By the Numbers

All posts in “By the Numbers”

Pininfarina Battista hypercar’s output specified at 1,873 horsepower

Even in a galaxy far, far away, the Pininfarina Battista would stand out.

After a delay of about three years, the official specifications of the all-electric hypercar have been revealed:

Full power is rated at 1,873 horsepower, outputting 1,697 foot-pounds of torque.
Sixty-two miles per hour arrives in 1.86 seconds, with 124 mph coming in 4.75 seconds.
217 mph is the estimated top speed. (The Rimac Nevera recently hit 258.)
The 120kWh battery pack should enable a range of about 280 miles from a single charge.

A pair of electric motors are mounted to each axle, each motor powering a specific wheel and giving the Battista full torque vectoring capability.

Pricing — and this is one of those cars that, if one has to ask, just move on — is about $2.2 million, which places it in the territory of the Bugatti Chiron. For those customers considering an upsell, a limited “anniversario” edition will comprise five of the expected 150-unit build run. It differs from the standard version by some cosmetic alterations, which lifts the price by some $70,000-plus. 0r you could buy a BMW M3 as a chase car.

The two-seater Battista is named for Battista “Pinin” Farina, who founded Carrozzeria Pininfarina in 1930. A lot of its battery, carbon-fiber chassis and motor components come from Rimac, the nascent Croatian electric supercar maker that recently paired with Porsche to take over Bugatti.

Many more details about the car’s development, several photos and our driving impressions can be found in this Autoblog post from August.

November 24, 2022 / Comments Off

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Top 5 most expensive cars at the 2020 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction

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January 20, 2020 / Comments Off

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Zombie cars: 9 discontinued vehicles that aren’t dead yet

Image Credit: Dodge

Like zombies, these dead cars still sell among the living

Car models come and go, but as revealed by monthly sales data, once a car is discontinued, it doesn’t just disappear instantly. And in the case of some models, vanishing into obscurity can be a slow, tedious process.

That’s the case with the nine cars we have here. All of them have been discontinued, but car companies keep racking up “new” sales with them.

There are actually a lot more discontinued cars that are still registering new sales than what we included here. We kept this list to the oldest and most unlikely vehicles still being sold as new, including a couple of supercars. Every car on this list was discontinued at least two years ago. We’ve ordered the list in order of fewest vehicles sold. Click on the image above to get started.

Last updated January 2019

Image Credit: Dodge

2014 Dodge Avenger: 1 sale

Wow. We’re truly amazed. Someone actually bought a brand new 2014 Dodge Avenger in 2019. The Avenger was uncompetitive when it was new, and it’s woefully uncompetitive now. Here’s hoping the sole individual who parked a new Avenger in their driveway in 2019 got a smoking deal.

Dodge Avenger Information

Image Credit: Lexus

2012 Lexus LFA: 3 sales

The first supercar on this list (which otherwise is full of highly lackluster automobiles) is the Lexus LFA. It’s an exhilarating car to drive, and is packed full of interesting technology. Lexus sold a total of 3 LFA coupes last year to what we have to guess are very satisfied customers. By our count, there ought to be 5 more unsold LFAs sitting somewhere on dealer lots in America.

It’s also worth noting that Lexus only sold the LFA for two model years, 2011 and 2012, which means it is by far the oldest new vehicle on this list.

Lexus LFA Information

Image Credit: Chrysler

2016 Chrysler Town & Country: 5 sales

The Chrysler Town & Country was already an old vehicle when it was officially killed off in 2016. The basic van was introduced for the 2008 model year, and saw only refreshes until its conclusion eight years later. Some of those updates were helpful and kept the car at least somewhat competitive.

Still, we’re thankful Chrysler replaced it with the Pacifica, a superb van that is arguably the best in the segment. And if you do happen to really like Chrysler’s older minivan offering, the Dodge Grand Caravan is still on the market.

In any case, Chrysler managed to sell five of these minivans so far this year. Here’s hoping the buyer scored a great deal.

