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The next-generation Mini Cooper Hardtop has leaked in new spy shots that show an uncamouflaged prototype testing in China.The front end is similar to the current model, but the taillights now feature a sharp, triangular design and are missing the Union Jack motif.The next Cooper Hardtop is due in 2023 and will come with both electric and gas powertrains.Back in November, Mini showed off a camouflaged prototype of the next-generation Cooper Hardtop and told us that it would be offered with both internal combustion engines and an electric powertrain. Now the next Mini Cooper’s design has been leaked in full, thanks to journalist Greg Kable, who snapped photos of the future Cooper Hardtop undergoing testing with disguised prototypes in China.
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The front end isn’t a drastic departure from the current Cooper Hardtop, featuring the same bulldog-like face with big round headlights and a chunky grille. The grille looks mostly blocked off, with only a small opening in the lower third, and the prototype appears to lack exhaust pipes, leading us to believe this is the electric version of the next Mini. The interior includes a large circular screen in the center console and what appears to be a head-up display taking the place of a gauge cluster behind the steering wheel.

The most noticeable change is at the rear, where the rectangular taillights have been swapped out for triangular units that seem to have ditched the kitschy Union Jack motif. A gloss-black trim piece spans the width of the tailgate and links the taillights, while the bumper sports a simple, clean design. The next-generation Mini Cooper Hardtop is expected to arrive in 2023, when a new Countryman SUV will also debut. The electric version will ride on a platform jointly developed by BMW and Chinese automaker Great Wall and will be built in China, while the gas-powered Cooper will be built in Oxford, England, likely on an updated version of the current Cooper’s platform.
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Volkswagen has confirmed that a camper version of its ID.Buzz van will be made. No other details were released, but we can imagine such a vehicle would ride on the longer-wheelbase version of the ID.Buzz MEB electric platform, with front- or all-wheel drive offered. Range could possibly reach 342 miles. We in the U.S. haven’t been offered a VW camper since 2003, and they weren’t big sellers then.Buried deep inside a European press release, camouflaged under the headline “Electrification of more European plants,” was this little snippet: “Another vehicle derivative, the ID.California, has likewise been approved for the [Hanover, Germany] site.”Woo-hoo! That means ID.Buzz campers. Rejoice, hippies!

The release is the first acknowledgment from VW that the much-buzzed-about ID.Buzz will, indeed, get a camper variant. Used-car sale prices of past VW camper vans have been steadily increasing, and with good reason. As the pandemic got more people out on the road with their laptops to work remotely and anywhere they darn well pleased, the need for practical camper-style transport grew exponentially. A Westfalia camper van offers much of the same #VanLife practicality as a Sprinter or a full-fledged motorhome while being a lot easier to drive and park.

Here’s a more recent rendering of the coming VW ID.Buzz electric van. Imagine that with a pop top and swivel seats.
VW

