Originally published February 3rd, 2013.
On weekends and weekdays throughout the year, thousands of amateur drag racers take their daily driven vehicles to the dragstrip to see how quick their car, truck or SUV is and who they can beat while finding out. It is great fun and a licensed driver can do it in any vehicle, minivans included! But the key to a great elapsed time is the “launch”.

When enthusiasts read magazine test results that don’t reflect their personal experience, or especially when it comes to rivalries, they lose interest. What would be ideal is to learn what a vehicle is capable of which would also tell if the published test result is the best potential run.

The launch is revealed to the racers on a printed timeslip handed out at the end of each ¼ mile race. The key measurement for the launch is the time it takes the vehicle to reach sixty feet. The difficult part is managing the available surface traction, tire grip and vehicle power. This is not related to the reaction time.

On street tires from the factory, the starting range is roughly very low 1.6x seconds for an exceptionally quick all wheel drive car. The upper range varies wildly and that is why we want to know what we can strive for. Is 2.0 seconds obtainable or is 2.2 the best we can expect? For every tenth of a second reduction, it translates to two tenths reduced overall in the quarter mile. Now you see why the times can vary wildly.

The thirteen second range, which is a decently quick street car compared to the masses, requires a helmet. Blow your launch, run 14s and now you’re “slow” like everyone else and all the spectators are saying you can’t drive…

Rear wheel and front wheel drive car owners and enthusiasts are the ones to gain the most here. Granted all-wheel drive vehicles can potentially launch harder, but the transmission and the gear ratios must allow for it along with engine power output. What if the car is capable of 1.8 second 60ft times and you’re only getting 2.0s? What can you do better? The magazines ought to provide this metric so owners know what to strive for and what the competition can do. Remember, there are thousands across the US doing this nearly every week, weather permitting. This is an opportunity to capture more subscribers.

The number of participants is far greater than those fortunate enough to track their cars on road circuits but we always read about threshold/emergency braking distances, handling, skidpad results and lap times. That is invaluable data, but it’s time to add another dimension that even more of us can relate to.

According to a press release, Bentley Motors UK has confirmed that it will build the world’s fastest and most luxurious SUV - the first off-road vehicle in the marque’s history.

This was announced at the launch at its Crewe HQs, of three new Bentley models, namely, the Flying Spur sedan, the Continental 4.0 litre GT V8 S and the 6.0 litre Continental GT Speed Convertible. The later is considered the world’s fastest four-seat production convertible.

Bentley Flying Spur

Continental GT V8 S

Continental GT Speed Convertible

The production of the new model will create new 1,000 jobs at Bentley and its suppliers.

The company recorded strong sales increases through the first three quarters of 2013 (delivering a total of 6,516 cars against 5,969 in 2012) and opening of 23 international dealerships in locations from Bucharest, Lyon and Minsk through to Hanoi (Vietnam) and the famous Silk Road city of Urumqi.

The F-TYPE Coupé made its global debut on 19 November in Los Angeles.


The all-aluminium F-TYPE Coupé is available in three versions: F-TYPE R, F-TYPE S and the F-TYPE. All engines drive the rear wheels through an eight-speed 'Quickshift' transmission with full manual sequential control via steering wheel-mounted paddles or the central SportShift lever.

The F-TYPE R Coupé is powered by Jaguar’s 5.0-litre supercharged V8 engine, delivering acceleration to 60 mph in 4 seconds, and a top speed of 186 mph (electronically limited). The F-TYPE R delivers enhanced agility and handling via Jaguar’s second-generation Electronic Active Differential, Jaguar’s new Torque Vectoring by braking system and a Carbon Ceramic Matrix (CCM) braking system.

The new Mercedes-Benz S-Class is now available in all key markets. Following its launch in Europe at the end of July and in China at the end of September, it is also available at dealers in the USA since this week. This means that Mercedes-Benz has introduced its flagship model into the top three S-Class markets in less than twelve weeks, making the S-Class launch the fastest ever in the company's history.

This almost simultaneous launch in all key markets was only possible because production of the luxury saloon started up in record time at Mercedes-Benz's main plant in Sindelfingen. All S-Class vehicles for global distribution are rolling off the production line in Sindelfingen in a two-shift operation. So far, more than 30,000 customers have ordered the luxury sedan.

"Since its launch three month ago, the new S-Class has already jumped back into the lead in terms of new vehicle registrations in Germany and its neighbouring European countries, seamlessly building on the success of its predecessor," says Ola Källenius, Member of the Divisional Board Mercedes-Benz Cars responsible for Marketing & Sales. "Our customers around the world are raving about the cutting-edge design, the exemplary efficiency and the groundbreaking safety systems of the new S-Class."

For customers and automotive experts alike, the S-Class has long been the yardstick for advanced engineering and luxury driving. The innovative safety systems featured in the new S-Class include the DISTRONIC PLUS with Steer Assist and Stop & Go Pilot, which help the driver to stay in lane and even enable the car to drive itself in a traffic jam with only minimal intervention. The sensors of the MAGIC BODY CONTROL are another highlight: They make the new S-Class the first vehicle worldwide that is able to detect surface undulations in the road ahead and prime the suspension accordingly – offering an unparalleled level of driving comfort.

The new S-Class achieves fuel-consumption figures that were unimaginable in the mid-range series only a few years ago. Mercedes-Benz's new flagship model uses around 20 percent less fuel than its predecessor, making it the most economical sedan in the luxury segment.

In 2012, Mercedes-Benz delivered over 65,000 vehicles of the S-Class. After China, the USA is the second-largest market for the S-Class. Last year, more than two thirds of all luxury sedans sold worldwide went to customers in these two countries. A feature of vehicles sold there is the extended wheelbase: The vehicles of the S-Class in China and the USA are 20 centimetres longer.

In the mid-1950s, the 220 model laid the foundation for the S-Class series. Since this time, Mercedes-Benz has delivered over 3.5 million S-Class vehicles to customers all over the world. The preceding generation alone sold over half a million units.

The launch of the new S-Class extends the Mercedes-Benz model range in the luxury segment to a total of six variants: There will now be three new models in addition to the short wheelbase and extended wheelbase variants and the S-Class coupé. To achieve this, Daimler is investing heavily in the Mercedes-Benz plant in Sindelfingen. Between 2011 and 2014, around €350 million is being pumped into the S-Class bodyshell, around €130 million into the vehicle press shop and around €70 million into assembly. This year alone, investment in the Sindelfingen plant is set to total around €1 billion.

Credits: Daimler AG

Copyright © 2013, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.

The BMW i3 was launched today simultaneously in New York City, London and Beijing.

It is the first purpose-built plug-in electric production vehicle to be made primarily from carbon fiber.


Watch it here:




http://www.live.bmwgroup.com

The New V60

Volvo has had their most significant product launch ever. 6 new models were unveiled at an exclusive event in Gothenburg, Sweden. These are the new S60, V60, XC60, V70, XC70 and S80 models - all with updates based on feedback from customers. They will be officially revealed to the public at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show.

The New S60