Motor News

Chevrolet is adding a ZR2 off-road model to the Silverado full-size pickup lineup.The Silverado ZR2 will likely feature a suspension lift with spool-valve dampers, 35-inch tires, skid plates, and front and rear locking differentials. It will debut this fall and compete with the Ford F-150 Tremor and Ram 1500 Rebel. Chevrolet might not yet have an answer to the 450-hp Ford F-150 Raptor or 702-hp Ram 1500 TRX, but it’s adding the off-road-ready ZR2 treatment to the Silverado pickup to compete with Ford and Ram’s lesser off-road models. Chevrolet is expected to give the Silverado a refresh for the 2022 model year, and the ZR2 could be the first version of the new truck that we’ll see. It’ll debut this fall, Chevy says.
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The ZR2 treatment is already offered on the Colorado mid-size pickup, and in that application it adds a 2.0-inch lift, a 3.5-inch wider track, front and rear locking differentials, and Multimatic’s spool-valve dampers. We expect the Silverado ZR2 will have an even higher lift, 35-inch tires, and additional skid plates. It will sit above the existing Trail Boss model, which adds a 2.0-inch lift with the Z71 off-road package, a two-speed transfer case, and all-terrain rubber. The Colorado ZR2 can also be further upgraded with a Bison package that adds things like AEV front and rear bumpers and unique 17-inch wheels.

The Silverado’s ZR2 model is likely to have the option of either Chevrolet’s 355-hp 5.3-liter V-8 engine or 420-hp 6.2-liter V-8, and the Duramax diesel 3.0-liter inline-six could also be available. The 10-speed automatic transmission from the standard model will likely remain unchanged. Chevrolet wouldn’t tell us which trucks it’s targeting with the new Silverado ZR2, but we’ll know the full details and how it stacks up when it’s revealed this fall. We’ll let the F-150 Raptor and Ram 1500 TRX keep duking it out while we wait for GM’s answer.
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E-Legend, a German EV startup, has unveiled renderings of its first product, the EL1, which mimics the design of Audi’s pioneering Quattro rally car.The company claims 805 horsepower, zero to 62 mph in 2.8 seconds, and a 249-mile range from a 90.0-kWh battery and an unspecified electric motor setup.E-Legend says it will build 30 units by hand, with a prototype planned for early 2022 and additional models to follow.Audi’s Quattro badge currently graces every vehicle which features the automaker’s all-wheel-drive system, but Audi earned its reputation for AWD excellence with the legendary Quattro rally car, which dominated Group B rallying in the 1980s, and its roadgoing homologation counterpart. Audi has teased revivals of the original Quattro a couple of times—first with the chiseled 2010 Quattro concept and later with the plug-in-hybrid 2013 Sport Quattro concept. Now that classic car is finally making a return, but not as an Audi; instead, German EV startup E-Legend is building a limited-production electric homage called the EL1.

E-Legend

According to E-Legend, the EL1 weighs 3704 pounds, on the lighter side of things when it comes to EVs—for instance, the Audi e-tron weighs nearly 6000 pounds. The EL1’s looks are unashamedly inspired by the Quattro, with a squared-off front end, chunky wheel arches, a compact wheelbase, and a nearly identical roofline. The car will be constructed around a lightweight carbon-fiber monocoque and a 90.0-kWh battery, which the company claims will provide 249 miles of range according to the European WLTP methodology. Although no specifics on the electric motors were provided, the EL1’s 805 horsepower will be sent to both the front and rear axles. E-Legend says that this is enough oomph for the EL1 to zip to 62 mph in 2.8 seconds, to 124 hp in less than 10 seconds, and on to a top speed of 158 mph.

