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Genovation GXE, electric Corvette Grand Sport conversion, coming to CES

Last year, Rockland, Maryland-based Genovation Cars announced the second generation of its electric sports car, the GXE – which stands for Genovation Extreme Electric. This week, the company announced the pre-production GXE will make a silent splash at next month’s Consumer Electronics Show. The first gen took the C6 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 as a donor vehicle, swapping the supercharged 6.2-liter V8 for two electric motors producing roughly 600 horsepower and 600 pound-feet of torque. The organ transplant was good for a land speed record for street-legal electric cars at 205.6 miles per hour, and a standing-mile record for electric cars at 190.4 mph.

The second generation switches to the C7 Corvette Grand Sport, the new GXE’s two electric motors should get something like 800 hp and 700 pound-feet of torque. All of that power, mind you, goes to the carbon fiber wheels at the rear. On top of more powerful electric motors, Genovation upped the battery capacity from 44 kWh to 60 kWh and maintained 50/50 weight distribution. Range is said to be around 150 miles if you play Holly Golightly with the throttle pedal, or just enough for two UFO-sounding laps of the 12.9-mile Nürburgring. Genovation says the the bolt to 60 mph happens in under three seconds – a traditional Grand Sport does it in 3.5 seconds – and top speed will be on the far side of 220 mph.

The coming GXE proves the adage that the best things in life are free, the second-best things in life are hideously expensive. Each of the 75 examples Genovation plans to build will cost $750,000. The limited run helps keep the price high, and buyers can opt for a feature not seen on any other electric car we know of: a seven-speed manual transmission. The company believes it won’t have any trouble finding buyers, and plans to use the haul of loot to finance a less expensive electric sports car called G2. Genovation has schedule GXE deliveries to begin at the end of 2019.

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December 31, 2017 / Comments Off

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Ferrari set to hit new sales goal early to boost profits

As much as some of us would like to believe otherwise, building cars is a business. Most automakers are out to sell as many cars as they can build, chasing ever growing sales and profits. Ferrari is playing a different sort of game. For years, the Italian automaker has artificially limited the number of cars it produces. But the company does have plans to ramp up production to 9,000 units a year. According to Automotive News, Ferrari will hit that goal in 2018, a full year earlier than expected.

A report says that in 2018, Ferrari will double the number of shifts at its plants. Sometime next year, Ferrari CEO Sergio Marchionne is expected to announce the automaker’s first SUV, a vehicle that’s sure to push that 9,000-unit limit to the max. SUV sales are up across the board. The number-one selling models at companies like Porsche, Jaguar and Lexus are all SUVs. The goal is to double profits to $2.35 billion by 2022.

Limiting total output has a two-fold benefit. First, it maintains a level of exclusivity and prestige, making the cars more desirable. Secondly, it allows Ferrari to operate under different fuel economy and emissions standards than larger, mainstream automakers. It’s difficult to hit some goals like that when your “entry-level” model is powered by a 591-horsepower twin-turbocharged V8.

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December 13, 2017 / Comments Off

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Ford sues John Cena for flipping his 2017 Ford GT

When Ford launched its Application Program for the Ford GT, observers noted the hoops and hurdles Ford set up to manage its relationship with the high-end clientele club. Well, every club has a toilet, Ford just found it, and actor John Cena left the carmaker a present. Cena took delivery of a custom 2017 GT in September, then sold the coupe not even a month later — an audacious violation of the purchase contract he signed, which bound owners to hold onto their cars for at least two years. For such treason, Ford sued Cena in U.S. District Court last week, seeking more than $75,000 in damages.

Cena paid $466,376.50 for the liquid blue coupe with the “Dark Energy” interior, and made a video about taking delivery of the car around Sept. 23. Not long after that love-fest, sometime around Oct. 20, the GT had a new owner. Ford called Cena a few days later when it heard about the sale, and said Cena copped to the flip. The ex-WWE wrestler is alleged to have later texted Ford, “I completely understand and as stated am willing to work with you and Ford to make it right. My sincerest apologies,” and explained the sale was “for cash to take care of expenses.”

