We’re excited to announce the beginning of an epic lineup of rallies added to the Road & Track Experiences roster. Our first rally of 2021, Road to Motor Bella, is a day-long drive through Michigan’s freshwater lake region ending at Motor Bella, M1 Concourse’s inaugural, experiential car show on September 22, 2021. The Road to Motor Bella experience offers enthusiasts unprecedented access to curated drives, with all roads leading to the innovative vehicle debuts and focus on next-generation mobility at Motor Bella. This event is expected to house and display over 600 cars, trucks, and utility vehicles across M1’s 87-acre property in Pontiac, MI. And now, you can tour it all alongside Road & Track and Car and Driver editors. With over 150,000 attendees expected throughout the span of six days, Motor Bella will be packed with new experiences — even offering Road & Track members exclusive opportunities during their first-ever press day. Interest piqued? Here’s what to expect:Road to Motor Bella will commence at Marsh Bank Park, where enthusiasts will gather for a quick breakfast and meet-and-greet before a scenic morning drive. Expect beautiful, twisting roads as you travel through Oakland County lake region, a coastal route curated by Road & Track and Car and Driver editors.Enter the show grounds, consisting of 87 acres and a 1-mile-long test track for an afternoon filled with once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Hit Champion Motor Speedway’s track to spend time with pro drivers during a series of hot laps in high-performance vehicles — an opportunity available to the Track Club community. Not a member yet? Sign up here. Enjoy a food truck lunch, mingle with editors one-on-one, and travel through the grounds alongside a community of like-minded enthusiasts during this first-ever mobility-filled event. PLUS, Track Club Founders are invited to stick around an extra day to hang with Car and Driver as they test their 2022 10Best contenders at North Star Reach Camp. Want in? APPLY TO JOINNot a member? Learn more about the Track Club to receive exclusive invitations to the industry’s hottest ticketed events.LEARN MOREThis content was provided by the Road & Track marketing team.

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Volkswagen rolled out its ID.GTI concept in Germany this past weekend.The electric car has not yet been confirmed as coming to the U.S., but VW Group of America CEO Pablo Di Si was decidedly bullish on the idea.One problem to iron out first: it’s unlikely the ID.GTI will get all-wheel drive, and customers in the States may find that a sticking point.When we told you about the Volkswagen ID.GTI concept on Sunday, September 3, fresh from its unveiling at the Munich IAA auto show in Germany, the official line was that there were no confirmed plans to bring it to the U.S. But now Car and Driver has spoken with Pablo Di Si, Volkswagen Group of America CEO, and can report that he is pushing hard to bring the electric hot hatch stateside.Take a Good Look”Everybody wants the car in the U.S.,” Di Si told journalists at the IAA. “It’s a concept car, but we’re working very closely with the team in Germany in terms of the design and the specs . . . I think it could be a great car for the U.S. We just need to make sure that the touch and feel is going to be what the American consumer wants, and you achieve that by working with engineering from the beginning of the project.”There seem few reasons that such a plan couldn’t come to fruition. The production ID.GTI, which is confirmed for Europe, will sit on the MEB Entry platform, a front-wheel-drive version of Volkswagen’s existing MEB EV platform. The ID.4, which sits on the regular rear-/all-wheel-drive MEB architecture, is already being produced at the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee. U.S. Needs an Entry-Level EV Di Si confirms that Volkswagen is committed to launching a less expensive EV in the U.S. below the ID.4, a role the production GTI would seem perfectly suited for. “We are the people’s brand, so we need an entry-level electric vehicle, no ifs, no buts,” Di Si said. “Whether it is going to be the ID.2 or the GTI—whatever you want to call it—we need to have one. I like the GTI particularly because it brings the heritage of the brand in a smaller package, and a hopefully smaller price.”Mike Duff|Car and DriverWhich can be taken as a ringing endorsement from the boss, especially as Di Si added that his personal opinion is that the basic ID.2, which will sit below the ID.3 in Europe, will be too small and basic for U.S. buyers. One potential sticking point, according to Volkswagen insiders, is the ID.GTI’s front-drive layout, with the key question being whether U.S. buyers would expect their junior performance EV to come with all-wheel drive. That’s something that would be very hard to deliver given the concept’s dinky dimensions and tight packaging. But we’re definitely hoping the issues get ironed out on this one. The U.S. has long been one of the biggest markets for Volkswagen’s GTI variants, and we really don’t want to be denied this one. This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.Senior European CorrespondentOur man on the other side of the pond, Mike Duff lives in Britain but reports from across Europe, sometimes beyond. He has previously held staff roles on UK titles including CAR, Autocar and evo, but his own automotive tastes tend towards the Germanic, owning both a troublesome 987-generation Porsche Cayman S and a Mercedes 190E 2.5-16. More

