Magna Steyr – Automobiles Review

VUHL 05 Enters Production

The exclusive new model VUHL 05 was officially revealed in the beginning of July. Then it made a highly successful public debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. At the event were shown a complete car and separate chassis, and then the capabilities of the car were demonstrated on the hill by Esteban Gutierrez.

The success it gained there now leads to the logical consequence of the start of production of the innovative VUHL 05 in November this year. The first cars are planned to enter customers’ hands during the spring of next year.

Having a sports car spirit, the VUHL 05 generates its power from a 2-litre version of Ford’s award-winning DOHC turbocharged EcoBoost engine. The output of the unit is estimated at 285 hp (210 kW) and it can produce 420 Nm (310 lb-ft) of torque. Therefore it is now wonder that the car can sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.7 seconds on its way to a top speed of 245 km/h.

The company EXTE, which has created the vehicle, collaborated for this project with Magna Steyr, Multimatic and Ford. The VŪHL 05 is made thanks to funding by the Mexican Government as well as private enterprise.

The next public appearance of the silver and black prototype is going to be at Salon Privé in London, which will take place between 4th and 6th of September.

Source: VUHL

August 22, 2013

EXCLUSIVE: VUHL 05 Revealed!

The VŪHL 05 has been finally revealed and shown to an exclusive audience at an event in Royal Automobile Club in London. After many months of secrecy and a few teasers released, the road-legal lightweight supercar has finally arrived.

The vehicle is an innovative mid-engined two-seater born of a motorsport heritage. The car is a project of Guillermo and Iker Echeverria, who were inspired by their father that was a professional driver who built and successfully raced his own cars for 30 years.

The brothers subsequently formed their own design agency, named ETXE, and started working on different projects including the VŪHL 05. In fact, they state that the 05 has been developed by enthusiasts for enthusiasts. Their goal was to create a car which is highly intuitive and at the same time offers high speeds and fun of driving. As a result, they have given it class-leading ergonomics and a contemporary silhouette of striking proportions, and uncompromising build quality.

To go further into details, the 05’s monocoque weighs in at a mere 78 kg, while the dry weight of the entire car is a very competitive 695 kg. The chassis of the vehicle includes a three-section bonded tub which was made of aluminium extrusions and aluminium honeycomb. The latter is an aerospace technology that gives the 05 great levels of torsional rigidity for optimum handling.

Next to the passenger cell one can see the chrome-moly steel subframe in which are to be found the engine and rear suspension. A three-stage forward crash structure and double layer sidewalls deliver a matchless level of protection for the driver and the one seating next to them.

In addition, the standard body is made of RTM reinforced plastic. However, there is an option which includes a carbon fibre body. The aero features comprise of a flat underbody, front and lateral splitters, rear diffuser and rear spoiler.

Being a true sports car, the VŪHL 05 deliver great amount of power, which comes from a 2-litre version of Ford’s award-winning DOHC turbocharged EcoBoost engine. The exact output of the unit is 285 hp (210 kW) and it can generate 420 Nm (310 lb-ft) of torque. This results in 0 to 100 km/h acceleration for 3.7 seconds and a top speed of 245 km/h.

The power of the engine is transmitted onto the wheels via six-speed manual gearbox. Steering is by a high ratio rack and pinion system. On the other hand, the suspension is by unequal length double wishbones front and rear. Braking is by four-pot alloy callipers all-round, operating on 310 mm ventilated cross-drilled discs at the front and 280mm units at the rear.

Furthermore, the VŪHL 05 runs on OZ alloy wheels matched with Michelin tyres. The sizes of the latter are 205/45 x 17 for the front and 235/45 x 18 for the rear.

The interior of the vehicle is also made exquisite and it is very captivating. It includes carbon bucket seats, 330mm quick release water-resistant suede-covered steering wheel, electronic data acquisition dash, integral HD camera, and water-resistant Dinamica suede trim.

The pricing of the VŪHL 05 will begin at US$83 930 (£55 000).

VŪHL 05 Dimensions

Width	1876mm
Length	3718mm
Height	1120mm
Wheelbase	2300mm
Ground clearance	110mm
Dry weight	695kg
Kerb weight	725kg
Power to weight ratio	400bhp/tonne
Weight distribution	37/63 (front/rear)

Source: VŪHL

July 4, 2013

VUHL 05 Confirmed For 2013 Salon Prive

At this year’s Salon Prive the visitors will have the opportunity of seeing the debut of a future legend. We are speaking here about the highly anticipated new supercar from Mexico – VUHL 05, which will be on the lawns of Syon Park in September.

