Automotive industry news, it feels like nothing of what they say is really important but put it together and you will get the big picture before the others.
With the Gallardo lineup winding into its final production years, everyone is antsy to get a look at the all-new Cabrera. With Lamborghini being, well, Lamborghini, it tends to play its cards very close to its chest and only the information it wants out gets out – unlike GM, which has many leaky valves.
Fortunately for us, Lamborghini has been more giving than usual, as it has released just enough information about the Cabrera to keep us interested. So far we know that Lamborghini is calling the Cabrera’s design a “revolution not an evolution,” so we can assume that the its body will be significantly different than the Gallardo. As you can see from our rendering, we anticipate it to take some of the Sesto Elemento’s styling cues.
We have also learned that the Cabrera will be a much simpler lineup than the Gallardo, so we won’t see the laundry list of available options, as we do on the current Gallardo. We also know that the Cabrera will feature the same 5.2-liter V-10 as the Gallardo and will likely boast a supercharger to pump it up to 600, or more, horsepower.
The Cabrera will carry over the same 6-speed automated manual transmission as the Gallardo. The traditional manual transmission was axed as a possibility recently. We have also heard that it will definitely come in rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive is still on the table.
Add in the fact that is will feature carbon fiber body panels to drop its weight by 66 lbs and you will get a supercar that hits 60 mph in only 3.4 seconds – roughly 0.2 seconds quicker than the base Gallardo – and a 203 mph top speed.
We’ll keep an eye out for more information to make its way onto the wire, but given the history of Lamborghini, we likely have to wait until it is good and ready to drop the info.
In the world of supercars, carbon-fiber body panels are old news and now carbon-fiber tubs are the new rage. Within the average car-buyer’s reach, carbon fiber anything is just about out the window. Well, Ford may have something to say about that in the future.
Currently Ford is working with the folks at Hightech.NRW to develop a carbon-fiber body panel development process that could revolutionize the construction of every car on the road. See, the reason carbon fiber is so expensive is because it takes many labor hours to build even the smallest piece. What Ford is working on is developing pieces in just a fraction of the time it currently takes, starting with constructing a Ford Focus hood in less than 15 minutes.
The main goal of this project is to ultimately reduce the weight of these panels by about 50 percent in an effort to lift fuel economy. A cool side effect of this process could possibly be the use of these panels on more high-performance Ford products, like the Mustang GT and the Ford Focus ST.
Ford’s plan is to lower the weight of its cars by upwards of 340 kg (749 lbs) by 2020. This would take a car like the Focus ST and suddenly drop its curb weight to as low as 2,300 lbs. That would jump it to an impressive-for-its-class 9.12 pound per horsepower. To boot, it would sharply increase its already stout 23 mpg city and 32 mpg highway.
Now, are there really 700-plus pounds of weight to be dropped from the Focus ST’s body? Likely not, but that gives us an idea of the benefits that this fuel-saving measure can have on us performance junkies. Ford does not plan on these panels being ready for use any time in the near future, but eventually they should be a part of Ford’s complete lineup. With the automotive world being a copycat-heavy realm, all of the other manufacturers will likely follow suit quickly.
The number 7.4 million can no longer be singularly attached to the hotel bill a Saudi Arabian princess tried to skip out on back in June 2012. Toyota has just announced that 7.4 million models are being recalled, just 3 million shy of the massive recall the company had to issue back in 2010. Is this history repeating itself and should we all fully lose faith in the popular Japanese brand?
Sorry, drama queens, but this recall is a lot less serious than the sticky accelerator pedals from the 2010 recall. The company is recalling these units because of a potential malfunction with the power window systems. Out of 7.4 million affected models, 2.5 million can be found in the US, 1.4 million in China, and 1.4 million in Europe. This list includes models like the Yaris, Camry, Tundra, and RAV4 produced between 2007 and 2009.
According to an official Toyota press release, the driver’s side Power Window Master Switch (PWMS) may experience a "notchy" or sticky feel during operation. If commercially available lubricants are applied to the switch in an attempt to address the "notchy" or sticky feel, melting of the switch assembly or smoke could occur and lead to a fire under some circumstances. What’s with "sticky" issues at Toyota?
This problem may have been caused by an uneven application of the grease during the switch assembly process at the supplier. If the grease is not applied evenly, frequent use of the switch and normal operation may cause the grease to become carbonized and may eventually result in the deterioration of its lubricating properties.
If anyone is driving one of the models listed after the jump, they should address their local dealer and their car will be repaired in about one hour.
Hit the jump for a full list of US models to be recalled.
