Browsing: Automobiles

Corvette’s executive chief engineer said there are no plans for a manual transmission in the C8. Buyers began preferring automatics near the end of the C7 Corvette generation.     ‘The market was voting with their wallets, and we didn’t get enough votes,” said Josh Holder, a Corvette vehicle engineer.  Chevrolet has been honest about a manual-equipped C8 Corvette since its debut in 2019—it’s not happening. When the C8 launched, former Corvette lead engineer Tadge Juechter said the manual transmission was a “dying” industry. He also said “no” to the manual ever coming back, and nearly seven years later, Chevy is still…

Subaru is set to reveal a new electric SUV coming next week at the New York Auto Show. The new model debut was announced today with teaser images completely camouflaged within darkened surroundings, and it’s cruising along an oceanside road. Looking at the teaser photo, the shot was taken during evening times or dawn and it clearly shows handful visual elements that can be seen from the photo. Example of the elements that will come on the Subaru’s new electric model will be a six-pod daytime running lights same as the ones found on all the brand’s EVs, Uncharted, Trailseeker…

KGM is rolling out electrified models at quite a pace – and this one is the fully electric Torres EVX.It follows on from the Torres Hybrid, and the related Musso EV ute, all of which are underpinned by the same monocoque platform (not the ladder frame on which the diesel Musso is based). However, this mid-size electric SUV has a battery pack sourced from BYD, and some of the specs seem pretty promising. But has the auto brand previously known as SsangYong got the price right for a front-wheel drive electric crossover in the hard-fought medium SUV segment?How much does the KGM…

Article SummaryBMW’s R&D chief hinted that the Neue Klasse platform pioneered by the new i3 will scale up to other models — and the i5 is the most logical next step.The current i5 shares its CLAR platform with the combustion 5 Series; a dedicated EV architecture would remove those compromises entirely, freeing up space for a larger battery and better packaging.A rumored 2030 launch window (internal codename NC0) lines up with the expected G50/G51 facelift in 2027, and would likely bring 800V charging and WLTP range north of 800 km. In This ArticleThe next-generation BMW i5 will most likely be…

The Dallara Monoposto Stradale is a street-legal, single-seat car built in Italy. It has 395 horsepower, extreme aero, and a race-style design focused on driving. It’s being auctioned by RM Sotheby’s for €700K+, with proceeds to charity. Did you know that in Italy in 2020, a car was built with a single, centrally located seating position—and it was type-approved for legal road use? Well, now you do.  Frankly, we had no idea this existed either, but after seeing photos of this unusual one-seat Dallara, we had to learn more. It doesn’t look like an early April Fools’ joke, and it’s…

By the end of 2026, aftermarket parts supplier and tuner AC Schnitzer will be no more, with the family-owned Kohl Group pulling the pin on the 39-year old brand.According to Rainer Vogel, AC Schnitzer’s managing director, “Making a rational decision regarding a business segment that is so emotionally charged is not easy, but as a family-owned business, we always think in terms of the entire Kohl Group and its stable future.”One of the chief factors blamed for the decision to wind up AC Schnitzer is the “extremely long approval process for parts in the German system”, which meant the firm…

Article SummaryBMW is open to the idea of bringing back the range-extender technology as long as it sees there’s demand.Although it has the technical capabilities to bring the REx back, BMW hasn’t decided whether it’s worth pursuing.If the range-extender EV does return one day, it would still have to be fun to drive, despite its less conventional drivetrain.Along with the Chevrolet Volt, the BMW i3 was among the first production cars to feature a range-extending gasoline engine. However, BMW has since abandoned the technology in favor of plug-in hybrids and battery-only EVs. The lesser-known i3 launched in China a few…

The new C8 Grand Sport makes a surprise debut in Sebring. It wears a widebody kit with Admiral Blue paint and proper red hash marks. It likely hides a new V8 engine. Well, here it is. After months of rumors and speculation, the new Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport made a surprise debut at the 12 Hours of Sebring race earlier today in Florida. Chevy doesn’t have any specific details to share, but we can at least get a quick glimpse of the iconic Admiral Blue paint job and white stripes atop the C8. A few race attendees managed to snap…

Jeep may be the most globally recognised SUV brand, but in Australia its sales have slid alarmingly.It has been a combination of factors: soaring prices for staple models like the Wrangler; a lack of models suitable for our market; and a reputation haunted by the ghosts of the brand’s over-expansion in the early 2010s and the poor customer service it offered following well-publicised issues with the previous-generation WK Grand Cherokee.After reaching a height of 30,408 sales in 2014, Jeep sales have declined every year apart from a modest bump in 2020 and a larger rise in 2021. Subsequent to this,…

Article SummaryBMW Group design boss Adrian van Hooydonk reveals that some of the early i3 design sketches had the vertical grille.It works on the iX3 because it has a taller front section.For the 3 Series, the design team went instead with the horizontal kidneys to better suit the sedan’s lower, sportier stance.BMW has been designing cars for nearly a century, and we can’t even fathom how many sketches were left on the proverbial cutting room floor. Some secrets do emerge years, if not decades, later. However, in most cases, we don’t know the full story behind the creative process. But…