Chrysler Town & Country Information

Image Credit: Dodge

2017 Dodge Viper: 5 sales

The second supercar on our list out is one that we love. We don’t think there are a bunch of unsold Dodge Viper coupes sitting on dealer lots all across America. Nevertheless, five lucky individuals managed to bring new Vipers home in 2019.

At least we know those buyers are out there having fun!

Dodge Viper Information

Image Credit: Mercedes-Benz

2017 Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive: 8 sales

Mercedes-Benz sold the B-Class Electric Drive in the United States from 2013 through 2017. Though the rest of the world gets other versions of the B, only the electrified variant was sold here in the States. And it was never a big seller — just over 3,500 were sold over its production run in America. Now that 2019 has come to a close, we can add eight more to the total.

Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive Information

Image Credit: Dodge

2016 Dodge Dart: 25 sales

Dodge discontinued the compact Dart back in 2016, just three years after its launch. The automaker just wasn’t able to compete with the segment leaders like the Honda Civic or the sales juggernaut that is the Toyota Corolla. Despite the fact that it’s been dead for several years, Dodge managed to sell 25 Darts in 2019.

Dodge Dart Information

Image Credit: Jeep

2017 Jeep Patriot: 27 sales

The Jeep Patriot initially launched back in 2007 alongside its more car-like Compass sibling, but while that vehicle got a redesign and is still on sale in Jeep dealerships, the boxier Patriot ended production in 2017.

Apparently there are a handful of Patriots still collecting dust on dealership lots in America, because the automaker tallied 27 total sales last year.

Jeep Patriot Information

Image Credit: Chrysler

2017 Chrysler 200: 48 sales

The Chrysler 200 is actually a pretty nice sedan, with good looks and decent driving dynamics let down by a lack of roominess, particularly in the back seat. Chrysler never really found its footing in the ultra-competitive midsize sedan segment, but apparently has a bunch of leftover 200s floating around in America with a total of 48 sold in 2019.

Image Credit: Volkswagen

2017 Volkswagen CC: 58 sales

Volkswagen discontinued the CC in 2017, and the slinky coupe-shaped sedan recently got a replacement in the form of the 2019 Arteon. Here’s hoping last year’s 58 CC buyers managed to get a good deal on their new old sedans.

Volkswagen CC Information

January 6, 2020 / Comments Off

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2020 C8 Chevy Corvette’s official 0-60 mph time: 2.9 seconds

Official acceleration times are finally here for the 2020 Chevrolet Corvette. Chevy revealed the times today for both the regular Stingray and a Stingray with the Z51 package.

With the Z51 package, the Corvette is said to hit 60 mph in 2.9 seconds. A base Corvette completes the same task in 3.0 seconds flat, according to Chevrolet. Chevy’s promise at the reveal event was “under three seconds,” and the Z51 with its extra 5 horsepower and 5 pound-feet of torque is able to make good on that promise. The difference between 2.9 seconds and 3.0 seconds is rather minimal, so don’t be too down on yourself if you buy a C8 without the Z51 package. Chevy didn’t reveal times for the C8 Convertible. It also states: “Performance numbers may vary, as different climates, tire conditions and road surfaces may affect results.” No surprises there.

Quarter-mile times are also available. Chevy claims both the base and Z51 package Corvette will complete the quarter mile in 11.2 seconds. The only wrinkle here is the respective cars’ speed at the end of the drag strip. The base car will be doing 123 mph, while the Z51 package car will be doing 121 mph. Chevy told us the lower final speed is entirely due to aerodynamics — the Z51 package adds a front splitter and rear spoiler that produces more downforce than the base Corvette, adding aerodynamic drag in the process.

For some comparison, the 2019 ZR1 ran to 60 mph in 2.8 seconds. That’s barely faster than even a base Corvette now, a testament to the optimization of the entire car with the mid-engine layout. We can’t even begin to fathom how quick higher-performance variants of the C8 will be down the road, but it’s going to be fun to watch where the Corvette goes from here.

We also learned that C8 production is officially delayed until February 2020 today. Chevy didn’t say when in February, but the delay was entirely due to the UAW strike. Expect the first deliveries to be at the tail end of winter or the beginning of spring.

November 6, 2019 / Comments Off

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