Ford’s lawsuit alleges Cena never made it right, after snagging “a handsome profit.” The Blue Oval wants restitution for that profit, for “damages and losses, including, but not limited to, loss of brand value, ambassador activity, and customer goodwill due to the improper sale,” and for attorney and court costs.

The whole situation is kind of kooky, considering Cena’s car collection numbers roughly 22 cars, one of them a 2006 Ford GT. Cena’s YouTube series Auto Geeks makes a point of telling the story behind each one of his cars; we’re surprised this is the story he wants to tell about his 2017 Ford GT. Ford’s lawsuit said Cena’s Application Program appeal included the line, “[If] I were to be deemed fit for ownership I would most certainly use every vehicle of communication to let the world know about the car, the brand, and the experience.” Now the only words he has for Ford come from his wrestling days: “If you want some, come get some!”

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December 4, 2017 / Comments Off

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5,000-hp, 300-mph Devel Sixteen hypercar to show in Dubai

Years from now, automotive historians may write of this era as the War of the Supercars, fought by niche manufacturers that specialize in finely tuned, low-volume and ultra-high-end machines finding daft ways to outdo one another for the mantle of horsepower and speed at a time when many believe the writing is on the wall for the internal combustion engine. In just the past month, we’ve seen bold feats, claims or product introductions from the likes of Koenigsegg, Hennessey and McLaren.

Now comes news that the Devel Sixteen, a supposed 5,000-horsepower beast capable of surpassing 310 mph, will finally make its debut next week at the Dubai Motor Show, per Road and Track. If the Dubai-based firm can back up those numbers, it would be the world’s fastest supercar.

The prototype was first introduced in Dubai back in 2013, and we wrote about the Michigan-based company developing the quad-turbo, 12.36-liter V16 engine and its attempts to juice that much horsepower two years ago. R&T says Devel is now partnering with Italian firm Manifattura Automobile Torino, which worked on James Glickenhaus’ SCG 003 and the Apollo Intense Emotion supercars, to build the Sixteen. This will be an interesting one to watch.

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November 9, 2017 / Comments Off

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Koenigsegg closes highway near Vegas for top-speed record attempt

An 11-mile stretch of highway plays host to a top-speed record attempt by Koenigsegg this weekend. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the Nevada Department of Transportation granted a special permit to the Swedish automaker to close a long, straight stretch of State Route 160 between Vegas and Pahrump. The event is hosted by Spring Mountain Motor Resort and Country Club, and it’s apparently been in the planning stages for over a year.

A reporter from the Journal reports on Twitter that an Agera RS has already hits speeds of 291 miles per hour, albeit unofficially. If that’s true, it’ll handily destroy the current 268-mile-per-hour top-speed record set by Bugatti in 2010. Of course, Koenigsegg has a habit of one-upping Bugatti, having broken the Chiron’s 0-248-0 record of 41.96 seconds by a comparatively massive 5.2 seconds.

The Koenigsegg Agera RS being used reportedly has the factory’s one-megawatt upgrade, which means it’s sending 1,360-horsepower and 1,011 pound-feet of torque to the rear wheels. We’ll have to wait for an official Guinness-approved record announcement, but we’re guessing that’s only a matter of time.

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November 4, 2017 / Comments Off

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Audi wants a hypercar, but RS crossovers and EVs are job one

Every so often, an automaker decides to throw everything it has in terms of cash and engineering prowess at a project. This has spawned cars like the Porsche 918 Spyder or the upcoming Mercedes-AMG hypercar. As fantastic as some of these machines may be, the final product often does more for an automaker’s image than it does for its bottom line. Automotive News reports that Audi, long rumored to be working on a car to slot above the R8, is in no hurry to build a so-called hypercar.

Audi Sport CEO Stephan Winkelmann isn’t ruling out the idea, but he says right now the brand needs to focus on crossovers and electrification, with some sort of supercar coming down the road. Winkelmann formerly ran Lamborghini before moving over to Audi Quattro GmbH. The latter recently rebranded itself as Audi Sport and aims to compete straight on with Mercedes-AMG and BMW M. The R8 and all the RS variants fall under the Audi Sport banner.