The EL1 will be hand built and will cost the equivalent of more than $1.3 million for the Europe market, where it will be road legal. Just 30 units are planned, and E-Legend is aiming for a functioning prototype to be running by early 2022. The company is also apparently devising an EL2 and EL3, although we don’t know what shape these might take, or what icons they might draw inspiration from.
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Porsche’s new Cayenne Turbo GT is powered by a massaged engine that the German automaker says is the most powerful V-8 it has ever produced. The twin-turbocharged V-8 produces 631 horsepower and 626 pound-feet of torque, and it’ll launch the Turbo GT to 60 mph in 3.1 seconds, Porsche claims. It’s only available as a Coupe model, and orders are open now starting at $182,150.Porsche is stuffing a built twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter into the Cayenne Coupe, and it’s the most powerful V-8 the German automaker has ever produced. It makes 631 horsepower in this new Turbo GT model, and Porsche says its factory driver Lars Kern set a new SUV lap record at the Nürburgring Nordschleife in it lapping the 12.9-mile course in 7:38.9. The new Cayenne will arrive in the U.S, only in Coupe form, next year starting at $182,150.
The massaged V-8 engine produces 631 horsepower and 626 pound-feet of torque, 90 hp and 59 pound-feet more than the standard Turbo Coupe. Total output might be less than the Turbo S e-Hybrid’s 670 horses, but that powertrain uses an electric motor and a 14.3-kWh battery pack. This is solely the work of the internal-combustion engine. Porsche upgraded the V-8’s crankshaft, connecting rods, and pistons; enlarged the turbos’ compressor wheels; and increased the fuel injection flow rate and the intake and cooling systems’ airflow to make the additional power. The eight-speed automatic transmission also shifts quicker compared to other models, and the all-wheel-drive system’s transfer case is water cooled. Porsche claims that the Turbo GT will launch to 60 mph in 3.1 seconds, hit the quarter-mile in 11.6 seconds, and reach 186 mph. In our test, a 541-hp Cayenne Turbo reached 60 mph in 3.5 seconds.

Turbo GT models sit 0.3 inch lower than the now-mild Turbo, and Porsche’s adaptive dampers and Sport suspension, variable-ratio steering system, and rear-axle steering are all specifically tuned for the new model. Porsche’s active anti-roll bars are also retuned to further reduce body roll. The front wheels are 1.0 inch wider than the standard Turbo Coupe, and their negative camber is increased by half a degree. The 22-inch wheels are wrapped with sticky Pirelli P Zero Corsa tires that were specifically developed for the Turbo GT. Carbon-ceramic brakes are standard, with 17.3-inch front and 16.1-inch rear rotors. Pictured here is a new color called Arctic Grey. The Turbo GT has wider air intakes up front with a revised front fascia and a carbon-fiber rear diffuser. The GT has a carbon-fiber roof and an upper rear wing with carbon-fiber side plates and an adaptive rear spoiler with a Gurney flap that’s twice the size of the standard Cayenne Turbo Coupe’s. Porsche’s titanium sport exhaust system with the center muffler removed is standard on the Turbo GT, and it exhales through center-mounted dual exhaust tips.
This new high-performance Cayenne is the first one to feature Porsche’s new infotainment system, which now has Android Auto capability along with Apple CarPlay. In the Turbo GT, Porsche’s eight-way sport front seats and two sport rear seats have Turbo GT–specific Alcantara inserts and Turbo GT script on the headrests. There’s either bronze or Arctic Grey stitching and a yellow marker line atop the steering wheel. The 2022 Porsche Cayenne Coupe Turbo GT is available to order now starting at $182,150, making it significantly more expensive than other German super SUVs such as the 617-hp BMW X6 M and 603-hp Mercedes-AMG GLE 63S, but it’s more powerful. And it’s only 10 horsepower behind the $222,004 Lamborghini Urus. The new Porsche will arrive in the U.S. early next year.
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Since early in its history, Tesla has made its Supercharger charging stations a point of pride, offering Tesla drivers easy access to thousands of fast-charging stations for people taking road trips.But these stations can only be used by Tesla electric vehicles, something that the Norwegian government wants to change if it’s going to pony up public money for the automaker to build more in the country. Government documents show that a small number, maybe five, of the Superchargers will be open to all EVs by the third quarter of 2022.There’s discussion about opening up the stations in Germany, too, but nothing as specific as in Scandinavia.The Tesla Supercharger network is a prominent public display dotted around the world, proving that the company supports its drivers. As useful as these stations are for Model S, Model 3, and Model Y owners, the DC fast-charging stations are proprietary, which renders them unusable by other electric vehicles. The company’s lower-power Level 2 Destination Charging stations can be used by non-Tesla EV drivers, but they take a lot longer than Supercharging. Which is why it’s news that this paradigm might be about to shift in a way that makes it easier for non-Teslas to access the Supercharger network, at least in limited areas.

