The gloom and doom that fans felt when Tesla announced it was ending production of the Roadster electric car will end up being short-lived.
According to reports, Tesla’s flagship model will be returning to our lives in 2014, albeit in a slightly different guise. Unlike the first incarnation of the Roadster, which used a body supplied from Lotus and was limited to only 2,500 units, the new Roadster will be built from the ground up by Tesla themselves. This set-up is similar to the company’s second model, the Model S, which had Tesla’s fingerprints all over it from the very beginning.
No word yet on what the parameters for the 2014 Roadster is going to be but it appears that it would carry a tweaked version of the Model S platform or the "third generation platform" as some folks within the Tesla circle have called it.
Tesla CEO Elan Musk has said that this new ’mass-market’ platform will be the jumping board for all of the company’s cars in the next four to five years and it appears that we already have an answer as to what model will spearhead that transition.
So rest easy, all you "Tes-lovers". It appears that the Roadster’s demise was greatly exaggerated. It’ll only take a hiatus before it returns to our lives in 2014.
Oh, happy days!
The Toyota/Subaru FT-86 creation has been buzzing about the internet since the two announced their partnership, but after months of concepts and hearsay, a Subaru source has provided a bit of official information about the new sports car. The FT-86 will be arriving in the U.S. badged as a Scion FR-S and will feature one of the lowest centers of gravity of any vehicle out on the market. It will actually be right behind the Porsche GT3 and the Ferrari 458, thanks to the boxer engine provided to Toyota by Subaru. Subaru’s boxer engine has a flat, low profile that balances weight efficiently and provides quick handling response and flat, confident cornering.
We’re expected to see debuts of all the FT-86 variants when the Tokyo Motor Show opens its doors in December 2011 so we’ll have more details on those models at that time. Subaru’s version of the FT-86 is also being considered for an STI version which could come sporting a new generation, naturally aspirated (not turbocharged as with other STI models) 2.0-liter, four-cylinder boxer engine.
Speaking of the STI, Subaru sources also say that the new STI will take at least two years before coming to the market and will be drastically different from the base Impreza. In fact, this is part of Subaru’s plan to separate their conventional models from their performance models. The Impreza was put together with an eye out for economy, but the STI will be a different beast altogether. It will get its own engine, one that will have nothing to do with the Toyota engine created for the FT-86 project and will make it easier for Subaru to market the vehicle as a performance model. No specific figures were given, but we expect the new STI to carry a turbocharged version of the 2.5 liter boxer engine with more than 305 HP on tap. The engine will be mated to a fully synchronized close-ratio 6-speed manual transmission.
Sisters shouldn’t fight and apparently that also holds true in the auto industry. Maserati, Ferrari’s little sister, is hard at work becoming more of a player in the industry and has set its target on competing against both Porsche and Bentley.
But not with its Italian big sister.
According to Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne, Ferrari is in a class of its own and that Maserati will be focusing its attention on competing with the likes of Porsche and Bentley. "Ferrari doesn’t play with Bentley and with Porsche, it plays in its own [sand] box," he said.
The seeds have already been planted for the Italian automaker to accomplish this and expand the model line-up, as well as refreshing some of the existing models in the portfolio. We’ve already heard about Maserati’s intention of introducing a crossover on the market - the tentative name is the ’Cinqueporte’ - to battle the likes of the Cayenne and now it appears that the company will also have plans for a new small sedan, as well as a larger version of the Quattroporte.
Looking at the big picture, Maserati is pushing forward with their plans of increasing the sales figure of the brand all the way up to 60,000 units. That might sound a little bit of a stretch now, but if in fact these guys are serious about competing with a company like Porsche, they’re going to need to invest every last bit of their resources to ensure that they at least come close to the benchmarks they’ve set.
The Cayenne’s long-awaited little brother, the Cajun, has finally been given the ’go-signal’ for production by Porsche, officially confirming what we’ve all known for quite some time.
The confirmation was made through a press release that announced the company’s new multi-million dollar investment towards its production facility in Liepzig, Germany. While that was the main onus of the release, news that the Cajun will be produced in the site beginning in late 2013 is what’s gotten the industry’s attention.
For all of the Cayenne’s popularity, there were still some people that thought that the Porsche SUV needed a smaller version, a crossover that would appeal to people who thought of the Cayenne as to big and bulky for their liking.
The Cajun will answer all of that, as it is being prepared to be an agile crossover that will challenge the likes of the BMW X3, the Mercedes GLK-Class, and the Range Rover Evoque in the crossover market.
Details behind the Cajun were not announced, but the popular consensus is that it will carry a wide range of powerplants that will include a 2.0-liter TFSI engine with 223 horsepower, a supercharged V6 that will carry an output north of 300 horsepower, a 2.0-liter TDI (diesel) engine that will see 200 horsepower, a 3.0-liter V6 TDI that will have 314 horsepower, and a hybrid TFSI engine with 211 horsepower to go with an electric motor that produces 44 horsepower.
For those that have long wished for a smaller version of the Cayenne, your prayers have been answered. Production for the Porsche Cajun will begin in 2013.
Dan Wheldon was on top of the racing world five months ago after winning his second Indianapolis 500 crown.
At IndyCar’s season-ending race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway over the weekend, Wheldon lost his life after getting involved in a huge accident involving a total of 15 other cars. Wheldon’s car flew over another vehicle, before hitting the catch fence and catching fire as race marshals scrambled in to check on the race car driver.
Wheldon was immediately airlifted from the track to University Medical Center in Las Vegas where he was later pronounced dead from "unsurvivable injuries".
IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard issued a statement shortly thereafter, in which he said: "IndyCar is very sad to announce that Dan Wheldon has passed away from unsurvivable injuries. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family today. IndyCar, its drivers and owners, have decided to end the race."
In addition to ending the race, the drivers all partook in a five-lap tribute in his honor.
Personally speaking, we’re huge fans of Dan Wheldon and we’re delighted to see him take a spectacular run to win the 100th installment of the Indianapolis 500 earlier this year.
His death is as big a blow to us, as it is to the entire racing and sporting community.
Rest in Peace, Dan Wheldon. You will be missed.