Details of the ID. California are scant, but the regular ID.Buzz van is expected to come with a choice of 82.0- or 111.0-kWh batteries, good for a possible range of up to 342 miles. There should be two powertrain options in the ID.Buzz: single-motor rear-drive or front- and rear-motor all-wheel drive. Volkswagen has already announced that there would be a cargo version of the ID.Buzz called, cleverly, The ID.Buzz Cargo. It will be built on the longer-wheelbase version of the ID.Buzz. All will ride on the purpose-built MEB electric-car platform that sits under all of Volkswagen’s EVs. While Europe and other markets have been getting Volkswagen camper vans since the very beginning, we here in the States haven’t had the option since the T4 van (Type 4, the fourth-generation van) was last offered here in 2003. That one came in a pop-top version with sleeping for two upstairs and for another two down below when you folded all the seats flat. There was a flip-up table and a cute little refrigerator under the rear-facing seat, too. Winnebago offered a more fully equipped camper version. Problem was, even when the T4 Westfalias were being offered in American showrooms 20 years ago, few were buying them. Low sales combined with the cost of federalizing the T5 and T6 versions killed any business case anyone in Wolfsburg may have been trying to make for them. It’s still not clear from today’s “announcement” if U.S. sales will be part of the plan for what is being referred to as the ID.California. We got to spend a few days camping in a Euro-spec T6 California camper three years ago, glommed onto a larger worldwide press launch of that fine camper bus. We found that thing roughly 400 times better than the rickety 2003 T4 we actually own. But it was just cruel of VW to tease U.S. van lovers with that. Now, maybe, we’ll be getting our own. Maybe.”No word on anything at this point,” said a spokesperson when asked. “Let’s hope it comes here!!”Note the two exclamation marks. That’s gotta mean something, right?
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Mercedes will launch a new Level 3 autonomous driving system in Germany at the beginning of 2022.Called Drive Pilot, it will be available for the S-class and EQS models.The system is operable at up to 37 mph on designated highways in Germany.Mercedes says it has received regulatory approval in Germany for its latest Level 3 autonomous driving system, called Drive Pilot. This technology allows for hands-free driving under certain conditions and, unlike Level 2 systems such as Cadillac’s Super Cruise, does not require the driver to be looking at the road while the system is active. Audi had previously pioneered a similar system in the A8 but later gave up on seeking government approval in both Europe and the U.S. Honda launched Level 3 technology in Japan in a small batch of Legend sedans earlier this year.Drive Pilot will first be available in Germany for the S-class sedan starting in early 2022 and later for the electric EQS, and Mercedes says it is testing the system in the U.S. and China. So far it can only operate on designated highways in Germany, comprising a total of 8197 miles, and only works up to 37 mph. It uses the existing suite of sensors that enable other driver-assistance features and also includes additional LiDAR sensors, cameras, and a moisture sensor in the wheel well. There are also failsafes for the steering, braking, and electrical systems.

Mercedes-Benz

The Drive Pilot system will prompt the driver to take over control if certain conditions are not met. If the driver fails to do so, the system will bring the vehicle to a stop, start the hazard lights, and activate the emergency call function.

Drive Pilot’s potential availability in the U.S. will depend on how regulations and laws for autonomous driving develop on our shores. Earlier this year, NHTSA finalized and clarified the rules for vehicles with Level 3, Level 4, and Level 5 autonomous systems. But Mercedes has not yet detailed how or if it plans to seek approval for Drive Pilot in America. We also don’t know how much the Drive Pilot option will cost for the S-class in Germany, so stay tuned for more information to come on this new feature.
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Bugatti is introducing a division for customization called Sur Mesure, and this Chiron Pur Sport is its first creation.This Chiron pays homage to the Bugatti’s raced by Louis Chiron in the 1930s with its baby blue paint job and the number “32” appearing on its doors and seats.The red stripes on the front and rear actually consist of dozens of tiny “EB” logos, commemorating founder Ettore Bugatti.After years of building one-offs and limited edition models, Bugatti finally officially created its own bespoke division, Sur Mesure. Meaning “tailored” in French, Sur Mesure allows customers to craft unique versions of Bugatti’s already-special supercars by choosing from the nearly endless options for paintwork and interior materials. The eye-catching Chiron Pur Sport seen here is the first product of Bugatti’s speciality team, and sports a design inspired by the hypercar’s namesake, racing driver Louis Chiron, who piloted several Bugattis in the 1930s.
One of Chiron’s greatest wins came at the 1931 French Grand Prix, where he and Achille Varzi led for over eight hours in a Bugatti Type 51 bearing the number “32.” The Chiron Pur Sport customized by Sur Mesure wears the same number hand-painted on its doors to honor Chiron’s victory. The baby blue paint also recalls the Bugatti grand prix race cars of the 1920s and ‘30s, as does the vivid red pattern adorning the front and rear of this Pur Sport. Those red accents are actually made up of hundreds of tiny “EB” logos—for company founder Ettore Bugatti—applied by hand to create a fading stripe look.