Winkelmann told Automotive News that he believes Audi deserves to build a halo car. The past decade or so has been great for the brand. While Audi used to play second fiddle to BMW and Mercedes-Benz, that doesn’t seem to be the case any longer. Winkelmann said customers have been asking for a project. Give the people what they want.

In the immediate future, Audi plans to grace more crossovers with the RS nameplate. Crossovers are hot, and Audi has nothing to compete with all of the Mercedes-AMG models. This means performance variance beyond the current SQ5 and SQ7. Beyond that, Audi Sport plans to focus on its on E-Tron electric car project.

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August 29, 2017 / Comments Off

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This used to be a Ferrari 430 Scuderia

We know, it’s hard to believe this mangled, charred chunk of metal could be a Ferrari 430 Scuderia, the lightweight, more powerful, and generally extra sporty version of the already fun F430. But it certainly is, and sadly for it and the owner, this happened not long after they were united. According to the South Yorkshire Police Department’s Facebook page, when they responded to the emergency, the driver told them he had only had it for an hour before crashing.

The police report that the car was found roughly 150 feet down an embankment where it caught fire, which is how it ended up in such a sorry state. Based on the post, the road was wet, and the implication is he may have been driving more aggressively than he should have based on road conditions, but not at illegal speeds.

The police reported that the driver only suffered a few cuts and bruises, which is remarkable considering the severe damage. And while we’re sure the driver is grateful he came out ok, it’s probably hard for him to focus on the positive after losing a dream car so soon after picking it up. But with any luck, insurance will cover the car and he’ll be in a different Ferrari soon enough. Hopefully he’ll be more wary in wet weather with the next one, though.

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July 28, 2017 / Comments Off

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McLaren reportedly has another Ultimate Series car in the works – the P15

Automotive publication Autocar is reporting that McLaren has another new Ultimate Series hypercar in development that will be quicker than the P1. The publication says the car is called P15 and will be bare bones with a focus on function and lightweight to make it a monster on the track. The estimate Autocar gives for weight is under 2,900 pounds, and it estimates power to be about 789 horsepower from a version of McLaren’s ubiquitous 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8.

The publication doesn’t say whether the P15 will use some kind of electric assist. If it’s as basic and light as implied, there’s a decent chance it won’t be electrified. But McLaren has previously said it wants to have electrification in all of its cars within 10 years, and that was back in 2014, plus the P1 and the upcoming BP23 had and will have hybrid powertrains. So it would seem natural to give this P15 some form of hybrid motivation.

There are reasons to believe this rumor. Back in 2014, McLaren did confirm to us a report, brought up by Autocar, that it was working on a car with the P15 designation. At the time, it was predicted that this car would fit between the top level Super Series car, which is now the 720S, and the P1, and cost roughly half a million dollars. That would at first seem to contradict this new rumor that the P15 will be quicker than P1, but perhaps McLaren will still position it lower if it’s as bare bones and stripped out as Autocar suggests.

Additionally, Autocar was right about a rumor that McLaren was working on a three-seat F1 successor. which turned out to be the aforementioned BP23. McLaren’s CEO confirmed the car’s existence and three-seat layout along with a few other details. Specifically, it will be the fastest, most powerful McLaren yet, it will use a hybrid powertrain, and McLaren will build only 106 units. Not long after came an official sketch revealing a sleek, slippery profile.

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July 26, 2017 / Comments Off

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McLaren ponders Acura NSX-style hybrid all-wheel-drive system

As cars get faster, there will come a point where horsepower will exceed the grip level of even the stickiest tires. There are all sorts of ways to manage traction, from trick differentials to traction control to torque vectoring, but the most tried and true way is adding all-wheel drive. While this isn’t ideal for a number of reasons, sending power to all four wheels generally improves performance. That’s why McLaren is investigating all-wheel drive systems for future products.

