Automotive Lighting

Automotive Lighting

ISSUE 58 . FEBRUARY 2014

Mac attackMcLaren unveils blue-hued beast to tackle the supercar establishment

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14 Blue meanieThe Brits land a blow against supercar elite with the manic McLaren 650S Coupe

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EditorialGoAuto NewsroomPO Box 18Sandringham VIC 3191(03) 9598 6477 goautomag@goautomedia.net

ProductionLuc Britten

ContributorsMike CostelloBarry ParkByron MathioudakisTerry MartinTim NicholsonDaniel Gardner

Advertising enquiriesSally Mellor(03) 9598 6477 0425 700 904sally@goautomedia.net

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3 Prickly businessCitroen C4 Cactus crossover SUV arrives with concept’s protective door coverings intact

17

7 Land of LibertySubaru pulls the covers from consevative new sedan staple

Road warriorAudi’s niche A7 gets full-fledged RS skunkworks treatment

10

Bright sparksPhilips produces a century of innovations to brighten the road ahead

3 /20Automotive Lighting

By TIM NICHOLSON

CITROEN has revealed the production version of its offbeat C4 Cactus crossover, showing styling cues that

have remained faithful to the unconventional concept that premiered in Frankfurt last September.

The French car-maker believes the ultra-lightweight C4-based crossover will offer “a real alternative to the traditional compact hatchback” – and it looks primed to come to Australia.

Citroen Australian distributor Sime Darby Motors’ PR and communications manager

Jaedene Hudson said the Nissan Juke and Renault Captur rival was being evaluated as an alternative to the C4 hatch in the local market, but it was too soon to talk timing.

“We are still very interested and we want to make this available for Australians,” she said.

“We've put a business proposal to PSA and

we are in the initial stages of review now that we know a RHD is available. Things should be a lot clearer in the second half of this year.”

Visually, the C4 Cactus retains the concept’s “Airbumps”, which are essentially a plastic skin fitted with air capsules that protects the front and rear door panels and bumpers from

Prickly businessCitroen C4 Cactus crossover SUV arrives with

concept’s protective door coverings intact

CITROEN C4 CACTUS

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light impacts such as shopping trolleys.The Airbumps are available in four

colours – black, grey, ‘Dune’ and ‘Chocolate’ – which can be matched with any of the ten body colours, and Citroen claims they do not require maintenance.

The C4 Cactus features a smooth rounded nose with high-tech headlights and LED daytime running lights, a floating roof which has become something of a signature Citroen design cue, and chunky black wheel arches.

While the 2600mm wheelbase matches that of the C4 hatch, the Cactus is 169mm shorter, 60mm narrower and 22mm lower than its donor car and features shorter overhangs.

Citroen has also reduced the weight of the Cactus by 200kg over the regular C4 to 965kg which was achieved thanks to the use of a lightweight platform, aluminium bonnet and front and rear beams, pop-out rear windows and a single-piece folding rear bench seat.

Specific powertrain details are yet to be released but Citroen confirmed the use of Euro 6 compliant “latest-generation” Pure Tech petrol and BlueHDi diesel engines, while its HybridAir compressed-air powertrain is also a possibility.

The French car-maker is not only promising low fuel economy and emissions, but it is also claiming a 20 per cent reduced ownership cost when compared with other models in the small segment, due in part to its Airbumps helping to keep repair costs down.

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design, the C4 Cactus gains some interesting features in the cabin, such as a low dash, fully digital interface, a digital screen replacing the instrument cluster, and control buttons replaced by a seven-inch touchscreen that combines functions for the air conditioning, sat-nav, vehicle settings, phone and media.

Citroen’s Multicity Connect application portal is also available, providing access to apps to locate the nearest petrol station, as well as Trip Advisor, Yellow Pages and traffic apps.

A large panoramic sunroof provides extra light into the cabin while protecting occupants with “advanced heat protection” that keeps UV rays at bay.

Automatic park assist is also available, as is a reversing camera, hill-start assist, cornering lights and “Smart Wash” windscreen wipers that have nozzles in the wipers, removing the

need for nozzles on the bonnet which Citroen says can cause visibility issues when sprayed.