The same motifs are found inside, with “32” emblazoned on the headrests and the fading “EB” stripes appearing on the door panels. The door sills and side of transmission housing feature the words “Grand Prix,” and the center console inlay is fashioned from black anodized aluminum. The Sur Mesure Chiron Pur Sport is mechanically unchanged, meaning it still packs a 1479-hp quad-turbocharged 8.0-liter W-16 engine that takes the Bugatti to a top speed of 217 mph. More breathtaking creations from Bugatti’s Sur Mesure program should arrive in the coming years.
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The Audi TT RS will exit the U.S. market after the 2022 model year, Audi revealed today.The 2022 TT RS Heritage Edition brings five unique color combinations to Audi’s sports car, each recalling a paint job worn by the iconic 1980s Ur-Quattro.The Heritage Edition will be limited to 50 units, with 10 in each color specification, and also adds exclusive 20-inch, five-spoke wheels.Audi has announced that the 2022 model year will be the last for the TT RS in the United States, and the company will send the compact performance coupe off with a Heritage Edition limited to just 50 units. The TT RS’s turbo five-cylinder fortunately lives on in the RS3, and the TT and TTS will live on in the American market for the time being, but we expect their days to be numbered as well.

The TT RS Heritage Edition will offer five different color combinations—with 10 units in each—that echo paint jobs worn by the legendary Ur-Quattro from the 1980s. The subtlest options are Alpine White with Ocean Blue leather and Diamond Silver stitching or Stone Gray with Crimson Red leather and Jet Gray stitching. Those looking to stand out can opt for Tizian Red with Havanna Brown leather and Jet Gray stitching, Malachite Green with Cognac Brown leather and black stitching, or the classier Helios Blue with Diamond Silver leather and Ocean Blue stitching.

The send-off for the TT RS also features “Heritage Edition” branding etched into the rear quarter glass on the right side of the car, along with the “1-2-4-5-3” firing order for the five-cylinder engine and the “quattro” script. The Heritage Edition rides on 20-inch five-spoke wheels and features Alcantara on the steering wheel and shift lever. The rear wing is also removed for a sleeker look.The 2022 Audi TT RS and the limited-production Heritage Edition will go on sale early next year. The 2022 TT RS will start at $74,245, an increase of $700 over the 2021 model, while the Heritage Edition will cost $82,495.
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From the January 2022 issue of Car and Driver.There are layers upon layers of the ways that the Tesla Model S Plaid moves the bar for EVs. Something that can be lost in the ostentatious claims regarding acceleration and 200-mph top speed is how much faster the Plaid can recharge at one of the company’s DC fast chargers.

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Just two years ago, the Model S couldn’t accept the peak 250 kilowatts from the company’s fastest ­Superchargers. Now, with a reworked battery pack that uses the same Panasonic 18650 cells, our test from a 10 to 90 percent state of charge shows that the Plaid hangs out at the peak for almost five minutes, then continues to replenish itself at a higher rate than before for the rest of the charge. Its total time was 38 minutes—some nine minutes, or 19 percent, quicker than the 2021 Model S Long Range Plus we tested—with the highest average charging rate (125 kilowatts) we’ve seen yet. That betters the average charging rate that we’ve measured on the Audi e-tron (121 kW) and Porsche Taycan (118 kW) and obliterates that of some other EVs, such as the VW ID.4 (82 kW) or Ford Mustang Mach-E (47 kW).Based on the Plaid’s equally impressive 280-mile result in our 75-mph range test means that charging in this manner the Model S would be good for 224 miles of highway cruising at 75 mph between stops.

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Among the many claims Tesla has made for the 1020-hp Model S Plaid is that it is capable of 200 mph. That’s a rarefied velocity for any car, but especially so for an EV, as they tend to be limited by the maximum rotational speed of the electric motors. That’s particularly true of EVs that use a single-speed reduction ratio, as Teslas do. But the company has a fix for getting its motors to spin faster: carbon-sleeved rotors that enable rotational speeds up to a claimed 20,000 rpm, or about 25 percent faster than before.But while our test of the Plaid revealed its tremendous acceleration capability—tying the Bugatti Chiron Sport for the quickest quarter-mile time we’ve ever recorded—and a considerable improvement in its charging rate, it didn’t get anywhere near 200 mph. Instead, it topped out at a governed 162 mph.

