Motor News

Audi is withdrawing from Formula E and DTM to focus on Le Mans and Dakar, with the RS Q e-tron set to enter the 2022 Dakar Rally early next year.The RS Q e-tron borrows two electric motors from Audi’s Formula E program with one on each axle, good for a combined 671 horsepower.The 50.0-kWh battery will be charged by a range-extender gasoline engine, the turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four found in Audi’s DTM racer from the 2020 season.Audi was a dominant force in Group B rally in the mid-1980s, earning two manufacturers’ championships with the revolutionary all-wheel-drive Quattro before switching its attention to the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2000, winning 13 times in the next 15 years and becoming the first winner with a hybrid powertrain. Audi aims to check another item off of its motorsports bucket list by conquering the grueling Dakar Rally with this hybridized off-road beast called the RS Q e-tron.

Audi

The RS Q e-tron, which will compete in the 2022 Dakar Rally in January, uses a range-extender setup that borrows bits and pieces from Audi’s other motorsports programs. If you own an EV in the U.S., you’ll know that it can be pretty hard to find chargers, and unsurprisingly it’s even trickier to spot one in the middle of the desert. As a result, the vehicle’s 50.0-kWh battery is charged instead by a gasoline engine that acts as a generator. But it’s not just any gas engine, it’s the turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four from the Audi RS5 Turbo DTM, Audi’s last entry into DTM before exiting the series after the 2020 season.

Audi

Power from the battery is then sent to two electric motors, with one on each axle, taken from Audi’s Formula E program. Only minor changes differentiate the motors from the units in Audi’s e-tron FE07 car, which propelled Lucas di Grassi to a Formula E win in Puebla, Mexico earlier this year. According to Audi, the total system output is 671 horsepower, although that could end up being restricted by regulations.

The RS Q e-tron is a key part of Audi’s new motorsports direction, announced last year, which sees it leave Formula E after seven seasons to concentrate on returning to Le Mans and contesting the Dakar Rally. Three RS Q e-trons will compete in the demanding event in January, and Audi has enlisted drivers including Stéphane Peterhansel, the most successful Dakar driver ever with 14 victories, Carlos Sainz, two-time rally champ and three-time Dakar winner, and Mattias Ekström, who holds two DTM titles and one World Rallycross championship. The Dakar Rally will last two weeks, with daily stages that can be nearly 500 miles long, and will serve as a major test of the durability of Audi’s electrified drivetrain.
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GM is rolling out a new version of Super Cruise that supports towing a trailer.It also has a new feature called automatic lane change that can overtake a slower vehicle without any input from the driver.This new Super Cruise will be available on several GMC, Chevy, and Cadillac models later this year as 2022 models arrive.GM is installing its Super Cruise hands-free highway driving technology in several new models for 2022, and the system will be upgraded to support several new features. The biggest upgrade, which will matter most for GMC Sierra and Chevy Silverado customers, is that this new version of Super Cruise can now operate with a trailer attached.

When you’re pulling a trailer, Super Cruise adjusts its tuning to compensate for the estimate gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the truck and the trailer combined. It otherwise works exactly the same as normal Super Cruise, with the vehicle operating the steering and speed of the vehicle and allowing the driver to keep their hands off the wheel so long as the vehicle verifies that you continue to keep your eyes on the road via an eye-tracking system.This new Super Cruise can also now execute lane changes on its own. While it previously offered on-demand lane changes if you pressed the turn signal, the system can now make those decisions without driver input. If the vehicle senses that you’re approaching a slower car, it checks if there’s enough room to pass—either in the lane to the right or the lane to the left—and overtakes. The only caveat is that auto lane change isn’t active with a trailer attached.GM says the new Super Cruise will be offered on 2022 GMC Sierra, Chevy Silverado, GMC Hummer EV, Cadillac Escalade, Cadillac CT4, and Cadillac CT5 models later this year. We expect to hear more about the other updates in store for the 2022 Sierra and Silverado within the next few months.
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Inspired by the launch of the Golf R, VW took the Golf R’s EA288 turbo-four and put it in the Atlas Cross Sport to create the GT concept.The Cross Sport GT routes more than 300 horsepower through a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox to all four wheels, which should lower the standard car’s 7.5-second 60-mph sprint time.The concept also rides on a custom suspension and 22-inch ABT Sport wheels, and it features a revised interior with four Recaro performance seats.The Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport ditches the third row of seats found in the standard Atlas in favor of a more rakish, coupe-like roofline. However, it uses the same 235-hp four-cylinder and optional 276-hp V-6, so the coupe-ified Atlas isn’t much more athletic than the three-row model. That changes with the new Atlas Cross Sport GT concept, unveiled today by Volkswagen. Inspired by the launch of the Golf R, the GT concept receives a host of upgrades to create a crossover “that could appeal to our performance enthusiast base,” as explained by VW Group of America CEO Scott Keogh.

