Mercedes-Benz is not a company one would automatically connect with the PlayStation Generation, but the Stuttgart firm is confounding that image by creating a one-off concept car specifically for a game.
The AMG Vision Gran Turismo was created purely for the pleasure of virtually driving it within the new Gran Turismo 6 driving simulator game. GT6 is the latest version of one of the globe’s biggest-selling and most successful gaming franchises and is a cornerstone of the upcoming Sony PlayStation 4 launch.
Mercedes has created an actual physical version of the car, which will be shown at the Los Angeles Motor Show this week. The car was also used to mark the opening of Mercedes’ new R&D centre in Sunnyvale, California.
With an endless bonnet and tiny cabin, the Vision GT is supposed to take inspiration from the original 300SL, and notionally runs a 577hp V8 engine, weighs just over 1,300kg and is, according to Mercedes, a car that is “unrivalled in the super sports car segment and one that guarantees exceptionally dynamic performance.”
Sadly, it will remain a purely fictional model, although it does preview future forays by Mercedes into the gaming world, as well as some possible new design treatments and styling that may well filter down through to cars you can actually buy.
GM boss fears Opel and Chevrolet are competing
General Motors CEO Dan Ackerson has made public his fears that the Opel and Chevrolet brands are competing too much with each other in Europe, and that a change of strategy is on the way. Speaking to Automotive News, Mr Ackerson said that the situation was unpleasantly reminiscent of pre-bankruptcy GM and that “it is of concern to me. Something has to change. I just think there’s channel conflict and confusion.”
The plan had been for Opel to move more and more upmarket and compete more closely with Volkswagen and the big three German premium brands. Chevrolet would then swoop in and take on the likes of Ford, Skoda and Renault. But the plan has mis-fired as Opel has struggled to move up a notch from its present mass-market position and Chevrolet vehicles have been performing more strongly in both sales and critical terms than had been expected. The issue is highlighted by the fact that both Chevrolet and Opel sell versions of the same plugin-hybrid car, the Volt and the Ampera, at similar prices and with the same cutting-edge technology.
GM’s woes have been exacerbated further by confused messages coming from within Opel, whose executives seem to vacillate between staking a claim for premium brand quality and pricing, and then turning around and reassuring buyers that Opel will still offer value models.
Ireland could well be seen as a microcosm of the problem. Chevrolet arrived in the market, with no small fanfare, two years ago and set about wooing the press and establishing a dealer network. The arrival of Dacia though was said to have queered Chevy’s pitch, and sent it retreating from the Irish market altogether, but the closeness to Opel, which itself was trying to mount a sales recovery at the time, was also a major issue.
While Chevrolet abandoned Ireland to leave the way clear for familiar, established Opel, the same may not be true of Europe, where Chevy has been making major sales inroads at a time of falling Opel sales.
Volkswagen recalls 2.6 million cars
Volkswagen has issued a recall for 2.6 million cars worldwide to fix electrical and fuel leakage issues. The bulk of the vehicles involved in the recall are actually being brought in to rectify an issue with an incorrect type of synthetic oil which has been causing gearbox problems. That accounts for 1.6-million of the total number, and it involves both cars and commercial vehicles.
Of more serious concern though are the issues facing both the Amarok pickup truck and the Tiguan SUV. 239,000 Amaroks are being recalled to investigate problems with leaking engine fuel lines. Cars will be fitted with a collar that slots onto the lines to prevent chafing and 287 Amaroks in Ireland will be affected.
The Tiguan is being brought in because of a faulty light fuse which, while it won’t cause a total blackout, could cause some individual lights on the car to malfunction. 800,000 Tiguans worldwide are affected, with 945 of them in Ireland.
The recall is a serious blow to VW’s Chinese ambitions, with 640,000 cars sold in China forming part of the recall. Will it be enough to put a dent in Volkswagen’s plans for major expansion in Asia? Experience with the now infamous Toyota recall would suggest that VW should bounce back easily from what are fairly minor mechanical issues, but the sheer number of cars involved will doubtless be causing some furrowed brows in Wolfsburg.