Variants sold with PSA’s ‘Efficient Tronic Gearbox’ (semi-automatic) feature an ‘Easy Push’ system instead of a gear lever, with only drive, neutral and reverse gears located on the lower fascia. Paddles shifters will also be available.

Another carryover feature form the concept is the lounge-like front seats that are joined in the centre, while the cabin features similar levels of space and legroom to the C4. Boot capacity is 358 litres, slightly down on the 380-litre boot of the donor car.

Citroen says some of the interior styling takes inspiration from the world of travel, with luggage-inspired leather door straps instead of handles, and a storage compartment on top of the dash with hinges and a relief pattern.

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By RON HAMMERTON

SUBARU’S bigger and somewhat bolder mid-sized Liberty has been formally unveiled in its American Legacy form

at the Chicago motor show, revealing the Japanese company’s new face.

Australian buyers will have to wait about a year before they can get their hands on one of the new models, which this time will be made only in sedan form, dispensing with the five-door wagon sold here in the current range.

The hot turbo-charged GT version is also

likely to be dropped, with the smaller, five-door Levorg ‘tourer’ shown at last year’s Tokyo motor show to be called on to fill both the wagon and GT roles in this market. The latter will employ Subaru’s latest 2.0-litre turbo-charged engine from the upcoming

WRX/STI range in its flagship variant.While the Impreza-based Levorg might

arrive in Australian showrooms by the end of the year – Subaru Australia is yet to confirm it – the Liberty sedan is scheduled to touch down from the Japanese factory in early 2015, about

Land of LibertySUBARU LIBERTY

Subaru pulls the covers from conservative new sedan staple

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the same time as the new generation of the related Outback crossover wagon.

The Outback is scheduled to be revealed at the New York motor show in April, and GoAuto is expecting greater styling differentiation this time around.

While some pundits are wringing their hands over the tameness of the Liberty’s production design after the promise of the raunchy Legacy concept shown at the Los Angeles motor show in November, Subaru has clearly set out to not scare the horses amongst its loyal and somewhat conservative customer base in the US where the brand last year was the fastest-growing mainstream car company.

The evolutionary new look includes “hawk-eye” headlights which you can expect on other new models from Subaru, along with the latest take on the traditional Subaru hexagonal grille.

Subaru says the design theme was “muscularity with agility”, with a focus on creating a sportier and more refined styling.

The new model is 51mm longer than before, at 4796mm, and up to 60mm wider, depending on the variant.

It rides on the same 2750mm wheelbase, but Subaru is claiming a more spacious cabin with more room at the shoulder, elbow and waist, as well as greater rear leg room.

Subaru says it moved the A pillars forward to liberate more cabin space, while raising the seats for a more natural seating position.

The new Liberty – the sixth in the Legacy line – will be available with a choice of two carryover-but-tweaked

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engines: the 2.5-litre four-cylinder boxer and 3.6-litre flat six.

The four-cylinder gains a marginal 3kw of power, to 130kW, while torque rises just one Newton metre, to 236Nm. However, Subaru claims peak torque is now delivered in the main driving rev range, with resultant improvements in fuel consumption.

Strangely, the peak torque of the 3.6-litre six-cylinder engine has dropped by 15Nm, from 350Nm in the current model to 335Nm, while peak power has also lost one kilowatt, to 190kW.

For the first time, the six-cylinder variant gets a continuously variable transmission (CVT) in a beefed-up “high torque” guise, replacing the current five-speed auto. Subaru says this improves driveability and efficiency, although no fuel economy figures have been revealed.

The four-cylinder Liberty already gets the CVT which carries over into the new model.

Subaru says it has enhanced safety by adding

the latest gadgets, including active torque vectoring and reversing radar.

Subaru’s proprietary EyeSight anti-collision system now includes blind spot detection, lane change warning and rear cross traffic alert.

As well, driver visibility has been improved by shifting the A pillars, thinning down the door sashes and moving the exterior rear view mirrors to the doors to reduce the front blind spot.

Subaru says the Liberty’s steering, suspension and brakes have all been reworked, promising that the result is a car that steers and handles like a vehicle one class higher.

At the front, Liberty gets fog lights that turn with the steering in the corners, with an automatic off function when other cars are approaching at night.

Greater crash safety is also promised, with a stronger body incorporating more high-tensile steel and improvements to seat belts, airbags, seat construction helping to better protect occupants.

