Motor News

The electric Audi e-tron GT will get the RS treatment. It makes 684 hp and 612 lb-ft of torque.
The battery-powered sports sedan will do zero to 60 in about 3.5 seconds and come with four-wheel steering and a two-speed transmission.
The RS e-tron GT shares its platform with the Porsche Taycan and will support 800-volt DC fast-charging up to 270 kW.
While Audi began its electrification path with with the e-tron SUV, there are those that covet the joy of being near the asphalt in a beautiful vehicle that also happens to be quick and powered by electricity. For those people, there’s the Audi RS e-tron GT, the high-performance version of the upcoming electric sedan.

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View Photos of the 2021 Audi e-tron GT

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The all-wheel-drive, dual-motor RS e-tron GT will produce 684 horsepower and 612 ft-lbs of torque pushing it from zero to 60 mph in about 3.5 seconds, according to Audi. This will be the first electric RS model but won’t be the last. The dual-motor horsepower split will be 449 hp for the rear motor and 235 hp for the front motor. By contrast, the regular e-tron GT is anticipated to produce 590 horsepower.
The GT will ride on an air suspension with adaptive dampers, which allows for ride-height adjustment based on drive modes. For example, in efficiency mode, the vehicle drops an additional 0.8–0.9 inch to help increase the driving range. Audi didn’t share drag coefficient or range numbers but did note that this is the first Audi with a flat undercarriage design.
A 93.4 kWh battery pack is standard, and Audi says 83.7 kWh of that is the usable capacity. The weight and location of the battery pack give the RS e-tron GT a lower center of gravity than the Audi R8, according to the automaker. If that pack’s gross capacity sounds familiar, it’s because it’s the same as what’s found in the Porsche Taycan. The Taycan and e-tron GT share the same platform and Audi and Porsche developed the vehicles together. Where the vehicles differ is in motor, chassis, steering, and suspension tuning.

Audi

One thing both vehicles share is quick charging and the ability to pre-condition the battery ahead of reaching a charging point along a route. Like the Taycan, the RS e-tron GT supports 800-volt DC fast-charging up to 270 kW. Also like the Taycan, the rear motor has a two-speed gearbox.
Audi will offer 19-, 20-, and 21-inch wheels. The company says the 20-inch wheels are the most aerodynamic. A four-wheel steering system is available, which can turn the rear wheels up to three degrees. It can either turn the rear wheels in the opposite direction as the fronts at low speeds or in the same direction for lane changes at higher speeds.
Stopping power is available in three flavors: traditional steel disc brakes, carbon-fiber ceramic discs, or surface-coated steel discs. As with most EVs, the braking will be handled by both the friction brakes and the regenerative braking system.
Audi says the RS e-tron GT will arrive in showrooms in the United States in the summer of 2021 and will go on sale later in the same year. While the automaker is covering the vehicle in camouflage for now, its final production design is close to the concept car it unveiled at the LA auto show in 2018. In other words, it’s a looker.
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The sales data from those that report monthly numbers show that while the automakers are still being affected by the pandemic, the worst is behind them.
Ford added itself to the list of monthly reporters in October, a decision which will continue for the “foreseeable future.”
Growth in SUV and truck segments were largely the reason why automakers saw their sales largely flat as compared to last October.
The auto industry—or at least those companies that report monthly data—showed in October what we have seen in the last few months: a steady recovery from a low point in sales back in the spring. And although new vehicle sales still aren’t quite what they were last year, the strength in sales of SUVs and trucks has kept the industry optimistic through October.