Given how unsettling the Plaid is to pilot at that speed, however, you wouldn’t want to do 200 mph even if it could. Because it gets up to speed so quickly, we could simply lift off and coast rather than slam on the brakes. But that gave us a lot of time to ponder the Model S’s high-speed behavior, which, frankly, was terrifying. It wanders in its lane, with lots of slop on center in the steering that doesn’t have anything to do with the yoke. Putting it in the sport steering setting helped a little, but it’s like Tesla neglected to dial in its high-speed steering and handling behavior. This is not what you want when traveling two-thirds the distance of a football field every second. Tick. Tick. Every other car that’s in the same conversation—from the Porsche Taycan to the Bugatti Chiron—is unerring and locked on its lane at 150-plus mph.

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Perhaps the real reason Tesla hasn’t yet unleashed the Plaid’s 200-mph capability is to avoid overtaxing the brakes. Even in our standard braking tests—five consecutive stops from 70 mph, and three from 100 mph with more space between—the Plaid’s brake hardware was already starting to cry uncle. Not only did they smell like they were on the way out, there was a warning message that popped up on the dash notifying us of their imminent demise. And our test regimen isn’t nearly as severe as hot-lapping on a racetrack.Tesla has now said a $20,000 carbon-ceramic brake package is in the works for the Model S Plaid. Promised by mid-2022, this pricey upgrade includes substantially larger (and wider) rotors front and rear. Waiting for a significant brake upgrade would be a prudent step in making the Plaid able to safely approach 200 mph, and it would also certainly be welcome when tracking this heavy four-door. But Tesla also needs to sort out its high-speed wandering.

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The Tesla Model S Plaid traveled 280 miles in our real-world 75-mph highway test. That result is 80 percent of its 348-mile EPA-estimated range, which makes it the Tesla that’s closest to the EPA’s rating in our testing. It’s also tied with the Porsche Taycan as the EV with the second-most range in our 75-mph test, trailing the Model S Long Range Plus, which went 320 miles. The 1020-hp Tesla Model S Plaid impressed with its acceleration performance results in Car and Driver testing, and despite all the extra go-fast hardware and sticky tires, its driving range delivered, too. It reached 80 percent of its EPA-estimated range in our real-world 75-mph highway test, the best of any Tesla we’ve tested. We traveled 280 miles at 75 mph on the highway, which is 68 miles less than the Model S Plaid’s 348-mile EPA-estimated range. It’s also tied with the Porsche Taycan as the EV with the second-longest range result we’ve ever tested, coming in behind the Model S Long Range, which is EPA estimated at 402 miles and traveled 320 miles in our test, the only EV ever to crest 300 miles. It’s difficult for electric cars to match their EPA-estimated range, and that’s especially true for Tesla, which uses the EPA’s adjustment factor (you can read more about that here) in its favor to score big results. Only two EVs have ever exceeded the EPA’s estimates in our range test: the 2020 Audi e-tron Sportback (220 miles), which traveled another two miles, and the base-model 2021 Porsche Taycan (280 miles), an additional 55 miles.

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The Model S Plaid has three electric motors (the Model S Long Range uses two motors) producing 1020 horsepower, and a 99.3-kWh lithium-ion battery pack provides the juice. The Model S Long Range uses a 103.9-kWh pack. An additional factor in the Plaid’s result is that Tesla claims its heat pump uses 50 percent less energy to heat the cabin. And it weighed in at 4828 pounds, which is only four pounds heavier than the Model S Long Range and an impressive 175 pounds lighter than the last Model S Performance we tested, despite having an additional electric motor on the rear axle. We were also impressed that the Plaid was able to achieve such a long-range result even though our test car was equipped with the optional Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires, which helped provide a staggering 1.08 g of grip on the skidpad. It was also able to recharge its battery significantly quicker than the previous Model S we tested on Tesla’s 250-kW Superchargers.
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