Nother CarGuy

Audi revealed its first all-electric race car for the Formula E championship, going by the name E-Tron FE04. After buying the ABT Sportsline team, Audi became the first German manufacturer to enter the all-electric motorsport series. The new team goes by the name Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler. “Following quattro, TFSI, TDI, hybrid drive and many other innovations, our first single-seater race car is a portent of our product offensive in the field of electric mobility that we are ringing in with the Audi e-tron in 2018,” said says Peter Mertens, Audi’s member of the Board of Management. The new E-Tron FE04 features a completely new powertrain, developed in collaboration with Schaeffler and paired to a single-ratio transmission. “Together with our technology partner Schaeffler, we have developed a completely new powertrain,” says Head of Audi Motorsport Dieter Gass. “You can immediately tell this by looking at the new carbon housing of the powertrain. The car also sounds di...

Rezvani Motors will unveil the 'Tank' in less than a week's time, a military-inspired tactical urban vehicle, loaded with capable features. Among the Tank's features will be its body-on-frame design, a custom suspension system and massive off-road tires. Underneath the hood, a 6.4-liter V8 unit will be putting down some 500 HP, while optional gadgets like thermal/night vision camera and ballistic armor protection will also be available at launch. "We wanted to offer a fresh design for a purpose-built, rugged, off-road capable vehicle that was muscular, well proportioned, and brand new," said CEO Ferris Rezvani. "The design was inspired by extreme off-road concepts typically never seen on the road, but is completely street legal and ready for production." Even though it's scheduled to go on sale a few weeks from now, buyers can already place a $1,000 refundable deposit. Deliveries however won't take place until late 2017. Once out...

Porsche's 2018 911 GT2 RS is not only the most powerful 911 ever, but also the fastest one on the Nurburgring. Moreover, it's also the fastest rear-wheel drive production car to have lapped the famous German track, after it managed to cover the 20.6km (12.8-mile) run in just 6 minutes and 47.3 seconds. Thanks to this impressive achievement, the supercar proved that it's just 1.4 seconds slower on the Nurburgring than the electric NextEV Nio EP9, and faster than the Radical SR8LM, Lamborghini Huracan Performante, and basically all other high-performance machines. "At the start of the development process, we set ourselves a lap time target for the GT2 RS of less than 7 minutes and 5 seconds", said Porsche's Motorsport and GT Cars Vice President, Frank-Steffen Walliser. "The credit for beating this target by 17.7 seconds goes to our development engineers, mechanics and drivers, who demonstrated an exceptionally strong team performance." For t...

The city of Dubai has announced a host of incentives it hopes will encourage local residents to buy electric vehicles. Over the weekend, the Road and Transport Authority (RTA) joined the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) to confirm the incentives which range from free registration through to free parking in the city. More specifically, the RTA will exclude EVs from registration and renewal vehicle fees, provide a free Salik tag (required to use Dubai highways), give EVs a unique number plate and provide free parking spots in 40 different locations set to be established by the end of the year. Additionally, DEWA will allow electric vehicle owners to use 100 different charging stations for free until the end of 2019. Speaking about the city’s push to increase the number of EVs on its roads, DEWA chief executive Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer said the incentives will help increase interest in electric cars. “[The main challenge is] we don't see electric cars in the ma...

Following an announcement made this summer, Volvo is letting its performance arm, Polestar, go, as it will become a separately-branded company focusing on pure-electric cars. The decision was marked with a rather dramatic message posted by Polestar on Instagram, which leaves nothing to the imagination: "The End." It may be the end to the Volvo Polestar as we know it, but the brand will live on, separately, and it will focus on the development of high-performance electrified cars. It's still too early to talk about the exact vehicles that will be made under the close watch of Geely, Volvo and Polestar's parent company, but reports are talking about the 60 and 90 series models. Taking the reins at the stand-alone brand is Thomas Ingenlath, Volvo's Senior Vice President of Design, who is joined by the Swedish automaker's Senior Vice President of Corporate Communication, Jonathan Goodman, as Chief Operating Officer. The last Volvo Polestar models ...