Third Quarter New-Vehicle Sales Hint at Recovery

This was the case among the larger monthly reporters, including Honda and Toyota, as well as Ford. The American automaker has rejoined the group of monthly reporters to give “investors more frequent updates on US sales and dealer inventory during the pandemic,” Said Deep, a Ford spokesperson, told C/D. That’ll continue for the “foreseeable future.”
Ford’s sales were down in October by 5.8 percent, but its luxury division, Lincoln, did see a 2.8 percent increase in sales. Ford SUVs, led by the Expedition and the Explorer, were up 9.4 percent, but the trucks division did see sales decline partially due to a 4 percent drop in F-series sales.
Honda reported a drop in sales of 3.4 percent as compared to October of last year, while Acura car sales and Honda truck sales both ended the month positive. The Honda Pilot, Passport, and Ridgeline all made year-over-year gains; the Pilot, the most popular of the three, saw sales jump 22.1 percent.
On the other hand, Toyota had sales increase 8.8 percent in October, with sales moving upwards among all of its divisions except for Toyota cars. The popular Toyota Tacoma, RAV4, and Highlander all made gains.

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Both Hyundai and Kia saw sales improve compared to October of last year to the tune of 0.5 percent and a 12.2 percent, respectively. Kia’s largest gains were seen from the Telluride, but also saw Forte sales increase; overall, Kia’s sales were helped along by new offerings including the Seltos and K5, which both performed well. Hyundai’s sales were influenced by an improvement among the Kona, Palisade, and Sonata.
Subaru posted a 10.6 percent increase in sales for the month, which was led by the Outback and Crosstrek. The Japanese automaker saw its best October ever last month. Mazdahas seen its performance largely undeterred by the pandemic. Mazda’s sales increased 12.2 percent and its year-to-date sales are currently down only 0.7 percent. The CX-5 and CX-9 both posted strong monthly sales.
Nonetheless, despite the positive numbers seen throughout the industry, there are reasons for concern, as noted by Cox Automotive senior economist Charlie Chesbrough. “However, weakness of lower-priced segments like compact cars shows these buyers, generally with lower incomes, have been hit hard by the pandemic recession,” Chesbrough said in a release. “All of which suggests the vehicle market is an example of the K-shaped economic recovery – higher incomes do well while lower incomes do not.”
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A U.K. company called GTO Engineering is planning to build a modernized version of a Ferrari 250 GT.
The car will be built around a carbon-fiber body shell and use a V-12 engine.
Expect a price well north of $1 million.
Back in September we were lucky enough to drive a near-exact replica of the Ferrari 250 GT SWB Competizione built by GTO Engineering in the U.K. The car was entirely special, but we were surprised to learn that many of the buyers for GTO’s high-end faux-raris chose to specify them with period-inappropriate “restomod” changes including air conditioning and even in-car entertainment beyond that provided by a free-breathing V-12 engine.

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Now the company is launching a new model that will take historic inexactitude to a spectacular new level, a 250 GT–inspired retromod that will be built around a carbon-fiber structure. It has a targeted weight of under 2200 pounds but is still powered by a quad-cam V-12 engine.
Called the Moderna, the new car’s traditional looks will be wrapped around a much more up-to-date mechanical package. GTO Engineering boss Mark Lyon says it will use aluminum subframes and a fully independent control-arm suspension front and rear. Bigger wheels will also allow it to accommodate more powerful brakes than the skinny discs of the original car.

GTO Engineering

While clearly inspired by the original Ferrari, the carbon-fiber body shell will also have a Zagato-like “double bubble” roof and, as these early sketches make clear, will incorporate modern projector and LED lights front and rear. Aluminum will still be used for the doors and hood to give an appropriate weight and feel to their action.
The Moderna will use a version of the quad-cam V-12 it builds for its existing replicas. The final specs haven’t been confirmed, but GTO Engineering says it is possible the engine will be given both out-of-period upgrades. We anticipate a sizeable hike in power over the estimated 315 horsepower of the new-old car we drove.
It won’t be cheap, of course. The replica 250 GT SWB starts at around $1 million and the Moderna will doubtless be more expensive. But for those with every automotive itch already scratched, the idea of what is effectively a carbon-bodied 1960s Ferrari could be a compelling one.
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This is the new Golf R, the most powerful version of Volkswagen’s latest Mk 8 Golf.
It has a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four with 315 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque.
The new Golf R will arrive in the U.S. near the end of 2021.
The VW Golf R returns for the newest Mk 8 generation, and this hot hatch is looking hotter than ever. It also promises a bump in performance thanks to a more powerful engine, an upgraded all-wheel drive system, and a standard six-speed manual transmission.
Like before, a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four is the sole engine choice, but this engine now produces 315 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque—notable increases of 27 hp and 30 lb-ft compared with the Mk 7 car. The U.S. version will now make the same power as the Europe-market car, so you won’t have to look across the pond with envy anymore.