10 /20Automotive Lighting

Road warriorAudi’s niche A7 limo gets full-

fledged RS skunkworks treatment

AUDI RS7

By RON HAMMERTON

AUDI Australia has landed twin blows on its German rivals, launching two gut-busting RS sports models

simultaneously.The latest arrivals are the big twin-turbo V8

RS7 Sportback – the new flagship for the five-door A7 ‘coupe’ range – and manic RS Q3, a compact SUV propelled by the same blown 228kW five-cylinder engine as the RS TT sports car.

Coming hard on the heels of the latest RS5

Cabriolet and RS6 Avant that were launched in the second half of last year, the two new RS arrivals bring the tally to seven in Australia.

The RS7 becomes the most expensive of these at $238,500 (plus on-road costs), which is $13,500 above the list price of the similarly

motivated RS6.However, the pricing for the RS7 five-

door ‘coupe’ is more affordable than BMW’s equivalent $299,145 M6 Gran Coupe and Mercedes-Benz’s $260,654 CLS 63 AMG S.

What’s more, Audi is claiming acceleration

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bragging rights, saying its five-metre-long, two-tonne luxury sports flagship can cover the 0-100km/h sprint in 3.9 seconds, compared with 4.2 seconds for the Beemer and 4.1 seconds for the Benz.

The Audi’s blown 4.0-litre V8’s output of 412kW of power and 700Nm of torque is similar to the M6’s 412kW/680Nm and less than that of the bigger 5.5-litre, 430kW/800Nm V8 of the CLS AMG S, but the Audi’s faster acceleration can be attributed to its road-grabbing quattro all-wheel drive.

Audi Australia expects to sell only about 20 of the bahn-storming beasts this year, making it one of the rarer Audis on Australian roads.

The RS7 is a first for the A7 range, which previously topped out with the $179,900 4.0-litre V8 S7, packing 309kW of power.

The new A7 flagship uses the same bi-turbo version of the alloy-block V8 as the RS6, with the turbos nestled in the “vee” of the engine, feeding the inlet manifolds on the outside of the engine, in a reverse arrangement to the traditional V8 set up.

This engine gains cylinder on demand, running as a V4 on gentle throttle up to 3500rpm, to save fuel in cruise mode. Audi claims a combined fuel-consumption rating of 9.8 litres per 100km.

Due to the mountain of torque generated by this engine, ZF’s ubiquitous eight-speed automatic transmission is employed in place of the seven-speed dual-clutch S Tronic transmission of other Audis. The RS7’s torque-converter-type transmission has a sports mode, allowing the driver to shift gears with steering-wheel-mounted paddles.

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As well, the RS7 has launch control for sling-shot starts, which are further enhanced by close ratios for the first seven gears. Eighth gear is tall to reduce highway fuel consumption.

Audi’s trademark quattro all-wheel drive system is standard. It gets a new centre

differential to better vary torque between the front and rear axles. Usually, about 60 per cent of the drive goes to the rear wheels, but depending on traction, up to 70 per cent can be sent to the front wheels or up to 85 per cent to the rear.

As well, Audi’s sport differential is standard on the rear axle, pushing more torque to the outside wheel when accelerating out of corners.

This sophisticated quattro system is designed to work in conjunction with the torque vectoring system which brakes the

inside wheels should they threaten to slip.The RS7 uses a good measure of aluminium

in panels such as the bonnet, doors and rear hatch to keep weight in check, and rides on adaptive air suspension that is set 20mm lower than the standard A7.

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This suspension can be ramped up with the optional Dynamic Ride Control which allows the driver to select from four ride modes – comfort, automatic, dynamic and custom.

The alloy wheels are a hefty 21 inches in diameter, and can be had in either regular alloy – called titanium – or black. Behind them, the big 390mm front brake discs are grasped by six-pot brake callipers. The steel discs have a wave pattern around the edge, apparently to save weight. Ceramic discs are optional.

At highway speeds, a rear spoiler rises automatically from the trailing edge of the long, sloping hatch to provide extra downforce.

The long body – sitting on a 2920mm wheelbase – allows a capacious 535-litre boot, expanding to 1390 litres with the rear seats folded.