GM provided this sneak peek at the 2023 GMC Hummer EV SUV during an investor video conference Thursday where it laid out its electrification plans.
The Hummer EV will eventually be offered as either a pickup truck or SUV with a two- or three-motor setup.
Expect the SUV version to arrive in 2023 starting at around $75,000.
The 2023 GMC Hummer EV, which debuted in pickup truck form as an ultra-loaded Edition 1 model that costs $112,595, will eventually have cheaper models available as well as an SUV version. Today, during a GM investor video conference laying out the company’s electric plans, we got our first look at the upcoming SUV variant, which will arrive in 2023.

Hummer Is Back with a 1000-HP Electric Pickup

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GMC hasn’t given much information on the new electric SUV yet—a spokesperson contacted by Car and Driver after the conference declined comment—but its lineup should align with the pickup’s. This means it could also have a highly equipped Edition 1 model as well as a three-motor EV3X and two-motor EV2X, which both come equipped with an air suspension and four-wheel steering, as well as a base EV2 model, which will have the two-motor setup but none of the aforementioned goodies. Like the pickup, expect them to come standard with GM’s Super Cruise semi-autonomous driving system, removable roof panels, and 35-inch tires.
The Hummer EV SUV will have the same imposing presence as the pickup version just without the bed. It’ll have the a modernized grille and headlights with “Hummer” pasted across then, skid plates, tall ride height, and massive tires and fender flares. The similarities should carry on to the interior as well, keeping the 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, 13.4-inch touchscreen, and it could even have a third row of seats.
So far, we don’t have images of it other than this screen grab from the conference, also featuring Doug Parks, GM’s global product development executive VP. And we won’t see the SUV version on the road until 2023, and it should be a bit cheaper than the pickup starting at around $75,000.
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Average new-car prices aren’t getting any more reasonable, and if you’re someone who finances their vehicle, you’re probably wondering where all the money’s going.The average APR for new vehicles financed in March was 7 percent, helping create a market where the average payment for a new car is, gulp, $730.That’s bad, but the number of people paying over $1000 is also on the rise. In Wyoming, more than 25 percent of car shoppers who finance have payments that high. Sorry, truck shoppers. The average price of a new car in the U.S. has been climbing, again, and at least one Toyota executive thinks it could hit $50,000 later this year. If we’re paying more for our cars, it logically follows that our monthly payments are increasing as well, especially with interest rates as high as they are. Right on cue, Edmunds has announced that the average annual percentage rate (APR) for new vehicles was at 7 percent in March, the highest level since early 2008. The average monthly payment for a new car is now $730, up almost $80 from a year ago.Interest Rates Climbing to 7 Percent and HigherThe average APR is under 6 percent in only two states—Minnesota and South Dakota—and is above 7 percent in 16 mostly Southern states. The national average was under 6 percent in September and has been climbing each month since then. The Federal Reserve sets the rate at which banks can borrow money, which then influences the rate the rest of us pay when we, say, finance a car. The Fed has been raising interest rates recently as it attempts to keep inflation from growing too rapidly and has raised the rate by almost 5 percent over the past year. Here’s More Good NewsHigher APRs and higher prices, along with the length of the loan, affect the total price and just how much people are paying each month. In some cases, it’s a lot. In January, Edmunds noted that around 15 percent of people who financed a new car did so with payments over $1000. As of March 2023, the number has grown to almost 17 percent, representing a continued increase from the 10.5 percent who were paying four figures monthly for their car a year ago. These high payments are likely one reason why more Americans are falling behind on their car payments in 2023 than at any time since 2009, according to Bloomberg. Wyoming Has the Most $1000+ Car Payments Two states stand out as “winners” in the race to pay $1000 or more a month for your car: Texas and Wyoming. Almost 21 percent of new-car financers are in the four-figure club, but Wyoming has the honor of topping the list. Vehicles are “ridiculously more expensive” there these days than before, according to Cowboy State Daily, and we can see that in the fact that a whopping 25.7 percent of people agreed to pay over $1000 a month for their vehicles. Edmunds said the high prices in Wyoming and Texas are “due to the high volume of large truck purchases in both states.”While $1000-a-month payments are rare in the used-car world, the cost to finance is even higher than for new cars, Edmunds notes. The average APR to borrow money for a gently loved car or truck was over 11 percent last month, up from just over 9 percent in September. It’s pricey out there. This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.Shopping Is Still Fun AnywayContributing EditorSebastian Blanco has been writing about electric vehicles, hybrids, and hydrogen cars since 2006. His articles and car reviews have appeared in the New York Times, Automotive News, Reuters, SAE, Autoblog, InsideEVs, Trucks.com, Car Talk, and other outlets. His first green-car media event was the launch of the Tesla Roadster, and since then he has been tracking the shift away from gasoline-powered vehicles and discovering the new technology’s importance not just for the auto industry, but for the world as a whole. Throw in the recent shift to autonomous vehicles, and there are more interesting changes happening now than most people can wrap their heads around. You can find him on Twitter or, on good days, behind the wheel of a new EV.  More