When Thibault Devauze was just an intern at Land Rover, he was handed a big job of designing a crossover SUV to rival the likes of the X6 and the Bentley Continental GTC — an eclectic set of rivals, huh? The project had only a few real rules: make it luxurious, make it a coupe, price it above €100K, and give it the biggest, baddest engine that Land Rover had to offer.
With these guidelines and the base chassis of the Range Rover Sport Supercharged, Devauze came up with the LRGT Concept. After six weeks of designing and sketching, Devauze and two modelers came up with the first ever CAD images of his brainchild. Since then, he has used that model to come up with final results of the concept that, according to his claims, are still on the table at Land Rover.
This model is pegged to sit at the top of Land Rover’s Range Rover lineup. It boasts Lad-Rover’s famed front end with a slight twist, as it rakes rearward more than most current Land Rover SUVs, sans the Evoque. As you stretch over its shallow-raked, hood you come to a roofline that dives into the back end of the crossover. Around the back end you get a pair of circular taillights that cap off a sleek rump and pair of oblong tail pipes are integrated in with the rear bumper.
From the side profile, you find an awesome reverse-wedge design that just seems to fit perfectly with the sharp upper beltline and the massive pair of doors designed to replace the typical 4-door SUV setup.
The driving force under the hood of this massive 4,850 mm (190 –inch) long x 1,995 mm (78-inch) wide x 1,510 mm (59-inch) wide 2,095 kg (4,618-pound) crossover is Land Rover’s supercharged 5.0-liter V-8 engine that pumps out 540 PS (532 horsepower) and 725 Nm (534 pound-feet) of torque.
From the looks of it, this appears to be the big brother of the Evoque, but we’ll find out in the coming years if this is a production concept or just another one that will be filed away for future model design.
Back in July, the future of Artega was cast into doubt after the automaker filed for insolvency. Well, the good news is someone has bought the company. The bad news is they didn’t buy it to build cars.
Recently, Paragon AG took over all of the assets of the insolvent Artega Automobil GmbH & Co. KG with one caveat: they have no plans to resume production of Artega’s sports car, the Artega GT.
Instead, Paragon AG plans to use its newly acquired resources in staff and space to continue to develop its new Electromobility and Body-Kinematics divisions. The acquisition of Artega also lets Paragon AG to take full control of the company’s stage, enabling the latter to double its development team to 40 employees.
In a press release announcing the purchase, Paragon AG laid out its plans for Atria, including the use of the latter’s former headquarters in Delbrück, Germany to set up their own technology center, as well as expanding prototype construction, setting up a bespoke application service for customers, and manufacture products on a larger scale.
"We are therefore strengthening operations at our headquarters in the long term and ensuring job security for the future," said Klaus Dieter Frers, Chairman of the Managing Board.
Just about 10 years ago, VW introduced an all-new SUV bearing a name that only those with the most talented tongues could pronounce: the Touareg. It was such an odd name that VW actually made a commercial poking fun at the fact that no one really knew how to pronounce it, much like the Merkur tongue twister in the mid-1980s.
In celebration of its 10-year anniversary, VW is releasing a special edition Touareg Edition X. On the outside, you have a standard Touareg – one of the more stylish crossover SUVs available – but it features a set of 19-inch “Moab” wheels, silver anodized roof rails, bi-xenon headlights with LED daytime runners, and smoked taillights. You also get the “Chrome & Style” package, tinted windows, and “Touareg X” logos.
On the inside, your hind side is supported by luxurious Amber Brown Nappa leather in a braid embossed style. You get real ebony inlays on the door panels and on the instrument panel to add a little elegance to the package. The front door sills boast illuminated “Touareg X” decals and you also get color-coordinated stitching on the leather-wrapped steering wheel, gear shifter, and the floor mats.
You have a wide array of engine and drivetrain options in the Touareg Edition X, as there are five different options available, including a hybrid drivetrain. The only option that VW offers us any details on it the 150 kW (201-horsepower) 3.0-liter V-6 TDI engine. This model with the 8-speed automatic transmission runs €61,025 ($79,363 at the current exchange rates). That’s a ridiculous €10,500 premium over the base SE model for minimal additions. According to the press release, the Touareg Edition X is available now, but there is no mention of its U.S. availability.
Once VW releases all of the official standard features we can better assess it. For now, it just seems way overpriced.
Top Gear is at it again. If you don’t remember, several months back they brought us the “Deadly 720” – the world’s first ever double loop completed by a car. Well, Guinness was on location and awarded Top Gear the “official” world record for the stunt.
Apparently that world record combined with their latest record for being the most widely watched factual TV show are not enough, as the Top Gear boys, fresh off of a new contract, are bringing back the “Deadly 720.” This time around they will add in a new element to the double loop, allowing them to set yet another record, according to Top Gear’s creative director Rowland French.
