Motor News

Honda announced plans for a fuel-cell version of the CR-V.This hydrogen-powered version of the compact SUV will be built in the U.S. starting in 2024.It will likely look similar to the standard CR-V, but with a few visual tweaks.Honda is giving the hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle another try with a new version of the popular CR-V crossover that will be built in Ohio starting in 2024. It will serve as a replacement for the Clarity Fuel Cell, a hydrogen-powered sedan offered in California from 2017 to 2020. Interestingly, this new model will also offer plug-in capability for its battery pack to allow it to offer a small amount of electric-only range without having to rely on its hydrogen supply.This fuel-cell vehicle will look just like the standard CR-V inside and out, save for a few small visual differences such as badging, trim, and possibly different headlights and taillights. Details are slim on the new powertrain, but we know that it will use a new power unit that’s a collaboration with General Motors. This fuel-cell unit, which essentially turns the liquid hydrogen into electricity to power the electric motor, is said to improve upon the old Clarity’s powertrain and also uses 80 percent less platinum than before.More Hydrogen CarsLike in the Clarity, the power unit fits entirely under the hood, and the CR-V’s boxier SUV shape should help with interior packaging as well, meaning the gas model’s roomy five-seat interior layout should be preserved. The hydrogen tank will be mounted in the rear, however, which could compromise cargo space somewhat.The concept of a plug-in hydrogen vehicle is a new one, and Honda says that this will allow owners to charge the CR-V just like a plug-in hybrid or an EV to replenish the car’s battery pack. This likely won’t allow for much driving range, as fuel-cell vehicles only have small battery packs, but it could offer a bit more flexibility, at least around town, if you need a bit of extra range in a pinch or to get to a fueling station.The fuel-cell CR-V will join the Toyota Mirai and Hyundai Nexo as the sole hydrogen vehicles sold in the States. Honda will likely release more information and specifications over the course of the next year as it prepares to start production of this new model in 2024.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.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. More

The off-road version of the Lamborghini Huracán delivers on the promise of its 2019 concept.It’s got less power than the regular car and a lower top speed, but it adds a raised ride height and a Rally mode. Customer deliveries start next year for the Sterrato, which will be the last Huracán variant.We first told you about Lamborghini’s plans to create a rally-raid-inspired version of the Huracán supercar back in 2019. Four years later, you’re looking at the production version. A limited run of 900 of the Huracán Sterrato will be produced for all markets, with deliveries starting next year. It will also be the last variant of the Huracán model line, and the last Lamborghini to be powered by the Italian company’s hugely charismatic naturally aspirated V-10 engine.While the finished version looks very close to the original concept, much has been tweaked and tucked in the move to production. The biggest change is the arrival of a high-level central air intake for the engine at the back of the roof, coming as a result of feedback from the engineering team while the prototype was being tested in desert conditions. “It was eating too much dust,” Mitja Borkert, Lamborghini’s design director, admitted when C/D spoke to him about the car, “or rather the filters were getting blocked much too quickly.” The raised periscope will be able to sit in cleaner air and deliver it to the engine; both of the regular Huracán’s side intakes are now blanked out. All-wheel drive will be standard, and the Sterrato does without the active rear-steering system of faster road-biased Huracáns.More Details and ActionThe new intake system means a slight reduction in power output for the Sterrato’s V-10. It now makes 601 horsepower, a 30-hp loss over the regular Huracán, although peak torque of 413 pound-feet is unchanged. It is hard to imagine the lesser figure will be a dealbreaker. Lamborghini claims a 3.4-second time to 62 mph, which sounds unexceptional for a Huracán—we blasted the rear-driven STO to 60 mph in just 2.6 seconds last year. But bear in mind that the Sterrato must dispatch the benchmark while wearing Bridgestone Dueler All Terrain tires as standard. The off-road rubber is also why it has a 160-mph speed limiter, which will make it the slowest production Lamborghini since the monstrous LM002 SUV went off-sale.Suspension changes include a 1.7-inch increase in ride height and consequent improvement in ground clearance. Beneath the carbon-fiber arch extensions, the track has also increased by 1.2 inches at the front and 1.4 inches at the back. Lamborghini CTO Rouven Mohr says that suspension settings are significantly softer than in any other Huracán, although with switchable electromagnetic shock absorbers still allowing variable damping forces. “It was very challenging from a tire point of view to have a setup that was also stable at high speed,” he says, “but although the limits are obviously lower the car is also fun to drive on road, it is very progressive.”Although it carries underbody protection and has reinforced sill covers, the Sterrato is designed for dusty and sandy conditions rather than rock scrambling. Like the Urus Performante it features a new dynamic setting called Rally, with Mohr saying that this will slacken stability control intervention to allow big drift angles on loose surfaces, while still stepping in if the car threatens to spin. Lamborghini hasn’t released any images of the Sterrato’s interior yet, but we’re told that it will feature the new option of Sterrato Green microfiber trim as well as new infotainment functions including an inclinometer, a pitch and roll indicator, a compass, and a steering angle repeater. It will also come with a data recording system which, in its next iteration, will allow Apple Watch users to synchronize their heart rate with the telemetry.Two of the Sterrato’s most distinctive features posed significant challenges for the engineering team, but were judged critical to delivering on the promise of the concept. The front auxiliary lights needed to be capable of passing tough pedestrian impact standards, and the roof rails required the car to carry loads where it was never designed to. Although loads will be limited to a modest 66 pounds—meaning no roof tents—Lamborghini predicts that buyers will opt to carry skis or lightweight bicycles. The original idea for the Sterrato came when Mohr and Borkert, both then new arrivals at Lamborghini, were discussing their key automotive influences and agreed on the Lancia Stratos. That led to Mohr,who was then head of vehicle engineering, turning a durability-test Huracán into the original concept. As built, it was finished something very similar to the white, green, and red Alitalia livery the Stratos wore in competition, with the colors (but not the pattern) changed for the public images.Both Borkert and Mohr agree that Lamborghini boss Stefan Winkelmann was critical to the creation of the production version, greenlighting the project almost as soon as he returned to the CEO role in 2020. The Sterrato will be sold alongside the existing Huracán range until the car goes off sale. We don’t have U.S. pricing yet, but in Europe the Sterrato will cost the equivalent of $270,000 at current exchange rates. We can expect to pay a supplement on that.Will any Sterrato buyers actually use them in their intended environment? Mitja Borkert hopes so. “It is going to look better when it is dirty, or when it has some wear on it,” he says. Here’s hoping that happens. 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