Porsche has introduced the new Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid Sport Turismo. Set to be sold alongside the hatchback variant, the range-topping plug-in hybrid wagon has a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 engine that produces 550 PS (404 kW). It is backed up by a plug-in hybrid powertrain that features a 14.1 kWh lithium-ion battery and an electric motor that develops 136 PS (100 kW). This gives the wagon a combined output of 680 PS (500 kW) and 850 Nm (626 lb-ft) of torque. Thanks to all-wheel drive and its impressive output, the Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid Sport Turismo can accelerate from 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 3.4 seconds before hitting a top speed of 310 km/h (192 mph). More importantly, the model averages 3.0 L/100 km (78.4 mpg US / 94.1 mpg UK) and can travel up to 49 km (30.4 miles) on electricity alone. When the battery is depleted, it can be recharged in 2.4-6 hours, depending on the charger and the power connection. Besides the high-tech powertrain, the model features a ...

Jaguar has embraced the crossover craze with models such as the E-Pace and F-Pace but the company hasn't given up on sports cars. Speaking with Autonews, Jaguar design director Ian Callum confirmed the automaker doesn't have plans to exit the segment and noted "We are going to do another range of sports cars eventually." The news is welcome as the company phased out the XK in 2014 and the F-Type has been a relatively slow seller despite sparking renewed interest in the brand. According to the publication, Jaguar has only sold around 45,000 F-Types globally since the model was introduced in 2013. Carsalesbase's figures also show Jaguar sold 4,069 F-Types in the United States last year compared to the 6,260 combined sales Porsche made from the Boxster and Cayman. Callum also rejected the idea that sports cars will fall victim to crossovers as he says "There is something very emotional about a sports car that conveys the ultimate in the sense of perform...

If there's one thing that Subaru fans can't seem to get enough of, it's more potent versions of the WRX STI. And that's just what the Japanese automaker has in store for the Tokyo Motor Show this year. Called the S208, the upgraded STI builds upon the previous S207 launched in 2015. As to how, exactly, Subaru has unfortunately only given us bits and pieces, but they look promising so far. The manufacturer says the S208 will feature a carbon-fiber roof and an as-yet unspecified power boost, to the benefit of both handling and acceleration. That sounds a lot to us like the Type RA recently introduced in America to celebrate the Nürburgring record run. That model packs a 2.5-liter turbocharged boxer four upgraded to 310 horsepower (instead of 305). Considering that the previous S207 boasted 328 hp, we'd expect the S208 to pack even more. Whatever's under the hood, Subaru will only offer 450 examples, exclusively in Japan. As with the BRZ STI Sport ...

Subaru has a new concept lined up for the Tokyo Motor Show this year, and is giving us but a glimpse of what to expect. Called the Viziv Performance Concept, it follows in a long line of show cars (and trucks) that have worn the same name: the original Viziv and Viziv Evolution in 2013, the Viziv 2 and Viziv GT in 2014, the Viziv Future in 2015, and the Viziv-7 last year. The new Performance Concept is said to take the form of a sports sedan, but not one focused purely on the driver. Instead it will showcase Subaru's vision for how a sporty autonomous vehicle could emerge as self-driving technologies advance in the near future, shifting the company's EyeSight driver assistance systems into high gear. We don't have much else to go on at the moment, but we can look forward to its full unveiling at the Big Sight exposition center on October 25 – so watch this space. Carscoops

A Chinese startup named Future Mobility (FMC) has just released a teaser of the car it intends on revealing at January’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES). The vehicle comes from FMC’s Byton car brand and will reportedly be a medium-sized SUV. Power will come from an all-electric setup offering about 500 km (310 miles) of range. Additionally, the Byton SUV will come equipped with all the required hardware for Level 5 autonomous driving. A teaser of the vehicle’s front shows that it will have thin LED headlights as well as intriguing daytime running lights which resemble illuminated cracks across the SUV’s fascia. We can also see that the Byton badge will be illuminated. Inside, the Byton will be dominated by a single, curved touchscreen display stretching the width of the dashboard. Also found within will be a steering wheel that supports a removable tablet. FMC boss Daniel Kirchert says the Byton’s interior space will rival the Mercedes-Benz S-Class while its exterior ...

