Items tagged with Cars
Audi has unveiled its refreshed R8 sports car in both coupe and spyder form; both versions of the ride get an extensive update for the 2019 model year. One of the most interesting features of the R8 is that it leans very heavily on Audi's participation in motorsports with the automaker claiming that the 2019 Audi R8 shares 50% of its parts with the R8 LMS GT3 racing car and 60% of its parts are the same as the R8 LMS GT4 racer. Audi claims that no other automobile on the market is as close to motor racing as the new R8. One of the core components of the updated R8 is more powerful engines with two flavors of the potent V10 offered; Audi won’t say exactly what the power output of those engines...
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The world is steadily moving towards electrified cars, and while some sports car manufacturers are fighting this trend, others are fully embracing it. One of the marques that is hip to electrification is Porsche, and it has priced its slick Taycan EV sports car at a cool $92,500 for starters. However, with the myriad of options offered on most Porsche models, that price will certainly climb significantly from that starting point for many buyers. The $92,500 tag puts the Taycan, formerly called the Mission E, right between the Panamera and Cayenne in price. Porsche reportedly sees this car selling about 20,000 units annually at that price, and with the slick looks and Tesla challenging range it...
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Autonomous autos are coming to the masses, eventually, but right now only a handful of states and cities allow the testing of autonomous cars on public roads. To accelerate the rollout of driverless cars, more testing needs to be performed and there are rules and regulations standing in the way of manufacturers. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is moving ahead with plans to rewrite rules and remove roadblocks to the autonomous auto future. As it stands now, regulations require certain equipment on any car that drives on the highway. These rules prevent autonomous autos from being rolled out that lack things like steering wheels, pedals, and mirrors. The NHTSA indicated...
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Porsche is one of the most iconic sports car makers in the world with hyper exotics like the 918 Spyder to its credit along with the venerable 911. Porsche announced this week that the sleek and sexy 911 Speedster would go into production. As cool as that 911 Speedster is, if you want Porsche style and performance while being able to haul family and gear, the Macan SUV may be more appealing for your lifestyle. Porsche has launched the revised 2019 Macan in Europe with the official premiere happening at the Paris Motor Show. Porsche is using a revamped 2.0L turbo four-cylinder engine in the new Macan that features improved combustion chamber geometry and a gasoline particulate filter. The engine...
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Infiniti has a very cool new performance car called the Project Black S prototype that was developed with cooperation from the Renault Sport F1 Team; the car uses a world's first dual-hybrid powertrain. This unique powertrain could be deployed in a road car according to Infiniti. The Project Black S prototype was developed with maximum performance in mind along with aerodynamics and energy management. This prototype differs from the design study seen in Geneva last year in that it has many new tech enhancements integrated. The enhancements include weight reduction with lots of carbon fiber used, a motorsports-inspired interior, and improved aerodynamics. The big tech upgrade is the world's first...
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Audi has been teasing the world with little tidbits and glimpse of its e-tron electric SUV for a while now. The teasing is finally over with Audi making the e-tron official and giving up all the details on the green ride along with pricing information. The e-tron SUV will be available globally with $1,000 reservations underway now (as promised in July) for a mid-2019 delivery. The EV is a five-seat mid-size SUV that sitting firmly in the premium SUV market. E-tron is 193-inches long, 76.3-inches wide, and 65.5-inches high with a 115.1-inch wheelbase giving plenty of room for people and cargo. The total luggage capacity in the trunk of the e-tron is 28.5 cu ft with the seats up, and up to...
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One of the cool features of the Tesla Model 3 is that it supports a phone key that allows you to give access to a car to friends or family so they can unlock and start it without a key. The phone key feature is also used by a rental car company out of Minnesota called Trevls. The company has announced that a thief was able to walk up to one of its Model 3 fleet rental cars, unlock the EV, and then drive off in it. Trevls owner John Marino said that he believes this theft took a "next-level" of information to pull off. The first suspect that came to mind for the company after the EV was stolen was a regular customer. The 21-year-old thief had rented cars from Trevls frequently and had gone...