Those rear seats accommodate only two

passengers, making the RS7 a four-seater, but all positions have snug sports seats with honeycomb-pattern quilted leather inserts – mimicking the black honeycomb grille design – in either black or silver.

Interior finishes include aluminium and piano black with carbon inlays. For those who can’t get enough of carbon-fibre trim, the full treatment costs $8500 extra.

Standard equipment includes four-zone climate control, Audi’s MMI in-car control system with sat-nav and touch-pad control, as well as a BOSE sound system.

The adaptive cruise control system comes as part of a $5300 safety package that also includes lane control, blind spot warning and an emergency crash-preparation system.

The $4890 ‘night vision assistant’ can warn the driver of errant pedestrians.

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Blue meanieMCLAREN 650S

The Brits land a blow against supercar elite with the manic McLaren 650S Coupe

By TIM NICHOLSON

MCLAREN has torn the covers off its new 650S Coupe ahead of its world debut at the Geneva motor

show in March.The 650S is designed as the British sportscar-

maker’s mid-range model sitting under its already sold-out 673kW/900Nm P1 hybrid hypercar and above the 12C Coupe and Spider.

Based on the 12C, the 650S is propelled by an uprated version of the mid-mounted 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 from its donor car with

power increased from 460kW to 478kW, while torque is also up from 600Nm to a whopping 678Nm between 3000 and 7000rpm.

The 650S name refers to the metric horsepower of the sportscar (650PS), while the ‘S’ stands for Sport, which McLaren said in

a statement helps to underline the “focus and developments made to handling, transmission, drivability and engagement”.

While McLaren has only released images of the Coupe, it is expected that a Spider variant with a retractable hard-top roof will also be on

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show in Geneva early next month.The styling of the 650S is something

of a mish-mash of two McLaren models, with the front end clearly taking cues from the larger P1, while the rear maintains the slatted tail-lights and spoiler of the 12C.

McLaren Automotive CEO Mike Flewitt said the design of the 650S is more than skin deep as it has an impact on the performance of the car.

“As always with McLaren, the new design is there for good engineering reasons” he said. “The newly designed front bumper improves downforce and steering turn-in. The high speed handling balance is now even better. The LED lights use less power and last longer.”

McLaren says the integrated front splitter ensures downforce is increased by 24 per cent, improving everything from steering feel and turn-in to agility and overall handling. Door ‘blades’ behind the front wheels direct air from the front splitter, helping improve grip and balance.

The mid-engined monster gains a new five-spoke lightweight forged alloy wheel design and it is fitted with Pirelli P Zero Corsa tyres – developed in partnership with McLaren – that the company says offers “optimized” roadholding and feedback.

McLaren’s active aerodynamcis already found on the 12C and P1 have been tweaked for the 650S, while its ‘ProActive Chassis Control’ suspension system with adjustable ride and handling modes including Normal, Sport and Track, has also been worked over for the new model.

While the company is promising supercar performance from the 650S, it said that the levels of standard luxury gear means it is not a “stripped out road racer”.

Features include DAB digital radio,

Bluetooth phone and audio with voice control and ‘IRIS’ sat-nav, while options include a reversing camera, additional carbon fibre throughout the cabin, fixed-back carbon racing seats based on the ones from the P1 and an electric steering column that assists with entry and egress.

Further details including performance figures are expected to be released when the 650S debuts at Geneva next month, but UK pricing sits at £190,000 ($A350,000) when it goes on sale in Europe in the northern hemisphere Spring.

In May last year, McLaren announced price cuts in Australia of up to $100,000 for its 12C range, with the hard-top revised down to $390,000 plus on-roads, while the drop-top dropped to $441,780.

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Bright sparksPhilips produces a century of innovations

to brighten the road ahead

PHILIPS 100 YEARS OF AUTOMOTIVE LIGHTING

Automotive Lighting 17 /20

By JOHN MELLOR

SURPRISINGLY, the headlight for both horse-drawn and horseless carriages is one of the most unheralded automotive

technical developments in terms of its impact on

the social lives of families and on those carrying on the affairs of commerce and politics.

It is not generally understood - viewed from where we are today in our super-illuminated world - that headlights gave people a freedom

they had not enjoyed before.In fact, prior to the headlight, a full moon

dictated when people who lived too far out of town to have the benefit of early street lighting, would hold meetings and social gatherings at

night because they needed the moonlight to see their way to and from the event.