Suzuki has a raft of concepts lined up for the Tokyo Motor Show next month, including the Xbee you see here. Not to be confused with the Scion xB, the Suzuki Xbee (pronounced “Crossbi”) takes the form of a retro off-roader in similar style to – but smaller form than – Toyota's discontinued FJ Cruiser. The small crossover is ostensibly based on the Hustler minivan, and will appear at the Tokyo Big Sight convention center in three forms: the yellow Xbee, the beige Xbee Outdoor Adventure, and the black Xbee Street Adventure – each displaying another take on the same design. Along with them, Suzuki is showcasing the futuristic e-Survivor electric off-roader, as well as two approaches to the Spacia wagon: the retro baby-blue Spacia Concept and the more aggressively styled white Spacia Custom Concept. There's also a light delivery van called the Carry Light Tiger Ichi Concept and an array of motorcycles as well, showing that while Suzuki may have withdrawn from...

If you told us this was Jeep's vision for a the pocket-sized off-roader of the future, we might almost believe you. But it's not. It's a Suzuki. Called the e-Survivor, the show “truck” (if you could call it that) draws on compact sport-utes from the Japanese automaker's history, like the Jimny, Sideckick/Vitara, and X90. The concept is built on a truck-style ladder frame, which tells you this is no car-based crossover. But it integrates electric propulsion, with an individual hub motor in each wheel for through-the-road (or off-the-road) all-wheel drive. Details are otherwise rather scarce at the moment, but as you can see, it features a two-seat open cockpit, with clear doors that may be the next best thing to taking the doors off completely, Wrangler-style. With the wheels extending about as far as the bumpers, it also looks like it'd have nearly 90-degree approach and departure angles, and enough ground clearance to drive over one of the company's ...

Under the patronage of SAIC, MG Motors has developed an entirely new MG6, which will go on sale in China this year, before being exported to the UK in 2018. Visually, the compact four-door model has a grille that appears to have been inspired by the Mercedes-Benz A-Class Concept, projector headlights with incorporated LED DRLs, and a fastback profile that's reminiscent of its predecessor. Inside, the new MG6 has a minimalistic dashboard design, large turbine-shaped side air vents, the Zebra 2.0 infotainment system, an interactive LCD instrument panel, 3-spoke multi-function steering wheel, push-button start, sport front seats with manual adjustment, leather trim with contrast stitching, and carbon-like inserts. The new MG6 is based on the same architecture as the Roewe i6, which debuted at last year's Guangzhou Auto Show, with two powertrain options: petrol and hybrid. Car News China reports that MG's latest model is powered by a 1.5-liter turbocharged e...

Volvo has finally pulled the wraps off the new XC40 in Milan, Italy, the company's new baby SUV. As expected from a previous leak, it mimics the styling of the 40.1 Concept, and it also carries some design features from the larger XC60 and XC90. Notice the familiar Thor's hammer DLRs, evolved grille, and "structured profile", which, along with up to 17 color combinations for the body and roof, and large wheels, should make it more appealing to young buyers looking for both practicality and style. Open the door and you will see a mix of new and familiar, with the 12.3-inch TFT instrument panel carried over from the XC60 and XC90, and a 9.0-inch infotainment screen sitting in the middle of the dashboard. Volvo claims that the XC40 "offers a radically new approach to storage inside the car", with spaces under the seats and in the doors, in addition to a fold-out hook for small bags, and even a removable waste bin in the tunnel console. Mo...

Lamborghini has taken the wraps off the new Huracan Super Trofeo EVO. Developed by Lamborghini Squadra Corse, the Huracan Super Trofeo EVO builds on the success of its predecessor by adopting an improved aerodynamics package which aims to "maintain the same high downforce of the previous model while achieving higher overall aerodynamic efficiency." In order to achieve this goal, the company worked with Dallara Engineering to develop a new carbon fiber body kit which helps to improve stability while also reducing drag. The changes are pretty dramatic as Lamborghini says all the components have been "completely redesigned" except the front splitter, flat floor, and rear diffuser. Thanks to these modifications, as well as the addition of a roof hatch, the Huracan Super Trofeo EVO has "8% less resistance to forward motion" than its predecessor. This helped the model to lap the Monza track in 1:43.3 which is 1.5 seconds faster than the previou...