Car and Driver spoke with McLaren CEO Mike Flewitt at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed. He confirms the automaker is looking at adding AWD on future products, though if and when that happens could be a long way off. He argues that with horsepower and torque levels creeping ever higher, we’re getting close to the limits of what a tire can handle.

Unlike traditional mechanical all-wheel drive systems like those found on the Nissan GT-R, Audi R8, and Porsche 911 Turbo, look for electric motors to drive the front wheels, similar to the Acura NSX. Not only would a hybrid system help packaging, electric motors give McLaren much more control over what’s happening at each individual wheel.

McLaren told Autoblog that the automaker’s plan through 2022 involves mid-engine two-seat sports cars, so don’t look for an all-wheel drive SUV to come out of Woking anytime soon.

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July 10, 2017 / Comments Off

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Aston Martin has a second mid-engined car coming

Aston Martin is expanding its exotic car horizons beyond GT cars into the realm of mid-engined sports cars. We’re not talking about the upcoming Valkyrie hypercar, though. Instead, we’re talking about a more mainstream mid-engined supercar designed to take on the Ferrari 488, Lamborghini Huracán, and McLaren 720S. Andy Palmer, CEO of Aston Martin, stated this specifically when discussing future product plans with Auto Express.

According to Auto Express, Palmer said the car will be a competitor the 488, and will launch in 2020 as part of a plan to release a new model every year from now until 2023. Before the mid-engined car will be the rest of Aston’s new GT line and the DBX crossover, and following the Ferrari fighter will be a pair of Lagonda models and the DB12. The 2020 launch date is a full year sooner than we were expecting for a sub-Valkyrie mid-engined car.

Palmer cites a few reasons for going mid-engined. He explained that it’s the segment standard, and that it’s ideal for weight distribution. He also noted that going mid-engined will help bridge the gap between the top-tier Vanquish GT car and the Valkyrie. That’s a gap with loads of room for another model, too, since the Vanquish will likely be comparable to the Ferrari F12berlinetta, which costs a bit over $300,000. The Valkyrie, on the other hand, will go for $3 million and have performance comparable to the LaFerrari and the Koenigsegg One:1.

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June 5, 2017 / Comments Off

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Chevrolet Corvette factory tours suspended for 18 months

A new Corvette is coming, and preparations for its inauguration are already under way at GM’s Bowling Green Assembly Plant in Kentucky. According to The Bowling Green Daily News and the National Corvette Museum website, factory tours will be suspended for 18 months beginning June 16. While there has been no official explanation for the closure, a year and a half seems like enough time to rework the factory tooling for a mid-engine sports car.

Yes, automotive publications have been predicting the reveal of a mid-engine Corvette for half a century, but numerous spy photos show that GM is working on something special. Additionally, we have reason to believe that the Corvette’s V8 will move away from pushrods, finally adopting a free-revving DOHC layout. While GM has worked Merlin levels of magic to make pushrods possible in this day and age, the move to overhead cams was going to occur eventually. In addition to the mid-engine platform, the factory might be installing a new DOHC engine production line.

Of course, the halting of tours might simply be to hide the new C7 Corvette ZR1 that we’ve seen running around. The truth is likely somewhere in between, since we believe both cars are coming and 18 months is far too long to rework the plant for another variant of the C7, even if it is the hot and ready ZR1. If the ZR1 is everything we expect it to be, it’s going to be one hell of a way to close out this generation of Corvettes.

2018 will mark the sixth year of production for the C7 generation, a short lifecycle when compared to past Corvettes. The thing is, the C7 has roots going all the way back to 1984 and the introduction of the C4. Since then, the car has been undergoing heavy alterations and modifications, but the lines can be traced back. The real question has nothing to do with camshaft placement or factory tour dates. What we really want to know is, where does a leaf spring go on a mid-engine car?

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May 2, 2017 / Comments Off

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The Mercedes-AMG hypercar will require a full service at 31,000 miles

When shopping for your next Mercedes-AMG hypercar, you might want to opt for the extended warranty, or at the very least inquire about regular maintenance costs. AMG boss Tobias Moers told Motor 1 that the F1-derived turbocharged V6 will require a significant overhaul after about 31,000 miles. While that may not seem like a lot of miles, the new AMG is a multi-million dollar car rumored to make in excess of 1,000 horsepower, so you can’t expect Toyota Camry-like maintenance intervals.