Teslarati reports that Tesla and the Norwegian government are discussing a requirement that Supercharger stations that were built or are being built using public funds must be available to all EV drivers. The Norwegian government, which has spent millions on promoting EV sales and infrastructure over the last decade-plus, has come to an agreement where Tesla will open a small number of publicly funded Superchargers to other EVs by the third quarter of 2022 in order to qualify for a charging station subsidy. Tesla’s website lists more than 100 Supercharger stations in operation, or coming soon, in Norway, and the company operates around 2500 stations with more than 25,000 Superchargers around the world.
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Norwegian government documents obtained and translated by Teslarati lay out the deal:”Tesla applied to expand five fast-charging stations. Tesla’s charging stations today are just available for Tesla cars. The type of infrastructure is then only open for use by one group and not for the general public otherwise. In the application, Tesla describes the relevant charging stations will nevertheless be publicly available from the third quarter of 2022. The administration considers that the charging stations for which benefits have been applied for will be qualified under the scheme, provided that the benefits be paid out after Tesla opens the charging offer for all car brands no later than the end of September 2022. The administration urges Vestland County Municipality to take note that the benefit can be abbreviated if the conditions are not met.”While this agreement is just for Norway, Teslarati reports that Germany and Sweden are also in talks with the California automaker to open up its Superchargers in those countries as well. The discussion over six stations in Sweden are along the same lines as the Norway deal while the discussions in Germany could potentially open up all Superchargers there, but those discussions are in the early, early stages so we don’t expect any changes soon. It’s not just the proprietary connector that makes it difficult for non-Tesla EVs to use a Supercharger. Since both the station and the car are made by the same company, the two devices talk to each other in order to manage charging and payment. There are no screens or credit card readers on Superchargers for non-Tesla drivers to input their payment information.Tesla CEO Elon Musk has talked about opening up the Supercharger stations for many years. Last December, for example, Musk said on twitter that non-Tesla electric vehicles are using the Supercharger network, but in a “low-key” way. “Tesla Superchargers are being made accessible to other electric cars,” he wrote at the time.
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Mercedes is set to introduce a new coupe and convertible model called the CLE-class, according to a report by AutoExpress.The CLE will serve as a replacement for both the C-class and E-class coupe and convertible variants as Mercedes reduces the number of models in its lineup.We expect to see the CLE debut in 2022 as a 2023 model.Mercedes-Benz at one point sold six distinct convertible models, but the automaker is drastically reducing the number of droptops in its lineup. The S-class convertible and SLC-class are already gone, and now new spy photos and a renewed U.S. trademark for the name “CLE” suggest that a single model will replace the two-door versions of the C-class and E-class.

Set to be sold as both a two-door coupe and a convertible, the CLE-class appears to be the spiritual successor to the previous CLK-class, which similarly bridged a gap between the C-class and E-class sedans. It will likely be mechanically similar to the new W206 C-class sedan, which will come standard with a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four in the U.S. We could see a CLE300 model as the base version, with a possible CLE450 using the turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six found in the E-class.

Brian Williams

In these spy photos, we can see that the CLE-class convertible is a bit more swoopy and stylish than the C-class four-door, with wider proportions and a more shapely rear end. It has a cloth softtop rather than a heavy and complex retractable hardtop. Its closest competitors will be the BMW 4-series and Audi A5 convertibles, both of which also have softtops.We expect the outgoing C-class coupe and convertible models to be discontinued for 2022, while the E-class two-doors may stick around for a little longer until the CLE-class is revealed. Its starting price will likely be somewhere around $60,000.
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The Pacific Northwest is being hit by an unprecedented heat wave, with temperatures in Portland rising above 110 degrees for two straight days.The Oregon State Fire Marshal temporarily suspended the state’s ban on self-service gas stations, which will help protect gas-station clerks from the heat.Oregon’s law that prevents customers from pumping their own gas, introduced in 1951, will resume on Tuesday evening.The Pacific Northwest is in the midst of a merciless heat wave. Temperatures in Portland, Oregon, reached 112 degrees on Sunday, a record high since documentation began in 1940, before setting a new peak on Monday at 115 degrees. (The state’s average for this time of year is in the 70s.) This unexpected and overwhelming heat has now led Oregon to announce a temporary change to the state’s regulations that prohibit customers from pumping their own gas. On Sunday, the Oregon State Fire Marshal announced that Oregonians are now permitted to fill up their own cars—but only until the evening of Tuesday, June 29. Governor Kate Brown approved the temporary suspension.