Although we don’t know much about the forthcoming vehicle, the information that has been released so far reveals that the VUHL 05 will be a road-legal lightweight supercar. It has been precision-engineered for the track and endowed with exhilarating performance.

Up to date, only three teaser images have been released. It was also announced that the vehicle will be officially unveiled in July at Goodwood Festval of Speed, shortly followed by Salon Privé in September.

The name of the car is pronounced “vool” and stands for ‘Vehicles of Ultra- lightweight and High-performance. It is the brainchild of brothers Iker and Guillermo Echeverria, whose Mexican/American design agency, Etxe, penned the breath-taking 05. Some of the suppliers and development partners of the performance car industry which are featured in this project are Magna Steyr, Multimatic and Ford.

Source: VUHL

June 21, 2013

VUHL 05: The Road-Legal Lightweight Supercar [TEASER]

You maybe haven’t heard the name VŪHL before. Well, it is time to remember it, because it is of a highly specialist vehicle manufacturer which is going to come out of the dark very soon. The company is set to release its first production vehicle named VŪHL 05, which is a road-legal lightweight supercar.

The model has been precision-engineered for the track and in addition it has been given with astonishing performance. We will see its official debut at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, which will take place between 11th and 14th of July, where it will bring about breath of fresh air to the premium track-day sector.

VŪHL 05 has been kept secret until now. The brand decided to tease the audience and has released a first image which shows the front fascia of the car. Some of the suppliers and development partners of the performance car industry which are featured in this project are: Magna Steyr, Multimatic and Ford.

The car incorporates the ultimate in automotive technology from around the world. For instance, the newcomer’s handling was developed and additionally enhanced in the UK, while its bodies will be fabricated in Canada, and the chassis production and final assembly conducted by the advanced manufacturing concern Adman Leku in Mexico City. VŪHL’s European presence is headquartered in Luxembourg.

To go further into details, the name VŪHL stands for ‘Vehicles of Ultra- lightweight and High-performance. The company is the brainchild of brothers Iker and Guillermo Echeverria, whose Mexican/American design agency, Etxe, created the upcoming supercar.

All of the upcoming VŪHL products are expected to offer effective simplicity and aesthetics guided by a purity of function. For example, the 05 and its successors in the future will be remembered with their uncompromising build quality, rigorous attention to detail and excellent driving experience.

Source: VŪHL

March 12, 2013

2010 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG enters series production

After its stellar world debut at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt last year, the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG is now entering series production. (more…)

January 28, 2010

Magna Steyr offers shortcut to EV production

As car manufacturers start to feel the economic pinch, they are looking to outsource more and more of their product development work to suppliers. That’s the view of Austrian-based Magna Steyr, best-known for its contract manufacturing for the likes of Chrysler and Mercedes-Benz.

The company is keen to show off its design and development capabilities, especially when it comes to electric vehicles. Magna Steyr already has a contract to help Ford develop an electric version of the Focus – and at Geneva it showed an entirely self-designed electric prototype, the Mila EV.

Magna Steyr describes the Mila EV as a “fully integrated electric vehicle platform which can be used by every OEM to realise their own products, drive and design strategies in the shortest time.”

The platform is fully engineered and can be built as pure battery-electric car, a hybrid, a natural gas-powered car or even a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle. It’s designed to meet all crash testing standards, while the platform is flexible enough to be ‘right-sized’ to any customer OEM’s requirements.

Magna Steyr is hoping a manufacturer will buy the basic design “off the shelf” – which would allow it to get a fully engineered electric car into production far more quickly than if it were to start developing such a vehicle on its own.

Magna Steyr is hoping a manufacturer will buy the Mila EV “off the shelf”

The design is so flexible that Magna Steyr believes more than one manufacturer could build distinct cars on the same basic architecture, thus leveraging economies of scale which could be shared. And of course, Magna Steyr wants the contract to build the cars “With the proven Flex Plant concept, all versions can be made on one single production line,” said a spokesman.

The Geneva show car is a 4m-long five-door version, with a 67hp electric motor powered by Magna Steyr-developed lithium-ion batteries. It has an average charging time of 2.5 hours, and it has an ranges of up to 150km. Solar cells integrated in the glass roof provide additional energy generation, and the drag-inducing wing mirrors have been replaced by rear-view cameras.

March 6, 2009