Subaru has officially launched its latest fast saloon, the new WRX (the old Impreza name has been dropped, but remains sort of hanging, unspoken, in the air) in the US market.
The car has a new, lighter, stiffer body shell and, while the emphasis is solidly on performance, there have been some thoughtful practical touches too.
These include a 25mm stretch in the wheelbase to improve rear legroom and an A-pillar design that moves forward by 200mm, making for a little more space in the front of the cabin, but more importantly improving forward visibility.
It’ll certainly be a case of eyes-forward when the power kicks in. The new 2.0-litre flat-four (of course) engine develops an entertaining-sounding 270hp (up by a mere 3hp over the old 2.5-litre unit) but the real boost is to torque, which rises (up to 350Nm) and drops down the rev range (from 4,400rpm on the old engine to 2,000rpm now).
Standard wheels are a mere 17in but we’ll be amazed if the good old gold speed lines aren’t an option.
The only question is whether or not the new WRX will make its way across the Atlantic. Hot Imprezas were once hugely popular here and in the UK, but the recession, and the rise of CO2-based tax systems killed sales dead.
Subaru has not yet revealed the CO2 emissions of the new model, but it has at least said that United Kingdom sales are “under consideration” which would mean that Irish sales, even in tiny numbers, are at least a possibility.
Mercedes makes a first with China investment
Mercedes-Benz, or at least its parent company, Daimler-Benz, has made history by becoming the first western car maker granted permission to invest in a Chinese car company.
The Chinese authorities have given the go-ahead to Daimler taking a 12 per cent stake in Beijing Automotive Industrial Group (BAIC), one of China’s largest indigenous car makers, with sales of 1.7 million vehicles last year. It’s likely that the move will be the final trigger to BAIC going public on the Shanghai stock exchange in the next few months.
The stake in BAIC will also help to better focus Mercedes' operations in China, which have until now been split between an importer of German-built models and a separate local joint venture to build Mercedes cars in China. The split caused ructions in recent years as the two separate companies got into a pricing
war, discounting cars to compete with one another and diluting both sales and profits.
As for all car makers, China has huge importance for the Mercedes brand, as it attempts to claw back global market share from its two major German rivals.
“It makes it very clear and obvious that, in order to accomplish our 2020 target, we have to get closer to the levels of BMW and Audi within China,” said Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche at the press conference to announce the BAIC stake.
It remains to be seen, however, what the shareholding will mean for Daimler’s other major Chinese operation, a joint venture with the BYD (Build Your Dreams) company to build electric cars. The two companies showed a concept of a new vehicle, badged with the Denza brand, in April of this year.
Peugeot hopes Tavares appointment will help pull carmaker out of Euro market slump
PSA Peugeot Citroen's move to name former Renault SA operations chief Carlos Tavares (below) as its future chief executive officer stands to help secure an alliance with Dongfeng Motors, which may be the carmaker's last chance to end its reliance on Europe's slumping car market.
Tavares will join Peugeot’s management board on January 1st and will replace CEO Philippe Varin, 61, later in the year. Before stepping down, Varin will focus on discussions with partners.
While the Paris-based manufacturer didn’t mention specific companies, deepening cooperation with Dongfeng – Peugeot’s joint venture partner in China – represents its best opportunity of gaining a foothold outside Europe.
With other automotive options scarce, the most likely alternative to Dongfeng is to go it alone and hope the French government steps in if finances get tight.
“It does seem as if the Chinese are the only lifeboat left for Peugeot,” said Garel Rhys, head of the Centre for Automotive Industry Research in Cardiff. “In a sense, PSA is lucky to have a Chinese company wanting to get involved because there are huge issues.”
The company has been searching for new partners to end its dependence on mid-market cars in Europe, where auto demand is at a two-decade low and Peugeot is losing market share. A previous deal with General Motors that was focused on cutting costs in Europe has failed to provide relief and offers limited potential because the two carmakers largely compete for the same customers.
Peugeot said in October that it is reviewing backing away from part of the cooperation.
“Going back to GM is not an option,” said Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer, director of the Center for Automotive Research at the University of Duisburg-Essen. “Dongfeng is the only option and the best option.”