The Most Impressive Part Of The BMW i8 Roadster Is How It’s Made
By the time an i8 Roadster first shows up on somebody’s driveway, BMW’s Vision Efficient Dynamics Concept–the genesis of the entire i Division–will be ten years old. Of course while that was just a wild show car with a turbodiesel plug-in hybrid drivetrain, what followed in 2011 at Frankfurt was a more serious proposition, with …
New Ford Performance Hatchbacks Are Getting Really Cheap
In case you haven’t already heard, Ford is killing off its car lineup save for the Mustang and upcoming Focus Active hatch. In just a few years, buyers looking for a fun hot hatch will have to go somewhere else to get their fix. But for now, there are some great deals to be had …
Volkswagen I.D. R Electric Racer Unveiled
Ushering in a new era of Volkswagen motorsport, the brand unveiled its fully-electric supercar—the I.D. R Pikes Peak—in Alès, France. The supercar will compete in the Pikes Peak International Hill climb in Colorado Springs, CO, on June 24, seeking to beat the existing electric car record of 8:57.118 minutes in the annual “Race to the …
Ford Escape SUV Scores ‘Poor’ in Safety Test
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has reported the result of recent crash tests conducted on seven small sport utility vehicles. Of the seven, five were rated “good,” one was rated “marginal” and one, the Escape from Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F), was rated “poor.” In the passenger-side small overlap front test, a vehicle …
2018 Ford F-150 Power Stroke Diesel Nets 30 Mpg On The Highway
It’s been more than a year since the refreshed 2018 Ford F-150 debuted at the 2017 Detroit Auto Show. While we’ve driven the gasoline-powered variants, news on the upcoming diesel model has been scarce. We know the truck’s 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 will make 250 horsepower and 440 pound-feet of torque, but the all-important fuel economy …
Chinese-Funded SF Motors Lays Out Plan For Indiana-Built EVs
Chinese-funded EV startup SF Motors emerged from stealth mode recently, revealing a pair of electric sport-utility vehicles that its founder and CEO John Zhang said he hopes will “transform human mobility—and perhaps our planet.” At an event held at the company’s U.S. headquarters in Santa Clara, California, details on the strikingly designed vehicles were sparse, …
The Lotus Exige Cup 430 Type 25 Pays Tribute To Two F1 Legends
In 1962, legendary F1 designer Colin Chapman unveiled a legend, the Lotus Type 25. The first F1 car with a stressed monocoque chassis, the 25 gave Lotus its first constructor’s and driver’s championships in 1963 with Jim Clark at the wheel. Its monocoque chassis also set the template for all F1 cars to come. Lotus …
Five Ways to Tell You’re Driving the 2019 Subaru Forester
The new design isn’t much of a giveaway, even though the 2019 Subaru Forester switches to the Subaru Global Platform that made its debut on the 2017 Impreza. One way to tell you’re driving the fifth generation of this SUV icon is to check your calendar to see if it’s Autumn of 2018, when it …
Why Mercedes-AMG’s Boss Isn’t a Fan Of Nurburgring Lap Times
The Nürburgring is important for AMG. All of its cars turn hundreds of laps there while in development, and it even nicknamed its AMG GT R “The Beast From the Green Hell,” referencing the track’s famous nickname. But for Tobias Moers, the head of AMG, setting lap times on the Nordschleife isn’t important. We were …
MINI Countryman Plug-In Hybrid Readies For Panamericana Road Tour
At the New York Auto Show (March 30 through April 8, 2018), MINI-style electro mobility will conquer new terrain with the presentation of an exclusive model specially designed for extremely challenging routes. With its underpinnings taken from the brands first plug-in hybrid vehicle, the MINI Countryman Panamericana has been designed for a long-distance tour from …