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If James Bond ever goes green, you can bet the EV that Aston Martin is teasing would be his ride of choice. The first time that Aston started to talk about building an EV was way back in 2015, when it converted a Rapide to an EV aiming for a 200-mile driving range. Fast forward a few years and Aston is now teasing a production version of the Rapide E and giving up some details on the powertrain ahead of production kicking off next year. We can’t glean any detail from the teaser image other than the blue "E" on the front fenders and snazzy wheels with blue brake calipers peeking out. Details on the powertrain confirmed include that the car will have a battery electrical architecture with...
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NVIDIA is into a lot more these days than than just gaming video cards and GPUs for professionals. The company announced that it has a new DRIVE AGX DevKit that will be launching on October 1. The kit includes software and hardware needed for complete self-driving auto development. NVIDIA says that DRIVE AGX is designed to allow companies to develop and test customized autonomous driving technology with a streamlined production process. The kit includes the DRIVE AGX Xavier car computer, the vehicle harness to connect the platform to the car, international power supply, camera sensor, and other accessories needed. DRIVE AGX is part of NVIDIA's AGX platform meant to power autonomous robots, medical...
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BMW has announced that it is putting a new proprietary AI assistant into its cars that it calls the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant. This AI is proprietary and aims to enhance the BMW driving experience. The AI is always on and will respond to the voice prompt "Hey BMW" and can perform a range of functions for the driver. Drivers can harness the AI to control vehicle settings, navigation, entertainment systems, explain vehicle functions, and conduct conversations. BMW plans to debut the AI in 2019 and promises that this will usher in a new era for drivers to operate their cars and functions via voice control. In the future, BMW claims that the AI will be ready to help drivers when they are...
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The gang over at Roush has been taking the already potent Mustang GT and hopping it up for more performance and style for a long time. Roush has offered Mustangs in what it calls "Stages" referring to if they are all show and no go (Stage 1) or if they pack lots of additional "go" in the form of a supercharger under the hood. Roush blowers don’t always make the most power out of all Mustang superchargers available on the market, but the big thing is when properly installed by a professional, they often allow you to keep your warranty intact. Roush has announced that the 2019 Roush Stage 3 (RS3) Mustang is up for pre-order. The RS3 can be pre-ordered starting September 1,...
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Each year at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance there are new supercars debuted during the high-end show in front of the well-heeled attendees. This year, Ferrari rolled out one of the best-looking convertible cars it has ever produced called the 2019 Ferrari 488 Pista Spider. This is the drop-top version of the 488 Pista coupe that Ferrari unveiled in February. Despite having a removable top, which is a hard top and not a soft canvas or fabric top as you might expect in a convertible car, this is a track-focused beast. Ferrari packed the most powerful eight-cylinder engine it has ever produced under the hood of the car. The 3.9-liter twin-turbo V8 makes 720hp at 8,000 rpm and 567...
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Jaguar has certainly made some very cool cars over the years and its most iconic and recognizable design is definitely the E-Type. Jaguar Classic has announced that it will be building zero-emissions versions of the E-Type replacing the classic car's gas engine with an electric drivetrain. The concept car officially made an appearance in the U.S. at Monterey Car Week in California after a world debut at the Jaguar Land Rover Tech Fest in September of last year. The electric E-Type wraps Jag's classic sports car up with technology from the modern I-PACE electric crossover SUV to create a car that will be sold directly via Jaguar Classic. The EV construction will take place alongside E-Type...
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Ford has announced that it has hit a milestone for the first Pony car, the Mustang. The 10 millionth Ford Mustang rolled off the assembly line this week at the Flat Rock Assembly Plant in Michigan. The Mustang is hailed as the best-selling sports car in the last 50 years in America, and has been the world's best-selling sports car for three years in a row. The special 10 millionth car was as close to the very first Mustang that rolled off the assembly line as possible. That means the record-setting ride is a 2019 Wimbledon White GT V8 6-speed manual convertible. The 2019 Mustang is powered by a 460hp 5.0L V8 and Ford says that it was fitted with all the latest driver assist technology. The...
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