Volkswagen

The concept is the handiwork of Jamie Orr, a VW enthusiast and brand ambassador, who took a 2021 Atlas Cross Sport SEL Premium R-Line off the assembly line and infused it with some of the performance goodies from the Golf R. Most notably, this meant an engine swap—the GT concept features a version of the EA888 turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four found in the Golf R. VW says the engine makes over 300 horsepower, routed through a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission instead of the standard eight-speed auto. The GT concept is equipped with all-wheel drive, and while VW didn’t provide performance figures, it’s safe to assume the extra power allows for a quicker 60-mph sprint than the 7.5 seconds posted by the normal V-6 model.The Cross Sport GT was hand painted at the Chattanooga factory in Eisvogelblau, or Kingfisher Blue, which is also available on certain European VW products. Orr gave the GT concept a sportier stance by installing 22-inch ABT Sport HR Aerowheels with blue accents shod in Yokohama Advan Sport V105 285/35R-22 rubber. The suspension is lowered as well, featuring custom ST Suspension XTA Plus 3 coil-overs with blue, GT Concept–branded springs. The front brakes have been upgraded to Tarox eight-piston calipers.

Volkswagen

Along with the stunning blue paint job, the exterior features unique GT badging and gloss-black trim pieces in place of chrome. Eisvogelblau is also found throughout the interior, adorning the special Recaro Sportster CS seats, custom gearshift, steering wheel, door panels, floor mats, and seatbelts. The rear bench has been removed, with two Recaros taking its place to make this a four-passenger car, and the GT gains a center console in the second row which mimics the design of the one found up front. VW points out that none of the modified interior pieces use animal-based materials.

Although the Cross Sport GT concept seems more like a project cooked up by VW employees in their spare time, it shows that the company is exploring how to make its SUV lineup attractive to the enthusiasts who snap up GTIs and Golf Rs. Maybe with strong enough feedback, VW might consider building a sportier Atlas R, since it already sells R models of the T-Roc, Tiguan, and Touareg crossovers for the Europe market.
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Subaru has announced pricing for the 2022 BRZ, which starts at $28,955.The standard model is the Premium trim level, and the Limited starts at $31,455.The new BRZ will arrive at dealerships in the fall, and the related Toyota GR 86 will follow later.The new 2022 Subaru BRZ, which retains its rear-wheel-drive layout and boxer-four engine but features more horsepower and a nicer interior, will cost $28,955 to start. That starting price is actually cheaper than the 2020 model, which was only available starting with the Limited trim level that cost $29,745.

A six-speed manual transmission is standard equipment, and a six-speed automatic is $1600 extra—though we don’t know why you’d pay extra for a slushbox in a sporty coupe like this. The Premium trim level has an 8.0-inch infotainment screen, a limited-slip differential, and 17-inch wheels. The Limited starts at $31,455 and adds summer tires and 18-inch matte-grey wheels, along with blind-spot monitoring. The automatic version of the BRZ Limited has a few additional driver-assistance features compared with the manual.We’re curious to see how the BRZ’s twin, the 2022 Toyota GR 86, stacks up in terms of pricing and equipment, but that car will go on sale later than the BRZ in the U.S. The Subaru is scheduled to arrive at dealerships starting in the fall.
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A new Mercedes-Benz EV prototype called the EQXX is coming soon and promises a driving range of over 620 miles per charge.It will use an energy-dense battery and should be highly aerodynamic to maximize efficiency.Mercedes says this technology will be used in a future production compact EV model.Mercedes-Benz is preparing to launch a new EV prototype called the EQXX to push the boundaries of EV driving range. The company claims that the EQXX will be able to go more than 620 miles on a single charge using new, more energy-dense battery technology and an aerodynamic shape to maximize efficiency. The company also stresses that it hasn’t simply increased the size of the battery pack in order to increase range, promising that the pack will be offered in a compact production model in the future.Efficiency is the ultimate goal of the EQXX, as Mercedes is aiming for it to achieve 6 miles per kWh at highway speeds, or somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 MPGe. At that rate of efficiency, the battery would still need to be larger than 100.0-kWh in order to achieve those big range numbers Benz is claiming. Preview images don’t show much, but we expect the EQXX to have a highly aerodynamic shape and be low to the ground.

