Car news

The new 2021 Tesla Model S Plaid takes on Ken Bjønnes in a tuned 1,100 horsepower Palm Beach Dyno Mustang GT500 at MITM Elite for a series of rolling races, followed by a quarter-mile pass by each car. Can the Model S Plaid come out on top?

Tesla was quite active at the Green Hell before the Covid hit us, but it seems like it’s back there again; this time, with a prototype of the Model S Plaid. The only logical explanation for the red prototype to be there is it gunning for a record lap. The company had unofficially set a record back in 2019, but is back two years later to set another record that could possibly be an official attempt to dethrone the Porsche Taycan. Exciting stuff, isn’t it?

The world has never been the same since the invention of lithium-ion batteries and their widespread use since the early 90s. The importance of its role in our daily lives can’t be understated. It powers everything from our smartphones and electronics to its more recent use in electric cars and grid-scale energy storage.

Regardless of their applications, current lithium-ion batteries have some drawbacks. It contains a liquid electrolyte solution, and if it is not managed correctly or damaged in an accident, they tend to bloat due to temperature fluctuations. They can even leak due to mechanical stress and electrolytic decomposition at higher voltages. And hence, this increases the chances and risk of a fire.

The Toyota Yaris Cross, basically a high-riding hatchback with crossover ambitions, is one of Toyota’s newest vehicles and the company’s only subcompact crossover. Now, it looks like Toyota is going to share that love with Lexus, however, this news might not be a big deal if you live in the United States. The Tiny Lexus will share market designations with the Yaris Cross, which is currently only available in Europe, Japan, and Australia. According to the report, the Lexus crossover will be powered by the same 1.5-liter, hybrid, three-cylinder that powers the Yaris Cross. In that model, it’s good for anywhere between 90 and 118 horsepower with the electric motor – either 3.9 kW or 59 kW – adding from 5.2 to 79 horsepower into the mix.

It’s not likely that Lexus will simply rebadge the Yaris Cross, so expect the typical Lexus front end, nice interior materials, and – perhaps – a small increase in power output, at least for the higher trim levels. For the record, it would slot below the Lexus UX, which means that the trademark filing for “LBX” and “Lexus LBX” could have been hinting at its name. That said, the LBX is largely considered to be a concept, so we’ll have to wait and see what happens with that. Another rumor claims the sub-UX crossover would be called the Lexus BX, it would arrive in 2023, and would sit somewhere below the $30,000 mark. That sounds a little more like it to us, but we’ll have to see what happens.

Hyundai’s mid-engined halo car has a history that dates back nearly a decade, and that’s just the history that we know about. It’s been more than a year since we really last heard about what was going on with the car – now known as the RM19 Concept – but we’ve finally heard something fresh. As it turns out, Hyundai didn’t forget about it. On the contrary, the company has actually been busy making some modifications that includes a new engine. Does that mean more power?

The Audi RS6 is a supercar trapped in a family-hauler’s body. The V-8 engine makes 600 horses in this iteration and can sprint to 60 mph from rest in under four seconds! The wagon has proved time and again that you can have just one vehicle that can do family and work duties during the week and fulfill the adrenaline cravings over the weekends. It again arrived at a drag strip, courtesy of CarWow, to take on a sedan that’s overshadowed by the BMW M5 – the M550i. The M550i is a tamed version of the M5 and doesn’t get enough recognition. But, here’s a chance for the car to prove itself against a recognized drag strip champion, the Audi RS6. Which German do you think will win?

Yes, it’s another drag race, courtesy of the YouTube channel “Hoonigan”. This one is a bit odd, as we have two cars, we never expected to see go head to head. On one side, we have a Genesis G70 3.3 twin-turbo that’s literally brand new. On the other side, we have a “barely stock” R33 Skyline GT-R. It’s all or nothing for the GT-R as its title for the best tuner car is on the line. The Genesis is down on power and heavier. Does that mean it’s going to be humiliated? Let’s find out.

Toyota launched the 13th-gen Land Cruiser a couple of months back. Moniker’d the Land Cruiser 300, this new generation succeeds the Land Cruiser 200 that was in production for 14 years. It is, however, forbidden fruit in the U.S. as the company has pulled the plug on it here. Just as the hype of the new SUV was dying down, a report by Creative311 has brought it back to the headlines.

According to the publication, Toyota is asking the owners not to sell their SUV within 12 months of purchase, citing global security. In fact, the company is even making the owners sign the dotted line and make it a contractual agreement. How about that!

Built between 2003 and 2009, the Mercedes SLR McLaren was a modern-day tribute to the 1950s 300 SLR. The super Gran tourer preceded AMG’s SLS and GT models, both inspired by the 300 SL. Throughout its production cycle, there were some limited edition versions, such as the 722 Edition. There was also a race-prepped version of that, which you could buy. There is, however, a much rarer version of the Mercedes SLR McLaren, which was presented in a “Seen through Glass” video. It was developed by MSO (McLaren Special Operations) and now, one of the 25 made is for sale.

The Acceler8 YouTube Channel pit a Ford Bronco against a Jeep Wrangler on a drag strip. The SUVs go head to head in two races, and a surprise third race. Keep reading to find out which one is faster.

Plug-in and full hybrid vehicles are mostly viewed as a transition between internal combustion engines and EVs. In 2019, just two percent of light vehicles, sold in the US, were hybrids and for 2020, things have remained about the same. In the EU only one percent of vehicles are plug-in hybrids. However, with the recent talk about hydrogen, Hyperion Motors takes the opportunity to change the fate of hybrid vehicles. Their XP-1 hypercar took eight years to develop and now, the first prototype has finally taken shape. It certainly promises a lot, but can it deliver?

Mercedes came up with an AMG C63 Black Series almost a decade back. The team at Carwow brought it to the drag strip to take on an F80 BMW M3. Both these vehicles, however, are tuned and make 1,450 horses combined. While the BMW features a pair of hybrid turbos, the Mercedes features a supercharged under the hood. They go up against each other in a series of rolling and drag races. Which tuned car do you think will win the showdown?

Many car enthusiasts lust after a high-performance supercar or a classic muscle car. Sadly, both are out of most people’s reach. This, in turn, creates a market niche for studios specializing in building replicas. After showing us their Honda Civic-based Lamborghini Aventador project, Dream Customs India is now showing us something even more bizarre. I’m sure you’re familiar with the 1969 Ford Mustang – a car that has achieved global stardom. The Indian studio has taken a 2009 Hyundai Accent – a fairly modern economy car - and turned it into a somewhat convincing clone of the 1969 Pony car. We’ll let you be the judge.