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2004 Paris Auto
Show by TCC Team
(9/20/2004)
The well-loved lights of the City of Light take the
stage.
BMW H2R

2004 BMW H2R
HUMMER may have the H2 initials locked
up, but BMW’s favorite H(2) these days is hydrogen —
and that’s the fuel it used to propel a
new experimental race car to a new record. The H2R, shown off after its
record-breaking run of 185 mph at a French test track, is thought to be the
fastest hydrogen-powered car ever built, giving BMW’s efforts to develop cars
based around the alternative fuel a sporting shot in the arm. The H2R is powered
by a 6.0-liter V-12, not the fuel-cell powertrain that other automakers have
pursued as the industry tries to engineer a course away from fossil fuels. The
H2R, BMW says, accelerates to 60 mph in about 6.0 seconds, weighs 3440 pounds
and develops 285 hp from its future-think powertrain.
BMW 1-Series

2005 BMW 1-Series
The entry-level BMW 1-Series emerged in five-door form
at the Paris show, with gas and diesel engines powering the compact rear-driver
that BMW hopes will make the planet forget about the truly forgettable 318ti
hatchbacks of the 1990s. The 1-Series shares components with the 3-Series and
starts with the base 116i model with a 115-hp engine. The rear-drive chassis has
50-50 weight distribution for good handling from the strut front/multi-link rear
suspension. A six-speed manual gearbox is standard on all but the 116i model.
Run-flat tires are standard, while a version of iDrive, keyless entry, and a
Bluetooth interface for mobile phones are optional.
The 1-Series won’t be coming to the U.S. in this form,
but as BMW officials outlined during their press conference, future derivatives
will be headed across the Atlantic (a two-door coupe is thought to be the likely
candidate for a 2006 model-year intro in America). But why do a car smaller than
the 3-Series anyway when BMW controls the sassy, successfully reincarnated MINI?
Because of estimates that the compact market sells 12 million vehicles a year,
and will account for 20 percent of worldwide car sales by the end of the
decade.
Volkswagen GTI

2006 Volkswagen GTI
Though it’s here at the
Paris show this week and available right away
for European customers, Volkswagen’s GTI takes a looooong time to get to
U.S.
enthusiasts
— the 2006
model doesn’t arrive until October of 2005, and in the
U.S. we'll only get the two-door model. The new GTI, the fifth generation of
the go-fast econobox that practically invented its own market niche, shows up
with the new 2.0-liter FSI turbo engine with 200 hp and 206 lb-ft of torque
that’s also found in the new Audi A3, here teamed to a six-speed gearbox. So shod,
the new GTI hits a top speed of 146 mph and should be able to sprint from 0-60
mph in 7 seconds; a DSG version should cut that figure to 6.7 seconds. The new
GTI gets way more aggressive that previous editions: big bumpers front and aft,
a black radiator grille with red rim, and black trim at the lower part of the
body outline its intentions as do the rear wing, double exhaust tips, and
17-inch wheels. Inside there are logoed sport seats, a three-spoke steering
wheel, and aluminum pedals and shift knob.
Audi A4

2005 Audi A4
The facelifted Audi A4 range gains the
beyond-large grille already in place on the twelve-cylinder A8 and the new A6
—
but that’s not the only improvement for the no-longer entry-level
four-ringer. Four new engines are on tap for
Europe for a grand total of nine; most important to
Stateside Audiheads are the new 3.2-liter V-6 FSI with 255 hp and the 200-hp,
2.0-liter turbocharged FSI. Audi has updated the suspension with parts from the
A6 and S4.
Also at the
Paris show, Audi chairman Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn announced that the production version of the
Pikes Peak concept would be known as the Q7, a naming
decision that probably has hackles raised at Infiniti. "The letter Q denotes a
new type family within our company, alongside A, S and RS. The 7 indicates that
it is positioned between the A6 and A8," explained Prof. Winterkorn in a
release, perhaps as an early defense in the seemingly inevitable exchange of
legal letters. The five-door, seven-seater Q7 will be Audi’s first SUV.
Aston Martin Vanquish S

2005 Aston Martin Vanquish S
Fastest Aston — say that
five times fast and the new Vanquish S will be gone before you get tongue-tied.
Ford’s uppermost brand said on Thursday at the
Paris
show that a boost in power to its V-12
supercar pushes it to more than 200 mph. The 6.0-liter V-12 in the Vanquish S
now develops 520 horsepower, and gets small revisions to its suspension and
steering to handle the newfound capabilities. Aston will still build the
“slower” 460-hp version, but the S will assume the topmost spot in the lineup
—
and will wear some cosmetics befitting its new station in life,
including a more rounded grille and a new trunklid revamped for better
high-speed air flow. Larger six-piston calipers for the brakes are included. And
as always, the price is “if you have to ask…”
Volvo XC90 V-8

2005 Volvo XC90 V-8
In the
U.S.
, some 30
percent of the entries in the premium SUV market have V-8 power. And that made
Volvo upset enough to go out and commission a V-8 of its own for the
strong-selling XC90. Starting next January,
U.S.
buyers will
be able to pony up to the Yamaha-made 4.4-liter V-8, which has 315 hp and will
be teamed to a six-speed automatic transmission. The XC90 V-8 will be able to
sprint from 0-60 in less than 7 seconds. Volvo says the new eight will be the
cleanest engine of its type —
it meets U.S. ULEV-II requirements —
and will also
be the most compact, as its 60-degree cylinder banks are also staggered for more
compact packaging. Volvo hopes to sell 15,000 XC90 V-8s worldwide, with the
States getting 75 percent of those models.
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