Currently, Mercedes-Benz’s longest-range model is the EQS sedan, which claims a range of 435 miles on the European testing cycle from its 107.8-kWh battery. We don’t yet have a U.S.-specific EPA range rating for the EQS, but this model is scheduled to come to our shores soon. The Tesla Model S Long Range is rated at 405 miles by the EPA, and we achieved 320 miles in our 75-mph real-world highway test.Look for more information to come on the EQXX within the next few months as Mercedes reveals more about this experimental model.
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SSC has finally admitted that its Tuatara supercar did not reach the originally claimed speeds of 331 or 301 mph during its top-speed run in Nevada last year. In a post on Instagram, the company said that it will keep striving to officially break the 300-mph barrier. The Tuatara is powered by a 1750-hp twin-turbocharged 5.9-liter V-8 engine, and it averaged 282.9 mph in a subsequent run last year in Florida. Last year, Shelby Supercar’s (SSC) Tuatara, a 1750-hp twin-turbo V-8–powered supercar, claimed a world production-car speed record with an average speed of 316.11 mph. After controversy that the video of the record was false, and another failed attempt to reach those speeds, SSC is finally officially admitting that it did not hit those speeds in its initial run.
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“We would like to acknowledge officially that we did not reach the originally claimed speeds of 331 mph or even 301 mph in October of 2020,” the company said in a post to Instagram. “We were truly heartbroken as a company to learn that we did not reach this feat, and we are in an ongoing effort to break the 300 mph barrier transparently, officially, and undoubtedly.”

Shortly after the internet frenzy saying the video was false, SSC took another run at the Johnny Bohmer Proving Grounds at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. There, the Tuatara averaged 282.9 mph on two runs, but it still didn’t approach 300 mph. The company wanted to take another attempt at the record in April, but the car was damaged after its carrier flipped. The Tuatara is powered by a twin-turbocharged 5.9-liter flat-plane-crank V-8 engine that produces 1750 horsepower and 1341 pound-feet of torque with E85 and revs to 8800 rpm. It uses a seven-speed robotic-controlled hydraulic, paddle-shifted manual transmission. SSC says that it isn’t done chasing the speed record, yet, and it wants to do it officially this time. We should be hearing about its next attempt at the title soon.
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Aston Martin announced changes to its 2022 lineup, including an extra 25 horsepower for the V-8–powered DB11, which now makes 528 hp.The V-12–powered DB11 AMR is now just called the DB11, and the DBS drops the “Superleggera” name to simplify the lineup.Aston Martin revealed these changes alongside a new configurator, based on the same platform as the video game Fornite.Aston Martin has announced several changes to its 2022 lineup, revealing these updates in conjunction with an new configurator for its website. The biggest tweaks are for the DB11 grand tourer, which features an extra 25 horsepower from the the AMG-sourced 4.0-liter V-8 that now produces 528 horsepower. This allows the DB11 to reach a new claimed top speed of 192 mph, a five-mph increase. Aston Martin will also now let you spec the DB11 with optional Sports Plus seats, which provide extra bolstering should you decide to test out the extra horsepower. You can still get a DB11 with Aston Martin’s twin-turbo 5.2-liter V-12, but it has dropped AMR (Aston Martin Racing( acronym from its name. The DBS flagship, which features a more powerful version of that V-12, also gets a name change, losing the Superleggera suffix to simply become the Aston Martin DBS, like the DB9-based model from 2008.

Aston Martin

The DBS, along with the 2022 Vantage, gains new 21-inch wheel designs, while the DBX SUV adds optional 23-inch wheels, Sports Plus seats, and wireless charging. Aston Martin is also debuting a series of interior trim “environments” across its model range. Dubbed Create, Accelerate, Impulse, and Inspire, each setup includes a combination of materials, colors, and features centered around a specific design theme.

All of these updates to the Aston Martin lineup can be found on the company’s new configurator, which is built on the Unreal Engine designed by Epic Games, which also underpins Fornite. The new configurator aims to simplify the customization process while providing even more ways for customers to visualize their design. Click here if you want to lose hours configuring your dream Aston Martin.
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Toyota has released a new version of the Aqua hybrid hatchback, previously called the Prius C in the U.S.The Prius C was discontinued in America a few years ago and is unlikely to return.The new Japan-market Aqua offers all-wheel drive and a single-pedal function that uses the regenerative brakes to slow the car to a stop like many EVs do.Toyota’s Prius lineup in the U.S. used to include several distinct models but has now shrunk to include just the standard Prius and the Prius Prime plug-in-hybrid. But while the larger Prius V and the smaller Prius C disappeared from our shores years ago, the Prius C has continued on elsewhere in the world. It’s especially popular in Japan, where it’s known as the Aqua, and a redesigned version is set to go on sale in Toyota’s home market soon.

Toyota

The new Aqua looks far more modern than before both inside and out and rides on a new platform with a 2.0-inch longer wheelbase. Its gas-electric powertrain uses a 1.5-liter inline-four gasoline engine combined with electric motor-generators, and it’s available with either front- or all-wheel drive. A new system called Comfort Pedal is able to use the regenerative braking system to similar effect as found in many EVs; lifting off the gas pedal activates the regen to slow the car, meaning drivers won’t need to use the brake pedal as often.

Toyota

Toyota

We don’t expect to see the Prius C nameplate return to the U.S. market anytime soon, meaning the Aqua will remain a JDM-only oddity for the time being. But we may see the Comfort Pedal system or some of its styling elements on future U.S. models.
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