Lewis Hamilton shared a clip last week of himself driving an R34 Nissan GT-R hard around a city. It is an instant classic video, a rare example of F1’s most successful driver ever just having fun in a cool car, but not everyone is happy about it. Chief among the unhappy parties is, apparently, the company that actually owns the car.CarBuzz reports the car is owned by the Japanese company Omoshiro Rent-a-Car, which rented the Nissan out to either Hamilton or an associate during the Japanese Grand Prix weekend. The video was filmed shortly afterward, but Hamilton’s outright hooning was in apparent violation of the company’s policies. In a tweet attributed to the company, the brand simply says that “such driving is prohibited.” While the brand confirmed the rental to Hamilton to CarBuzz, an Omoshiro Rent-a-Car representative added that “Under the guidance of our attorneys, [Omoshiro is] unable to disclose any further information.” It is unclear if this is an active legal matter. This content is imported from twitter. 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.こちらはおもしろレンタカーの車ですが、これは弊社が許可をして撮影されたものではありません。このような走行は一切禁止しております。 https://t.co/5Ud0stH44t— おもしろレンタカー　中のひと (@info82262789) November 24, 2022No matter what happens next, though, the conclusion is the same. If you are going to take a rental car out to do things the agreement expressly forbids, do not post a video online unless you are prepared for the rental company to find it. Even seven-time world champions and 103-time Grand Prix winners are not immune to the rules of rental agreements.This content is imported from twitter. 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.This content is imported from twitter. 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

