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Wednesday, November 30, 2016
2017 BMW 2 Series facelift spotted in spy shots – pictures...
2017 BMW 2 Series facelift spotted in spy shots – pictures http://ift.tt/2fSau3E
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Track Pack for McLaren 570S Available
With a 0-60 mph time of 3.1 seconds and a top speed of 204 mph, McLaren’s 570S is a super fast ride as well as a hell of a daily driver. Now, for those that want to race their McLaren coupe properly, there’s a new track pack available featuring an all Alcantara interior, carbon fiber racing seats, lighter alloy wheels, and a new extended rear wing.
“The Track Pack, available to order immediately, is designed to deliver enhanced levels of driver engagement for owners who enjoy occasional track day activity without compromising the car’s all-round usability and includes a discretely extended rear wing to generate additional downforce,” says McLaren.
This upgrade follows the recent unveiling of the 570S design editions, which are also available for order. By replacing the leather interior with a lighter Alcantara one, adding lighter seats, alloy wheels, and other tweaks, McLaren shed 55 pounds off of the 570S’ already low weight of 3,186 lb.
New aerodynamics of the pack displays a subtle and tasteful 0.47-inch higher rear wing. McLaren says it boosts cornering downforce by an additional 63.9 pounds at 150 mph. Works for us.
Additional exterior enhancements include a McLaren Special Operations roof finish in Dark Palladium and a sportier exhaust to go with the 3.8-liter twin turbo V-8 mid-engine that screams behind the back of your head.
A track telemetry app also comes with the pack. The system offers real-time info, lap times details, data logging, nifty graphics, and other cool toys for grown-ups.
The optional package adds an additional $20,615 to the average $200,000 price tag of the McLaren 570S.
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Audi Sport Becomes Quattro GmbH Ahead of RS Model Range...
Audi Sport Becomes Quattro GmbH Ahead of RS Model Range Expansion http://ift.tt/2gIcPgj
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Rare 1970 Chevelle SS396 Barn Find Headed to 2017 Russo and...
Rare 1970 Chevelle SS396 Barn Find Headed to 2017 Russo and Steele Scottsdale Auction http://ift.tt/2gwLDAX
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Audi Sport Becomes Quattro GmbH Ahead of RS Model Range Expansion
When anyone mentions the word “quattro,” you’re forced to consider whether they’re talking about Audi’s all-wheel-drive system or its high-performance sports car subsidiary responsible for the line of RS models. Moving forward, there should be no such confusion, given Audi ‘s Quattro GmbH sports car division will begin operating under the name Audi Sport.
Audi Sport will launch eight new go-fast models over the next 18 months, although the automaker won’t specify the exact models. Right now, the Audi Sport portfolio includes the Audi RS 3 sedan, RS Q3, RS 6 Avant, RS 7 Sportback, TT RS, R8, and S8 plus. To keep up with high demand, Audi plans on increasing the current number of Audi Sport dealers from 370 to 600 by the end of 2017.
The newly named division is also in charge of the Audi exclusive car customization program as well as lifestyle accessories that further the brand name. Audi Sport will also be responsible for Audi’s customer racing program, incidentally called Audi Sport customer racing.
Stephan Winkelmann, who has led Quattro GmbH since March 2016, will continue on as CEO of the newly minted Audi Sport division. He has experience with increasing dealer footprint; he helped triple the number of Lamborghini dealerships over the span of a decade. When he left Lamborghini to take on the new role earlier this year, he was tasked with, among other things, creating a clearer direction for the Audi Sport customer racing brand, a section of Quattro GmbH.
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2018 Ford Fiesta Debuts in Germany
The seventh-generation Ford Fiesta made its debut in Cologne, Germany, today with some big upgrades. Along with a more upscale interior, the Fiesta receives cylinder deactivation and a new Active crossover variant for Europe.
Inside the cabin, Ford removed 20 buttons on the center stack and put in a floating 8-inch touchscreen. Along with a cleaner user interface, Ford also promises upgraded materials on the new model. Expect to see Ford’s new Sync 3 system as well as a premium B&O PLAY sound system.
The European Fiesta comes with 15 new driver safety features, Ford says. A new anti-collision system up front can detect objects 130 meters ahead of the car, 20 times more than the current vehicle. If the car doesn’t come to a stop, autonomous braking will activate.
Ford hasn’t released full specs on the Fiesta, so we don’t know what all the options are. We do know that in Europe, the model will be available with a 1.0-liter three-cylinder EcoBoost engine with a new range of five-speed and six-speed transmissions. To improve fuel economy, Ford noted it is introducing cylinder deactivation on its 1.0-liter unit, a world first for a three-cylinder engine. When under light engine load, the feature can disengage or reengage one cylinder in 14 milliseconds.
The Euro-spec Fiesta will be available in four trims: the classic Titanium, the sporty ST-Line, the upscale Vignale, and the new slightly higher-riding Active crossover. It’s unclear which versions will make their way to the U.S. at this point, but we hope a next-gen ST is in the cards.