Porsche Design has restored this 1962 Porsche 911 Targa as part of 50th-anniversary celebrations for the industrial-design firm.The theme of the restoration: the look of the all-black Chronograph 1 timepiece.The car and watch will be sold later this month by RM Sotheby’s at auction, with bid acceptance running from November 29 through December 14. To celebrate its 50th anniversary, Porsche Design—an independent industrial design consultancy and brand—has teamed up with its vintage-vehicle cousin, Porsche Classic, to restore a 1972 Porsche 911 Targa. A factory-restored vintage 911 would be cool enough on its own, but this one has the additional lure (or ignominy) of having been rejuvenated to resemble a special wristwatch.Founded by Ferdinand Alexander “Butzi” Porsche—the original designer of the 911, and grandson of company founder Ferdinand Porsche—Porsche Design was meant to bring the German marque’s intensely focused engineering and minimalist aesthetics to other product categories. The first commission came from the automotive company itself, to create a premium timepiece that could be gifted to deserving employees and clients. The result was the Chronograph 1, the world’s first watch with an all-black matte case and dial. Inspired by Porsche’s signature non-reflecting dashboard gauges, the design flowed from Butzi’s stated desire to “create a watch to match the car.” Porsche Classic and Porsche Design have taken that instruction quite literally, sourcing a red 1972 911 T and converting it to matte-black spec, just like the Chronograph 1.The donor car for this process was quite tatty when it was located. “We had rust, and a lot of corrosion on the body. And the engine wasn’t running, or the gearbox,” said Uwe Makrutzki, manager of factory restorations at Porsche Classic, who oversaw the process. Worse, it had suffered notable physical molestations during the Me Decade. “This was one very funny thing which was modified,” Makrutzki said. “In the ’80s, whale-tail spoilers were very fashionable, and so a lot of customers, like this one, changed this to make their cars become more ‘sporty’ looking.”Fortunately, Porsche Classic is skilled at cetacean amputation. Even more fortunate, it has excellent parts availability for restoring these cars. “90 percent of the new parts were available,” said Makrutzki. Particularly deviling, however, was locating the proper camshaft housing, as the car was also to be upgraded to a hotted-up 2.4-liter “S” spec during the rehab process. After some searching, one was located, as new old stock from a dealer in the special procurement network. “This was not challenging,” Makrutzki said. “It just takes time, so we just have to be patient.”Happily, owners of classic Porsche 911 Targas will reap benefits from this process. “Prior to this project, the replacement Targa top we had in stock was only just close in texture to the original surface from 1972,” Makrutzki said. “So we took this opportunity to rebuild the material in exactly the surface and specification from 1972. And we got it.” That new manufactured piece will now be available for purchase via Porsche Classic.More Porsche ClassicsIn honor of the 50th anniversary of Porsche Design, an updated iteration of the Chronograph 1 was also created. “We kept the watch design entirely true to the 1972 original, including the brand’s old historical logo on the dial and crown,” said Roland Heiler, chief design officer of the Porsche Lifestyle Group. However, the company changed the case material from steel to titanium, for enhanced light-weighting and durability, and updated the works with modern mechanicals. The only other significant update appears on the rear. The rotor—the device that transforms the wearer’s motion into winding energy—now hosts a shape that will be familiar to any fan of vintage 911s. “It mirrors the original Fuchs wheels of the sports car,” Heiler said. Both the restored car and the special watch will be sold at auction by RM Sotheby’s starting November 29. Since the car has non-original engine and transmission, another numerical correspondence has been created to service high-end collectors’ obsession with matching numbers. Heiler said, “The timepiece features the car’s unique VIN on the case-back.”This content is imported from OpenWeb. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More