports car.

As for what we can expect with the R36 GT-R, Nakamura hinted that it will borrow some styling influences from the recent 2020 Vision Gran Turismo concept but reminded everyone that the concept is a mid-engine car and the GT-R will forever remain a front-engine, rear-wheel drive platform. He also confirmed that it will be a hybrid though didn't specify just how much performance we can expect.

[Source: Top Gear]

Discuss this story at our Nissan forum

Aston Martin Won’t Go Downmarket to Chase Sales

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The Aston Martin brand is known for its high-dollar sports cars but will its lineup ever become more diverse?

"[We're] very conscious of market demand; we have to be," said Julian Jenkins, president, Aston Martin the Americas. "If there is a segment, if there is an opportunity that we can sit comfortably within we will go after it." What areas of the market this could include is still a mystery though.

When asked if they'd ever reach into lower vehicle segments in a bid to increase volume and ultimately profits Jenkins said, "No, not at this stage." He said they're comfortable with the new Vantage GT, which starts at right around $100,000 and serves as their base product.

Rather than chase those sales at the bottom end of the market, Aston wants to maintain exclusivity and may go upmarket to find new buyers. "I think the Lagonda as a brand would be an interesting opportunity," Jenkins said, adding, "That's something that we can build in the future." Originally this model was a "super saloon" the company introduced back in the mid 1970s, though they've revived it once again.

The new Lagonda Taraf is a bespoke four-door offered exclusively in the Middle East where it caters to special market demands. Built on the firm's ubiquitous VH architecture you can think of this car as a less dramatically styled Rapide S with a usable back seat. Interestingly they also used the name Lagonda on a crossover concept about six years ago.

But it's unlikely the company will be storming into new market segments anytime soon. Jenkins said, "I think today, certainly for Aston Martin, we focus on … sports cars. That's where we come from and that's our niche. Clearly that's the immediate focus based on the range we've got today."

About two years ago they signed a deal with Mercedes-Benz to get transmissions, electrical systems and V8 engines but strategic planning could be an important part of other future products the company introduces. Jenkins said, "I think we've been in a very fortunate position, we're small, independent and that's enabled us to collaborate, to work with a number of manufacturers." In the past Aston Martin has partnered with Toyota and Cosworth, of course they have a history with Ford and now they've joined forces with AMG.

Matthew Clarke, public relations and brand communications manager for Aston Martin said, "One of our strengths is we can do that; we're not constrained by any internal politics. We can talk to whoever we wish."

Jenkins said sales growth can come from their existing lineup. "We've only got 149 dealers worldwide, so [there are] markets that we're only just going into now." In fact Aston Martin just started operating in South America. They've got a presence in Chile, Brazil and Peru. Additionally they launched in Mexico last year.

Naturally China is another important country for Aston Martin, as it is for practically every automaker. Jenkins said they're reinforcing their positing there and currently have 14 dealerships. Worldwide they only have 149 stores.

The Chinese car market has been scorching-hot for a number of years now but Clarke said there is one potentially limiting factor. "The big thing for us there is that the sports-car culture doesn't exist yet. It will, I'm sure." The Middle Kingdom is still largely a chauffeur-driven market and cars with commodious back seats are extremely popular with upper-crust Chinese.

As for the rest of Asia Jenkins said, "There are still markets that do not yet have an Aston Martin dealer … But we're not looking to treble or quadruple our volume." Overall they deliver around 4,000 cars per annum, approximately a third of which are sold in the U.S.

Rarity is important and Jenkins posed an interesting question, "When's the last time you saw an Aston Martin on the road local to you?" Clearly this mystique is part of their appeal and it's something company executives want to maintain.

Discuss this story on our Aston Martin Forum.

Car Reviews

Saturday 31 January 2015

Lexus Goes Small for its Big Game Commercial

Lexus Goes Small for its Big Game Commercial