Indeed, for lovers, the light of a full moon provided more than romance. It got them out of the house and back home again.

Early headlights were powered by candles or were versions of kerosene or oil lanterns set in front of mirrored reflectors aimed through cut glass. The glass was designed to manipulate the light into something more than a mere flame in much the same way as a lighthouse lens. Acetylene was also popular as a flame source.

We mention this because the Dutch electronics and technology conglomerate, Philips, is this year celebrating 100 years as the manufacturer of automotive lighting.

While Philips was not the first mover, the company’s entry into automotive lighting began a century of breakthroughs and innovations in the field.

Today Philips lighting is the choice of the world’s top 28 car manufacturers. One in three cars made today uses Philips lighting.

Back in the early 20th Century, a move into automotive lighting was logical.

Philips was started in 1891 by Gerard Philips (ironically Karl Marx’s cousin) and

his father Frederik (a wealthy banker) in the Netherlands. They made light bulbs to ride on the crest of the wave of the new electric power then sweeping Europe. The company thrived on the uptake of domestic and industrial lighting.

But over time Gerard and his younger brother Anton had seen companies such as Cadillac introduce car headlights (not electric) from as early as 1880. Electric headlights were first introduced by the Electric Car Company of Connecticut in 1898.

By 1904 some car makers were offering headlights as standard equipment but it took another 10 years before demand for electric headlights became entrenched. The motor car was clearly going places and that is when the Philips brothers decided to move into the field.

So in 1914 they began making light bulbs for cars and 10 years later came up with what would have been possibly the most important safety invention in automotive lighting to that point - the

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Duplo dual-filament headlight bulb.Until then, the intensity of headlights had

been a balance between bright penetration into the dark and blinding on-coming drivers.

By adding a second filament in a different position within the bulb Philips was able to turn off the main beam and shine another light down and away from oncoming drivers’ eyes and to the

side of the road to help drivers safely see past oncoming glare. The dipper switch was born.

Developments followed; like a special improved passing beam for safer overtaking. And today it is acknowledged that in the past 50 years Philips has been responsible for almost every important development in automotive lighting worldwide.

In 1966 Philips developed halogen lights (tungsten halogen or quartz halogen) which were a further breakthrough because headlight brightness could be increased.

To that point if the globe was too bright it burned out the filament. But with halogen lights the evaporated tungsten being burned off the filament was in fact deposited back on to the

filament again when the light was turned off. This allowed more powerful and brighter

globes to be made that were longer lasting. The halogen lamp produced a more penetrating bright white light.

Then in 1992 Xenon lights developed by Philips first appeared on BMWs. Xenon lights for cars did not use filaments. The light source

Automotive Lighting 19 /20

was a bright spark across a gap (like the bottom of a spark plug).

The brilliant arc (like that of an arc welder) generated more intensive white light than halogen globes which at the edge of the spectrum could be seen through the Xenon gas as the signature blue light that is now copied in many other car headlights.

Because a Xenon light is derived from an arc instead of a filament it is more durable against road shocks and lasts about 10 times longer.

In 2008 Philips introduced LED running lights which are being mandated by governments around the world as a safety feature.

More recently, in 2007 on the Audi R8, it launched the world’s first LED (light emitting diode) headlights which are catching on for their low consumption of power within the car and the resulting savings in fuel.

Presently, light emitting diodes cannot push out light as far as Xenon HID so, in today’s vehicles, the LED sits behind a projector lens

or a magnifying lens to amplify the light and to control the distribution of the light.

Finally, in 2010, Philips released its Extreme Vision replacement globes.

This was a first for a halogen globe because it produced 100 per cent more light by enhancing and increasing the gas pressure inside a more compact burner, together with optimising the filament to produce far more light intensity than a standard globe.

Extreme Vision replacement globes are

available in the aftermarket and have the effect of illuminating the road in the extreme distance - you see more light on the road an extra 35 metres into the distance - as well as lighting up each side of the road.

So from playing a role in transforming society 100 year ago by relegating the moon to a less-important player in the nightlife of the country, Philips continues to make a contribution by making night driving more relaxed and by making the roads safer.

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