Oregon is one of two states that don’t allow customers to pump their own gas. (The other is New Jersey.) The law was first introduced in 1951, when many states had similar statutes and gas-station pumps had fewer safety measures. Self-service became widespread in the 1970s, accelerated by gas shortages that made the shorter wait times and cheaper prices of self-service more attractive, but Oregon’s law has persisted. The state has instituted exceptions for certain areas, such as remote, rural regions and tribal lands.During the brief period when the ban is lifted, many Oregonians will have to figure out how to get gas on their own, possibly for the first time in their lives. Although this means that gas station customers will have to exit the air-conditioned cocoon of their vehicles to top off the tank, this change is more likely geared at protecting the gas station attendants from potentially standing on black asphalt in sweltering temperatures for hours.
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Since it first arrived on U.S. shores in 1995, the Toyota Tacoma has remained one of the most popular small trucks on offer. Designed to better fit the tastes of North American buyers than the Toyota Pickup that it replaced, the Taco has managed to capture a truly dedicated fan base over the years. The truck is so well loved that on October 4, 2019, the one-millionth Toyota Tacoma rolled off the assembly line in San Antonio, Texas. Thanks to a little help from Mecum Auctions, one lucky truck fan will have the chance to take this historically significant pickup home with them. The millionth Tacoma is slated to cross the auction block during Mecum’s Monterey 2021 event, which takes place between August 12 and 14. Carrying Lot #R285, this Army Green TRD Pro model will come with a letter from Toyota verifying its production number. That should help to solidify its value, as will the fact that this thing is nearly factory fresh.

Only 158 miles have been put on the truck’s 3.5-liter V-6 engine, which produces 278 horsepower and 265 pound-feet of torque. Unfortunately for the purists, however, that engine is mated to a six-speed automatic transmission in this case. Regardless of the gearbox, this TRD Pro model does come equipped with a ton of off-road-ready hardware. The TRD Pro package includes TRD-tuned Fox internal bypass shocks, 16-inch TRD alloy wheels, underbody skid plates, a more aggressive front facia, and a set of Rigid Industries LED fog lights. That all should help to ensure this Toyota Tacoma is ready for some off-pavement action, although this particular example will likely never find its way onto the trails. If you are a Toyota truck enthusiast, this is your opportunity to own a piece of the automaker’s American history. Expect to have to pay up for that opportunity, as we wouldn’t be surprised to see Toyota want in on the action. Mecum appears to believe the interest in this truck will be quite strong as well, as it has been given star status for the Monterey auction. Whether or not that makes this a six-figure Tacoma will have to be seen.

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Tesla will recall 285,000 Model 3 and Model Y vehicles in China over a problem with cruise-control operation.The recall involves mainly around 211,000 Model 3 sedans built in Tesla’s Shanghai facility plus more than 35,000 imported Model 3s. Some 39,000 Model Y crossovers, also built in China, are included in the recall as well.Tesla owners will receive a free software update to correct the issue, which appears to be limited to China at the moment.On Saturday, Tesla initiated a recall of more than 285,000 cars in China over safety concerns about the Model 3 and Model Y cruise control system. China’s State Administration for Market Regulation said that in certain models the cruise control can be mistakenly switched on when drivers attempt to change gears or if they brush the gear selector by accident, which has the potential of causing the vehicle to accelerate unexpectedly. The recall consists of 249,855 Model 3 and Model Y vehicles built at Tesla’s Shanghai factory, as well as 35,665 Model 3s that were imported. Tesla issued a statement on its official account on Weibo, a popular Chinese social media site, apologizing for “any inconvenience this may cause to our car owners” and promising to “strictly follow national regulations and keep improving our safety protection.” Chinese Tesla owners affected by the recall will receive a free software update, which they can either have installed over the air or in person. Tesla has faced other challenges in China in recent months. Five different Chinese regulatory agencies have raised doubts over the quality of Model 3s constructed in the Shanghai factory, and April brought negative press after a protestor mounted the roof of a Tesla at the automaker’s booth at the Shanghai Auto Expo, accusing the company of installing defective brakes.

Some of these factors likely contributed to Tesla’s dismal April sales in the country, with only 11,671 cars sold in China, a huge decline from 35,478 units in March. Although sales rebounded in May to 21,936 vehicles, this is still substantially down versus March. EV sales in general in China are through the roof, up 177 percent over last year (versus a 1 percent increase for passenger cars as a whole), and domestic Chinese EV makers including Nio and Xpeng are seemingly gaining ground on Tesla, with the American company losing 4 percent of its EV market share in April. The recall does not appear to affect Tesla in the United States at the moment, even though 35,665 of the affected Model 3s were imported to China, although it is not clear where they were built. We will update this story if the recall expands to U.S.-market Teslas.

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