JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE SRT8 ALPINE LIMITED EDITION FOR MZANSI

The local Chryslerbrand is experiencing something of a mini revivalof late, with fresh new product such as the new 300 C and Jeep Grand Cherokee. A performance Grand, called the SRT8, is currently on the market and a special edition of that, called the Alpine limited edition,is here.

We don’t know exactly why it’s called Alpine. However, we do know that only 95 units will be sold here. The SRT8 Alpine features a unique brand of white paintwork, sharply contrasted by a very distinctive set of black 20-inchwheels with something called a Black Vapor Chrome finish. They in turn, are also contrasted by red Brembo brake calipers.

The 6.4-litrenaturally aspirated V8 engine remains the same, with 344kW and 624Nm of torque puffing out at the slightest of pedal prods.

This Grand Cherokee SRT8 Alpine limited edition will cost you R864 990 at the till. 

AUDI MZANSI CONFIRMS RS 4 AVANT PRICING

One of our favouritecars of all time, the old Audi RS 4 Avant, stopped production way back in 2007. Since then we’ve longed and craved, and finally that badge is back in Mzansi. But will it live up to that excellent reputation of its forebear? We don’t know yet, but plan to find out later in the year. Meantime, here’s the lowdown on specs and all.

The new RS 4 is only available as an Avant (station wagon) so please don’t phone your nearest Audi dealership asking if they are ordering the sedan version. And it’s also quite limited in numbers so you really need to get on with the order asap if you want one.

What you’ll get is the same ole’ 4.2-litre naturally aspirated V8 engine pulling out 331kW of power at 8250rpm and 430Nm of torque between 4000rpm and 6000rpm. Audi claims it can run off from 0 – 100km/h in just 4.7 seconds and top off at 250km/h, all the while averaging about 11 litresof unleaded fuel per 100km.

Some of the technical aspects of the RS 4 Avant include the fact that it has quattro all-wheel-drive (AWD), naturally, which is 40:60 split for rear-biased handling, while utilising the services of a crown-centre differential (same as RS 5 Coupe) to vary the torque between axles for maximum handling effect. All this is driven through a 7-speed double clutch gearbox badged “S tronic”, which is basically DSG from Volkswagen Group.

Because this is essentially a performance car pretending to be a mama’s wagon, it is 20 millimetres longer, 24 millimetres wider and 20mm lower than a normal A4 Avant, so that it gets as close to the ground as possible.

Some of the standard items include the likes of 19-inch alloy wheels, LED daytime running lights, xenon plus headlights, a front grille finished in matte aluminium, S sports seats (yeah!) with alcantara trim, a flat-bottomed sports steering wheel with shift paddles behind it, and the Audi Connect system which turns the whole car into a Wifi hotspot that can connect other devices to the internet.

The new Audi RS 4 Avant is now being sold at a dealership near you for the price of R875 000. Stunning if you consider that its most direct rival, in Mzansi the Mercedes-Benz C 63 AMG Estate costs R923 000 on order, while in Germany, the same RS 4 Avant is priced at around R905 000.

INDIA-BUILT JAGUARS ROLL OFF FACTORY LINE

Jaguar Land Rover is commencing production of the Jaguar XF saloon at its facility in Pune, India, from components supplied from the company’s Castle Bromwich plant in Birmingham, UK.  

The initial Pune-built Jaguar XF models will feature the company’s acclaimed 2.2-litre diesel engine, which is coming to the Indian market for the first time. The Jaguars will be built alongside Land Rover Freelander 2 vehicles which have been produced in Pune since May 2011

Dr Ralf Speth, Chief Executive of Jaguar Land Rover, said: "India is a market that offers significant opportunities for both the Jaguar and Land Rover brands. The expansion of our Pune operations to include the Jaguar XF will help us realise our ambitions for the Indian market.

“Jaguar Land Rover is committed to building a sustainable, profitable business; increasing our global manufacturing footprint is a key element of our growth strategy. Together with our joint venture manufacturing facility already under construction near Shanghai, expanding our operations at Pune will help us increase the global volume of cars we build, in addition to those produced in the UK.”

Rohit Suri, Vice President, Jaguar Land Rover India said: “The Land Rover Freelander 2 and the Jaguar XF are our best-selling models in India and this has driven the move to build these products locally.

"The Jaguar XF has become very popular with our customers due to its sports car performance, outstanding luxury saloon elegance and contemporary individual styling. Its inspired engineering and technological innovation have helped it to win more than 100 awards internationally. So we are now delighted to offer this car as a locally built product with a new engine for this market, which will enable us to provide our customers with a wider choice of competitively priced models."

Jaguar Land Rover India recently announced a 32% growth in wholesales in 2012 at 2393 cars compared with 1813 cars in the previous year.

STORY BY JAGUAR

NEXT FERRARI HYBRID HYPERCAR TEASED

Now available online on the official Ferrari web site are the first teaser images of the new special limited series hybrid supercar which is due to debut later this year.

The two images of the car accompany an interview by The Official Ferrari Magazine with Roberto Fedeli, Technical Director, and Flavio Manzoni, Head of the Styling Centre In the article they discuss the importance of the legacy of Ferrari’s previous special limited series models – the GTO, the F40, F50 and Enzo Ferrari – and the company’s approach today to transferring Formula 1 technology and innovations to its road cars.

STORY BY FERRARI

INFINITI Q50 GOES AFTER GERMAN EXECUTIVES

The new Infiniti Q50 sedan was unveiled at the 2013 North American International Auto Show in Detroit this week. The car is touted as a direct competitor to those pesky Germans called 3 Series, A4 and C-Class, as well as the rising Volvo S60. Infiniti launched a whole range of cars in South Africa late last year and will be looking at the Q50 quite closely too.

The compact executive sedan is the first to use the new Q naming strategy in recent times, although it was previously used in the 1990s for the bigger sedans like the Q45. With the “new” naming strategy, expect to see more Q-named cars coming from this Nissan brand.

Q50 is actually just in time to meet up with one of its most direct rivals in the form of the new Lexus IS, also revealed at Detroit and definitely destined for Mzansi. It features two engines as far as the American spec goes, the first of which is the 3.7-litre V6 with 245kW and 363Nm of torque, just like in the 370 Z. Then there’s a hybrid based on the 3.5-litre V6 engine that pushes out 264kW in total, while returning a good fuel cycle apparently. At least three more engine variants will have to be introduced at some point in order to effectively take on said Germans. The cars run on a 7-speed automatic gearbox which makes them quite smooth and easy to shift.

Some technologies that are featured included LED-infused headlights, two-zone climatic control, Bluetoothconnectivity, a touchscreen display and others.