The 1.6-liter turbocharged hybrid V6 that’s rumored to power the 300 new cars is derived from the championship winning Formula One engine, though revs would be limited to a measly 11,000 rpm. Expect electric motors to power at least the front wheels, meaning the 0-60 mph time should be ridiculously quick. We won’t see the car until the Frankfurt Motor Show, but expect more hype and teasers in the meantime.

Most of these multi-million dollar hypercars (like the Porsche 918, McLaren P1, LaFerrari, or Bugatti Chiron) won’t touch 10,000 miles, much less 31,000. AMG has to know that going in, which is why it focused more on performance and less on maintenance costs. Also, if you’ve got a few million to blow on a car, you can afford to have trained techs maintain it.

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March 13, 2017 / Comments Off

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Hugh Jackman will play Enzo Ferrari in upcoming biopic

Following the success of his latest film, Logan, it seems Wolverine actor Hugh Jackman already has a new gig lined up. According to Deadline, Jackman has accepted the role of Enzo Ferrari for a biopic manned by Michael Mann. Interestingly, this is the second actor with a major superhero role under his belt to be asked to play Ferrari. Christian Bale, who played Batman in the Christopher Nolan trilogy, was originally chosen for the part, but he quit when he felt he couldn’t gain the necessary weight before filming began.

To us, casting a famous Aussie as a man as synonymous with Italy as Pavarotti is a bit odd. But if Sean Connery, a Scottish man, can play a Russian submarine commander in Hunt for Red October, then Jackman shouldn’t have much issue.

Jackman won’t be alone in playing the Ferrari role either. Another biopic about the racing driver and sports car builder is in the works from a different studio. That film will feature Robert De Niro as Ferrari, which seems like a match made in heaven. However, the subjects of each film are a bit different. The Jackman film focuses only on an early part of Enzo Ferrari’s career, specifically the year of 1957. The de Niro flick will take a broader look at Ferrari’s life from the 1940s until his death in the late ’80s.

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March 10, 2017 / Comments Off

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Aston Martin has another mid-engine supercar in mind

It seems Aston Martin is really gaining some valuable knowhow from Chief Technical Officer Max Szwaj, who has moved in from Ferrari. Having worked on mid-engine Ferraris for years, Szwaj is now focusing on mid-engine Aston Martins, such as the upcoming Valkyrie. The limited-edition car, its name revealed at Geneva, is co-developed with Red Bull. But it likely won’t be the only mid-engine future Aston.

Talking to Autocar in Geneva, Aston’s CEO Andy Palmer said the Valkyrie is “important in establishing Aston as a credible maker of mid-engined models.” The Valkyrie is the first since the one-off Bulldog prototype built in 1979. It could spawn a mid-engine companion in 2021, a rival to the Ferrari 488 GTB and McLaren 720S, and would possibly receive valuable engineering input from Red Bull’s Adrian Newey, a famed F1 engineering legend.

The Valkyrie would remain a limited-production halo car, as only 175 will be built and each will cost $3 million – but it seems lessons learned from it would be used to craft a significant mid-engine supercar. What is especially remarkable about the Valkyrie is that its development has been completely virtual up until now, and the first prototype cars will commence road testing later in the year.

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March 10, 2017 / Comments Off

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The Huracan Performante is still a supercar steal, regardless of ‘Ring time validity

When Lamborghini released video of its new Huracán Performante lapping the Nürburgring in a stunning 6:52, not everyone was convinced the record was honest. As a result, Lamborghini’s director of research and development provided some data to Roadshow to shore up the lap time claim. He addressed the tire issue by telling Roadshow that the car used the optional Pirelli Trofeo Rs. And he noted that it was quicker than its more powerful brother, the Aventador SV, because it cornered and accelerated faster. He even provided VBox data of the lap.