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Tuesday, November 29, 2016
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2018 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 Mule Gets Wing
Spy shots of the 2018 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 prototype reveal a serious aerodynamics package could be in the works.
Previous images have shown us only the hardware mounts for a wing that was stashed inside the test mule. Now we know there are at least two variants — one sleek, low, and flat; the other more dynamic, sitting higher on the rear deck.
Several wing sizes have been spotted on the prototypes, which means there may be several performance levels offered on the new ZR1.
The heavy black camouflage has also been peeled back to give us the best look at the upcoming ZR1 to date. Now that yet another piece of this puzzle has been exposed, we can see that this Corvette is in fact a ZR1 and not an update of the Z06 as was previously speculated.
The new rippled hood sports staggered layers and at least two large vents can be seen underneath its black and white camouflage wrap. Three massive air intakes up front are now hard to miss and the ZR1’s front splitter features vertical winglets attached at both ends of the low-slung coupe. Red side mirrors, a matching red leather interior, LED headlights, and side vents seem to be carried over from the 2017 models.
Under the hood is still anyone’s guess, but we’ll bet it is most likely a super-tuned 6.2-liter LT4 V-8 or the rumored, new twin-turbo V-8 that has been dubbed “LT5” by insiders. Some are hoping the engine will produce 750 horsepower, which will be a hell of an accomplishment for Chevy. However, figures closer to 700 horsepower seem a bit more realistic.
The ZR1 is expected to makes its debut at the 2017 Detroit Auto Show.
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Monday, November 28, 2016
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Materials of Tomorrow’s Cars
From large-scale suppliers to small, student-led research teams, groups throughout the automotive world are developing mind-boggling materials and systems to revolutionize car design. Here are seven of the most promising technologies that will likely impact how the next-generation automobile will look and work.
Thin-Film Solar Panels
Photovoltaic collectors are now so thin and flexible, they can be used as vehicle roof panels. On average about 300 watts of power could be harnessed to help take electrical strain off the infotainment system or run some of a car’s auxiliary electronic systems. The panels look pretty cool, too, like the one atop the recently resurrected Karma Revero.
Windshield Displays
Organic Light Emitting Diode, or OLED, and Transparent Thin-Film Transistor, also called T-TFT, technologies might turn your windscreen into a panoramic flat-screen display, an epicenter for an endless supply of vehicle information and entertainment. Automakers could construct an augmented reality through applications like navigation, media streaming, and even second-by-second racetrack information, such as displaying the ideal driving line on the glass, like we saw in a Jaguar Land Rover concept car from 2015.
Autonomous Interiors
The focus of an interior is shifting from driving responsibilities to relaxation and amusement as autonomous-driving technology advances. Not long ago Volvo showcased Concept 26, which reimagines what could be possible inside a computer-piloted vehicle. Choosing autopilot mode initiates an interior transformation, where the steering wheel recedes into the dash, the seat retreats to offer more room, and a table pivots out from a recess in the driver’s door panel as a 25-inch flat-screen simultaneously spins out from under the passenger-side dashboard.
Inter-Vehicle Communication
Autonomous cars use Differential GPS to know where on the globe they are, pulses of light through LIDAR to map nearby objects, and stereo cameras to “see” the road ahead. These technologies are extremely accurate but not infallible, which is why we’ll soon need to wirelessly interconnect all road traffic. Audi is pioneering “Car to X” communication with a pilot study in Ingolstadt, Germany, implanting sensors in the road surface and into traffic signals so that cars can be aware of traffic situations en route. This will no doubt affect car design, but how? We’ll have to wait and see.
Structural Composite Batteries
A research group out of Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden proposes constructing roof and door panels from lithium batteries. Carbon-fiber electrodes could offer both structural rigidity and good electron conduction, forming a load-bearing composite that can store energy. Designers would no longer be required to find room to house a large battery pack, reducing overall vehicle weight and freeing up interior volume.
Physiological Sensors
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, drowsy driving accounts for about 70,000 crashes annually. Engineers at Jaguar Land Rover are working on integrated “wellness” sensors that observe vehicle occupants’ brain activity. Using sensors embedded in the steering wheel, the car adjusts ambient lighting, audio levels, and temperature changes if it thinks you’re nodding off. Failing that, autonomous driving will take over. Breath and heart-rate sensors can also be placed inside the seats to not only monitor tiredness but also check for critical health conditions.
Ultrahaptic Gesture Control
Gesture control is already in the BMW 7 Series and will continue catalyzing change in dashboard design. With such a large selection of controls to interact with and only so many ways to gesture your hands, though, eye tracking may soon join the fray with a camera monitoring your eyes and changing the outcome of your gesture depending on where you’re looking. Porsche’s Mission E concept uses this technology, and engineers at Jaguar Land Rover hope to push the technology even further with ultrahaptics, a technology that monitors your fingers and directs ultrasonic pulses through the air toward your fingertips so you can feel vibration feedback.
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Sunday, November 27, 2016
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