The next move for GM with its valued Corvette nameplate will be to launch a Corvette subbrand.It will include a four-door “coupe” and a sporty high-performance crossover to partner the upcoming two-seater Corvette EV.The new Corvette lineup will be positioned well above its rivals, such as a future trio of electric Mustangs. What’s in a name? When you are a carmaker, the answer is: everything. Arguably, people buy a BMW or a Benz at least as much for the name as for the car itself, and the same goes for Corvette. In terms of brand value, Corvette is among the auto industry’s most heralded and valued nameplates, and yet it currently only pulls a small percentage of the potentially huge profit. But according to those in the know, this is going to change. We have already seen the new Z06, and there are several more versions of the C8 still to come, including a possible E-Ray hybrid, the revived ZR1 and the even more extreme Zora hybrid named after Zora Arkus-Duntov, father of the original C1. There’s also a Corvette EV on the horizon slated to use GM’s Ultium architecture.Step two of GM’s Corvette brand strategy is even more ambitious and far-reaching. Starting in 2025, GM plans to launch a Corvette brand that will also include a sleek four-door coupe and a brawny crossover. Both of these future new Vettes will be EVs.Sports cars are useful image builders, but their contribution to the bottom line is—at least in the case of GM—negligible. Played intelligently and with authenticity, however, the name Corvette should be a license to print money. At a point in time when Ferrari and Maserati and Porsche are all offering one or more SUVs—the antithesis to the hard-core sports cars that put them on the map in the first place—why shouldn’t Corvette also consider building sedans, crossovers or, heaven forbid, even pickups? More on the CorvetteOf course, these new age products can’t be a half-hearted attempt like the Cadillac Cimarron or the Ford Contour-derived Jaguar X-Type. Instead, the pivotal starting point is a redefined unique DNA that shouts “Corvette” in terms of design and driving dynamics. The switch to the Ultium battery platform allows the keepers of the brand to reimagine the proportions, stance, and engineering—or to adhere to the trademark elements which shaped the American sports car icon from the ’50s to the present day. A source who has seen the first proposals describes them as “copies of nothing” and as “encapsulated emotional purity.” Waxing lyrical may do justice to the styling themes, but what about the bespoke content? The mechanical package apparently includes battery packs with high energy density, superfast software, a patented cooling concept, staggered Lego-like topographic packaging, miniaturized componentry, ultra-efficient inverters, high-revving electric motors, an 800-volt electrical system that provides up to 350 kW of charging power, a two-speed transmission, brake-by-wire, multi-mode four-wheel steering, and torque vectoring.Corvette EV prototypeGMAccording to our friend from within the GM Tech Center: “Corvette is not just a brand. It’s a constantly evolving system paired with a dramatically different user experience.” The four-door coupe (think of it as more of a liftback) and the crossover add two new values to the marque: mainstream exclusivity and overt luxury. Thanks to a delicate balance of functionality and fashion, stats and style, and limited availability fueling high desirability, all three pillars are prepared for pragmatic evolution and subsequent proliferation.”The aim is not to beat Taycan and Cayenne at their own game but to create three American legends capable of breaking new ground by making the essence of Corvette scalable. To do so, that essence must at all times be in a state of progressive flux,” our source comments. Hear, hear.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.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. More

This content is imported from youTube. 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.On the cheap end, production bikes are faster than production cars. With a $10,000 budget you’d have no problem getting a bike that could run away from any internal-combustion car that costs five times as much. But when you get to the ridiculous, over-the-top end of the performance spectrum and add in electric motors, cars are hard to beat.Proof comes in the form of this new video from CarWow, which pits the Ferrari SF90 up against the BMW M1000 RR. The bike is BMW’s fastest, a special edition with M branding and 212 horsepower on tap from a 999-cubic-centimeter inline-four engine. That’s quite a bit for a package that weighs just over 400 pounds unloaded. Ferrari vs. the World, Then and NowBut it doesn’t matter. The Ferrari, with its half-million-dollar price tag and sophisticated hybrid system, is too quick. The gas-sucking V-8 makes 769 hp all on its own, but with the three onboard electric motors, total system output is 986 hp. That powertrain drives all four wheels, giving the 3500-pound Ferrari a lot of traction with which to unleash its 590 pound-feet of torque. The result is a browbeating for the bike. An all-wheel-drive, 986-hp hypercar is just too much to handle. But we’d bet the BMW rider had more fun. From 2020: First DriveThis content is imported from youTube. 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

The Audi RS6 Avant and RS7 gain a new Performance trim with extra power and other tweaks.The twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 engine produces 621 hp and 627 pound-feet of torque, an increase over the previous model’s 591 hp and 590 pound-feet.Audi says these models will arrive in the U.S. for the 2024 model year.Audi is rolling out a new Performance version of the RS6 Avant and RS7 models that gets a big boost in power and torque, along with some chassis upgrades and visual tweaks. The twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8 engine now makes 621 horsepower and 627 pound-feet of torque, increases of 30 hp and 37 pound-feet compared with the outgoing versions.The extra grunt comes from larger turbochargers that make more boost. Audi claims this will make the cars 0.2 second quicker in the sprint to 62 mph; in our testing, the RS6 got to 60 mph in 3.1 seconds and the RS7 did it in 3.0 seconds, so we can expect some improvement on these numbers once we strap our test equipment to the upgraded models. The Performance models are also 18 pounds lighter thanks to Audi’s deletion of some of the sound deadening, which is also meant to allow more engine sound to enter the cabin.More on the RS ModelsNewly available 22-inch wheels are wrapped in 285-width Continental Sport Contact 7 tires. Audi says these tires provide more grip and that the new wheels reduce unsprung weight by 44 pounds overall. There are also revisions to the center differential, and tweaked programming for the drive modes that include Efficiency, Comfort, Auto, Dynamic, and customizable RS1 and RS2 modes.A few new matte colors join the palette, including Ascari Blue and Dew Silver, and certain exterior trim pieces are also finished in matte. Inside, the Performance models gain blue contrasting stitching, blue seatbelts, and other blue accents.Audi has yet to release pricing for the 2024 RS6 Avant Performance and RS7 Performance, but we can expect them to carry a price premium over the current starting prices of $119,995 for the RS6 and $122,995 for the RS7.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.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. More