View Photos

Volkswagen

A six-speed manual transmission is standard—#SavetheManuals—but the optional seven-speed dual-clutch automatic will likely be quicker. VW claims a top speed of 155 mph and a zero-to-60-mph time of 4.7 seconds for the DSG car.

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The new Golf R’s all-wheel drive system is more sophisticated than before thanks to a new torque-vectoring rear differential. This enables a Drift mode function that changes the system’s torque distribution and also partially deactivates the stability control for some tail-sliding action. The Golf R is lowered 0.8 inch compared with the standard Golf hatchback and comes standard with adaptive dampers. The front brakes are larger than before, with two-piston calipers.
Looks-wise, the Golf R uses a familiar theme for the exterior and interior, with blue accents for the brake calipers, interior stitching, and other trim pieces. It’ll be offered in only three colors: the eye-catching Lapiz Blue Metallic you see here, plus black and white. It also has 19-inch wheels wrapped in 235-series summer tires, a rear spoiler, a rear diffuser, larger air intakes, and a body kit that make it look somewhat more aggressive than the GTI.

View Photos

Volkswagen

All U.S.-bound Golf Rs will be offered in a single fully loaded trim level, with a sunroof, leather seats, and lots of other standard features. When it arrives near the end of 2021, buyers will only choose exterior color and transmission.
We expect the new Golf R to rise somewhat in price to account for its increased performance and feature content, which should mean a starting price somewhere in the mid-$40,000 range.
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Audi and its technology partners are working on a system that shares data from school-zone signs and school buses.
The system would use cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) technology to transmit and receive data over a 5.9-GHz-band cellular network.
Specially outfitted Audi e-trons will know when a school bus is nearby and when there are children at an upcoming school zone.
We’ve likely all been in this situation: You’re driving along when a stopped school bus appears around a bend. You quickly slow down because the children are our future and try to lower your pulse rate. Well, Audi and two partners, Applied Information and Temple, Inc., are working with the state of Georgia to bring cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) to school zones and buses using the 5.9-GHz cellular network.

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The system is in the early phases of testing and will be conducted in two phases in Alpharetta, Georgia, home of the Infrastructure Automotive Technology Laboratory. The first will alert drivers when they are approaching a school zone and can be modified to share that information based on when the school is open and children are present. The second phase will include specially outfitted school buses that will broadcast messages to approaching drivers of its location and that passing the bus is not allowed. Both tests will use specially outfitted Audi e-tron test vehicles. The project is expected to be completed in the first half of 2021.
C-V2X uses cellular networks to create connections between vehicles and infrastructure. The school signs would be a roadside unit (RSU) that transmits data while the buses would have on-board units (OBU) inside the vehicles that share data. The specially equipped e-trons would connect to the local network and would display information transmitted by the signs and buses.
Audi already uses a V2X system for traffic-light countdown in cities including Las Vegas. After the test has been completed and if enough school districts implement this system, don’t be surprised if future vehicles become a bit more aware of school zones.
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The closer you look, the more heritage you’ll find on Nissan’s characterful Z Proto, the preview of its seventh-generation Z-car. More

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On the next episode of Inside Track, our friends at Road & Track will be chatting with the founder of one of the most iconic websites in the world of cars: Bring a Trailer.
Head on over to our dedicated sign-up page here to access episode two of Inside Track on Thursday, Nov. 12 , 5:00 p.m. EST.
Next Thursday, Hearst Autos chief brand officer Eddie Alterman and Bring a Trailer founder Randy Nonnenberg will be coming together to talk about the classic-car market, the site’s mission, and how it became an iconic stop for vintage-car sales.
To join in on the chat, head over to our dedicated sign-up page here. See you there.
Disclaimer: Bring a Trailer is also owned by Road & Track’s parent company, Hearst Autos.

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