In a statement, French said: “The original Deadly 720 was as far as our experience, technology and bravery allowed us to go and we’ve been inundated with messages from the British public asking us to perform the stunt in the UK this year,” explained French. “The restless nature of the production, however, means I was keen to do something different and shoot for another World Record. The only way to do that is push the boundary further and create an even more extreme stunt. We started working on the project almost immediately after the South African stadium show and have been in rehearsals for weeks. This stunt will break new ground and I can’t wait to see the looks on the audience faces when we reveal it at the NEC.”
We’re not too sure what this new addition will be, but we’re sure it’ll be interesting nonetheless. The record will be attempted at the Top Gear Live show taking place at the Birmingham NEC from October 25th through the 28th.
We’re sure there will be plenty of hints and clues in the coming weeks, so we’ll bring you up to date with each update.
Click past the jump to read Top Gear’s press release.
Between 1994 and 2004, Michael Schumacher was the driver to beat, as he won seven F1 Driver’s Championships during that span. After retiring following the 2006 season, Schumacher took a cushy “Advisor” position with Ferrari. It was clear that racing was not out of Schumacher’s system yet and he returned in the 2010 season to race for Mercedes GP. Schumacher never regained his form and endured very rough 2010, 2011, and, thus far, 2012 seasons.
Well, after finding out that Lewis Hamilton was taking over his slot at Mercedes in 2013, we all pretty much assumed he would fade off into retirement. It didn’t take long for Schumacher to confirm our assumptions, as he just announced this morning that he will retire (again) following the 2012 racing season. There was some speculation that he would head to Sauber to take the place of Sergio Perez, but that is apparently a no-go.
Schumacher, in a cheeky manner, poked fun at himself via the Associated Press, by saying “…at some point it’s time to say goodbye and this time it might be forever.” Well, we wish Michael all of the best and we thank him for his 18 years of involvement with F1. We’re sure he’ll back his way into management somewhere – possibly even with Mercedes, who just signed the new Concorde Agreement. Regardless of the last three years, he will forever go down as one of the best drivers to ever grace open-wheel racing.
We’ll keep an eye on Schumacher’s movement and let you know if he is considering moving back behind the scenes as he did with Ferrari.
Click past the jump to read Michael Schumacher’s press release.
When Toyota Motorsport GmbH developed the TMG EV P001 specifically to set the electric vehicle lap record at the Nürburgring, we knew Toyota was onto something special. Then it released a follow up to the P001 specifically to run in the 2012 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb and set a new EV record of 10:15.380 up the hill, and we were simply blown away.
Toyota then decided it was time to put the P002 to the test and see if it could beat the P001’s record-setting time around the `Ring. The P002 did not disappoint, as it smashed the P001’s record by 25 seconds, placing it in the top-15 times ever on the Nürburgring (at the time).
With the TMG EV P002 firmly situated in the history books, we felt it was the right time to take a closer look at this purpose-built race car and see what it’s like under the microscope.
Click past the jump to read our full review on the TMG EV P002.
So, for anyone that watched the Debate last night – I did and I am suffering today thanks to the late evening – you saw presidential hopeful, Mitt Romney, hit our sector a few times. One time, he took a direct swipe at two alternative-energy car companies in one statement. If you missed the statement, here it is:
"Now, I like green energy as well, but that’s about 50 years’ worth of what oil and gas receives," Romney said during the first of three Presidential debates. "You put $90 billion — like 50 years’ worth of breaks — into solar and wind, to Solyndra and Fisker and Tesla and Ener1. I mean, I had a friend who said, you don’t just pick the winners and losers; you pick the losers."
Now, we’re not here to debate politics, but to call Tesla and Fisker “losers” is not quite fair. As a matter of fact, Tesla announced on Wednesday – the same day that Romney labeled it a “Loser” – that despite its struggles meeting delivery goals, which are due to supplier issues, it will become “cash-flow positive” by next month and will hit the 500-unit mark in just a few weeks.
Hitting that black in the ledger is a huge step for an upstart company and to see Tesla hitting it this soon is impressive. Musk also announced that despite criticisms of the DOE loan to Tesla, the company has always paid the loan installments on time and has never even given a thought to postponing the payments.
We are not too sure exactly what will come of Tesla in the long run, but it is already prepping the release of its second vehicle, the Model X SUV, and there is a light at the end of the very long upstart tunnel for Musk and Tesla. We’ll keep an eye on the ledger sheet and let you know if Tesla meets this anticipated milestone on time or not.
Click past the jump to read Mr. Musk’s blogged press release.