As the Tesla Model 3 gets closer to its sixth birthday, it is reportedly getting closer to receiving its first facelift. The report comes via Reuters. The news service said it spoke to four sources with information on the plans. The revamp is part of an attempt by Tesla to cut production costs as well as to entice buyers through visual changes to the car—a rare move from Tesla. Most auto manufacturers put their cars through through multi-year cycles, complete with small year-to-year updates. Tesla does it differently; the EV maker prefers to rely on over-the-air (OTA) updates and simply change mechanical parts as they are developed. Because of this unusual method, the nearly six-year-old Model 3 has never received a facelift. But now, according to a report from Reuters, a refreshed Model 3 code-named “Highland” is on the way and is expected to be put into production in the third quarter of next year. More on TeslaThe revamped Tesla is part of an attempt by the company to simplify its design and drive production costs down. According to the Reuters report, one focus of the new Model 3 design is to reduce complexity in the interior while maintaining features that Tesla customers care about, such as the center display. Never mind the fact that the interior of the Model 3 looks as barren as that first apartment out of college: it’s got a place to sit, and a massive screen, and not much else. The last major vehicle update from Tesla was swapping the steering wheel of the Model S for the yoke setup and switching to a horizontal screen orientation, something the Model 3 already possesses.Michael Simari|Car and DriverThe other major reason for an update seems to be increased pressure from the competition, especially competition within the China market. The Model 3 remains Tesla’s cheapest offering, though its $48,440 starting price has steadily crept skyward, and more established automakers have begun to put their weight behind EV production. According to Reuters, the facelifted Model 3 will go into production at Tesla’s Shanghai, China, and Fremont, California, factories. Car and Driver reached out to Tesla for written comment, but did not receive a response.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.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. More

Virtual concept cars are all the rage these days. We’ve seen fully digital Vision Gran Turismo designs from the likes of Jaguar, McLaren, Audi, and more. Now, Ferrari is finally stepping up with a Vision Gran Turismo of its own. Titled simply the Ferrari Vision Gran Turismo, the fully virtual concept car is a center-positioned single-seater race car designed specifically to appear in PlayStation’s series of Gran Turismo video games. Ferrari says it uses an even more potent version of the twin-turbo V-6 powering the company’s newest Le Mans competitor, the 499P, along with three electric motors, one for the rear axle and two for each front wheels. Thanks to a lack of real-world sporting regulations, total output is an incredible 1336 hp. And that’s not all. From the release:The bodyshell of the Ferrari Vision Gran Turismo appears as if suspended over the flat, carbon-fiber underbody which incorporates all the car’s technical components, thus giving purity to the shape. The chassis is designed to emphasize the car’s lateral dynamics in on-the-limit handling. The powertrain layout guarantees an optimal front-rear weight balance and an extremely low center of gravity to the benefit of the AWD. The elasto-kinematic suspension setup was developed around the performance characteristics of the tires used in Gran Turismo together with the car’s aerodynamic balance, the aim being to guarantee superlative performance on both torturously winding city circuits and traditional endurance race tracks.According to Ferrari, it’s used its experience in Formula 1 to ensure the battery for the electric motors is always in a full state of charge, whether you’re setting an ultra-fast qualifying lap or doing a handful of consecutive laps at once. Vision GT CarsThe Ferrari Vision Gran Turismo will become available to all users starting on December 23, 2022. One Gran Turismo user will have the chance to drive the car one week early, however, as all GT7 players will be able to participate in a viewers’ campaign quiz for a chance to be gifted the car in-game on December 15. On that same date, Ferrari will reveal a full-size replica of the Vision Gran Turismo, to be displayed at the Ferrari Museum in Maranello through March 2023. 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