The thing is, none of this really matters in the end, particularly for the Huracán. Let us explain.

For one thing, if you’re going to question the Performante’s time, you should question all of the times. All of these records are presented by the manufacturers, so there isn’t a truly impartial party measuring the results and inspecting cars. Even with a company presenting plenty of data and explanations, it’s hard to be 100 percent sure everything is on the level without an unbiased third party inspecting the cars before and after the lap, and keeping timing.

But besides the issue of impartiality, the times themselves aren’t really important. As interesting and fun as it is to compare lap times at the Nürburgring, they’re really only relevant for rich owners and car companies to brag, and for less-rich fans to bench race. That’s not a bad thing, but to look at the lap time of one single track doesn’t really give a full picture of a car’s performance. A car that’s fast at the Nürburgring could be really slow on a tight course like Streets of Willow Springs. There’s also the issue of who’s driving the car. The manufacturers put their top drivers out on the ‘Ring to set times. If you’re not a factory test driver, you’ll probably never go that fast even if you did get your car to the track. It’s all a bit like the silly “blind” or two-wheeled car records. They don’t actually provide much info on what the car is really like, or how you could drive it.

Even if you’re not on board with this explanation, and trust all the ‘Ring records except this Lamborghini, we still have a reason why it doesn’t matter. You see, even if you’re convinced that there’s no way the Huracán could best the Porsche 918 Spyder and the Aventador around the Nordschleife, it’s still a screaming supercar bargain. The Porsche is a million-dollar car, and the Aventador, just the base model, is $125,000 more than the Huracán Performante. A healthy skepticism about the validity of the Performante’s lap (or lap times in general) won’t diminish how impressive that is.

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March 9, 2017 / Comments Off

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Is a Ford GT Competition Series lightweight variant coming?

It seems Ford might have another version of the GT coming soon, and the secret lies in the owner’s manual. There are two places that mention a “competition series” model, and the main difference has to do with the rear hatch. Reading the tea leaves, this yet-to-be-announced variant seems to be focused on reduced weight.

We first caught light of this from the DragTimes YouTube channel. We took a look at the owner’s manual ourselves, which you can see here, and sure enough, there are two places where the competition version is mentioned.

Page 42 of the manual is where this other GT competition series first crops up. Apparently, it uses a slightly different key fob that lacks a remote hatch release, as well as the “key-blade” inside the fob for manually opening the rear hatch. The reason you might need to do this is if the battery dies and you need access to the manual door releases inside the engine bay.

Screenshot from Ford GT owner's manual

The reason the competition GT doesn’t have those features on the fob is because the rear hatch is fastened with a locking AeroCatch-style hood-pin latch. So instead of a fob with a key and remote hatch button, Ford simply provides a traditional key for the external latch. We also noticed that the latch system illustrated here is different from that found on the GTE race car, further supporting the idea this is a new type of GT. This is all explained on page 149 of the owner’s manual, which also provides details that indicate the competition model could be a lightweight variant.

Screenshot of Ford GT owner's manual

The manual shows that another characteristic of the competition GT is that the rear hatch won’t hold itself open. Whatever struts or tensioners Ford used to keep the standard hatch up have been removed in favor of a surely lighter two-piece prop. The prop stows in the small cargo area behind the engine bay.

We’ve reached out to Ford for information regarding this possible competition model. At the time of publishing, we haven’t received a response. We’ll update this post as soon as we hear more.

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February 20, 2017 / Comments Off

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New documents discovered related to Paul Walker’s death

A new development has emerged in the legal battle between the daughter of Fast and Furious star Paul Walker and Porsche. According to USA Today, one of Meadow Walker’s attorneys discovered files on a CD that were reportedly redacted by Porsche. The news outlet reports that information about Porsche’s stability control system and emails from Porsche employees regarding Carrera GT crashes. Walker’s attorney Jeffrey Milam, alleged that Porsche deliberately hid this information, and filed for terminating sanctions. USA Today reports this could result in a fine for Porsche at minimum, or possibly a default decision in Walker’s favor.

The emails include messages that took a rather light tone on the subject of Carrera GT crashes. One email that was shown in the attorney’s filing, which was provided to us by the law firm of Meadow Walker’s attorney, commented on a then-recent crash in 2006 involving a body shop employee. It also asks whether it was true that 200 of the 1,280 cars had been totaled up to that point, and that current owners should be happy that their cars keep getting rarer and more valuable. In an official statement that the law firm provided us, Milam called this a “callous joke.” His statement also said, “Porsche concealed this information from the public to protect its image and brand.” We reached out to Porsche, but they declined to comment saying, “As a matter of policy, Porsche does not comment on pending litigation.

These files are important because the original lawsuit alleged that the Carrera GT was unsafe, and that Paul Walker might have survived had the car been equipped with stability control, among other things. Though it is important to note that vehicle regulations did not require the Carrera GT to have stability control at the time. Also, Porsche has already won a wrongful death lawsuit from Kristine Rodas, the widow of Roger Rodas whom was in the crash that killed Walker.

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February 17, 2017 / Comments Off

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GM’s European Opel division may eventually go all-electric

General Motors’ Opel division in Europe may transform itself into an all-electric vehicle maker by 2030. Granted, a lot can happen between now and then, including a potential buyout by French automaker PSA Group. Regardless, Opel appears to view its electric future beyond the Ampera-e, which is the sister vehicle to the Chevrolet Bolt, and more like Tesla.

Opel CEO Karl-Thomas Neumann indicated that focusing on electric drivetrains would be a superior strategy to expanding its EV technology while pushing forward with conventional drivetrains, says Automotive News Europe, citing comments Neumann made to German publication Manager Magazin. General Motors could make the decision to move towards an all-electric vehicle line for Opel as soon as May.

Of course, that depends on whether Opel is bought out by PSA, the parent country to Peugeot and Citroen. PSA is in talks to buy General Motors’ Opel and Vauxhall divisions, though government and labor representatives in Germany have expressed concerns over potential job losses from the proposed buyout, Reuters says.

Regardless, GM has hinted at expanding its electric-vehicle line far beyond the Bolt, which has a 238-mile single-charge range and debuted late last year. Mary Barra, in an interview with CNET, said the Bolt’s all-electric platform could be applied to a “huge range of vehicles,” though wasn’t specific about additional EV models.

Opel first showed off its Ampera-e at the Paris Motor Show last fall. The name of the model raised some eyebrows because the Ampera badge had been previously used by Opel for the sister version of the Chevrolet Volt extended-range plug-in. Either way, Opel is looking to take on Renault for electric-vehicle sales supremacy across the Pond.

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February 15, 2017 / Comments Off

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Two dead in Lamborghini crash at Las Vegas exotic car experience center

According to the Las Vegas Sun, as well as several other local outlets, two men died in a Lamborghini crash on track at a facility called SpeedVegas. The car reportedly hit a concrete wall with a tire barrier and burst into flames. Tragically, the driver and the instructor were both killed instantly. We confirmed with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) that the organization is investigating the crash.

The crash happened at SpeedVegas, a facility with a 1.5-mile closed track that offers visitors the opportunity to drive high-performance sports cars ranging from the Porsche Cayman GTS up to a Lamborghini Aventador. According to the website, drivers do not need any experience before taking the wheel, and only need to be 18 years old, have a valid driver’s license, and wear closed-toe shoes. The facility provides helmets and insurance as part of the driving fee.

Accident at SPEEDVEGAS today. Official statement attached: pic.twitter.com/uSqPgk87Au

— SPEEDVEGAS (@SPEEDVEGAS) February 13, 2017

SpeedVegas provided an official statement, seen above, on the crash at its Twitter page. It confirms that the crash occurred, and that the company will cooperate fully with the investigation. It also passes along sympathy to employees and family members connected to the victims. We have also reached out to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, and SpeedVegas directly for further comment on the incident, but have not received a reply at the time of publishing. We will update this post with additional information as it is available.

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February 13, 2017 / Comments Off

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