Just Released: Audi Prices New Q3 Compact Crossover

Audi has released pricing on its long-anticipated compact crossover, the Q3, which will start at $33,425. The Q3 is Audi’s smallest crossover yet and, borrowing a page from the A3 sedan’s playbook, will feature a high level of standard equipment as well as a 200-hp 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder engine with a six-speed automatic transmission. The entry crossover will join the Q5 and the Q7 in Audi’s lineup. (An even smaller Q1 is due to join the group in 2016.)

The base model is the Q3 Premium Plus with front-wheel drive. From there, the models step up in increments of approximately $2000—the Premium Plus Quattro is priced at $35,525, the front-wheel-drive Prestige comes in at $37,325, and the full-boat Prestige Quattro arrives at $39,425.

All Q3 models seat five passengers and feature standard equipment such as 12-way heated power front seats, leather trim, a panoramic sunroof, a split-folding rear seat, dual-zone automatic climate control, xenon headlamps with LED taillamps and running lamps, and a smart key.

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Notable options include a Sport package with sport seats, paddle shifters, and Audi Drive Select, which allows the driver to adjust throttle mapping and the transmission’s shift points. Also offered are a power liftgate and Audi’s MMI Navigation Plus (standard on the Prestige) with a seven-inch display, and Audi Connect infotainment system including a Wi-Fi hotspot, and Google Earth maps. The Prestige also comes with a 14-speaker, 465-watt Bose premium audio system.

The Q3 is expected to arrive in showrooms this fall.

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Even Our Test Cars Sometimes End Up on Blocks or: Somebody Done Took Our Ford Fusion’s Wheels and Tires

We go to great lengths to bring you insightful and entertaining vehicle reviews, and we often drive the wheels off stuff in the process. But that’s not what happened to this unfortunate 2014 Ford Fusion Titanium test car, which we found a couple of mornings ago resting on blocks with all four wheels missing. Wheels have always been a popular target of nefarious types, but, seriously, what the hell?

The perpetrators knew exactly what they wanted—the rest of the car and its contents were untouched—and the act was executed with such efficiency that they clearly knew what they were doing. The Fusion was parked in a carport in a sleepy Ann Arbor apartment complex, and the thieves wrapped a towel around the overhead light and set to work; we figure they made off with their booty in 15 minutes or less.

Of course, they also didn’t give a crap about the car they left behind: Notice that the rear of the car has been dropped on its subframe and suspension. The landscaping blocks also inflicted stress on the body structure, crinkling the rocker panels and wedging shut the front passenger-side door. Significant repairs will be needed before this Ford re-enters the press fleet or—more likely—heads to auction.

But why Fusion wheels? Why not, say, the amazing wheels and performance tires on the Alfa Romeo 4C a colleague drove home the same night? It’s hard to say, but news reports in our area say both the current- and last-generation Fusion wheels are hot commodities. The 19-inchers that were fitted to our Titanium test car are not only attractive but they also can be bolted to many other models, making them easy to flip. And they’re worth a pretty penny, too—a call to our local dealer put the replacement cost, including the four Continental ContiProContact tires, at a staggering $4312.

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Of course, this is why vehicles are insured, whether they’re a personal car or in a press fleet. But we still felt violated. Wheel locks might have helped, but short of a secure garage or standing guard all night with a shotgun, if someone wants a set of wheels they’re going to take them. Just let us know if you see some cheap Fusion Titanium wheels on any Detroit-area Craigslist sites, OK?

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Jaguar Shows Nose of XE-S Sports Sedan, Says XE Structure Will Be 75% Aluminum

More details are emerging on the upcoming Jaguar XE small sports sedan, which will go toe-to-toe with the BMW 3-series and friends. The British company is still playing coy with much of the styling—although this image of the XE-S version’s nose shows it will evolve the XF and XJ’s look—but we now have more information about what will be under the skin. Jaguar previously told us about the suspension and steering, and now has provided tantalizing details about the body structure.

The car will adapt Jaguar’s fifth-generation bonded and riveted aluminum architecture, and the latest news reveals that the mix of materials will include more than 75 percent aluminum. Similar bones are currently used in models as varied as the XJ sedan and F-type sports car, but the XE marks the first time the technology has been used in this price class. The XE will employ a new high-strength alloy called RC5754 that was developed for this application and which incorporates a high degree of recycled aluminum. The result, according to Jaguar, will be a car with the lightest structure in its class, as well as exceptionally high levels of torsional stiffness and strength.

One of the main goals of weight savings is to improve fuel economy, of course, and Jaguar expects the finished car to achieve 75 mpg as measured by the EU Combined Cycle test. A thousand disclaimers apply here, including the fact that the number no doubt comes courtesy of a tiny diesel engine we won’t ever get here and that no actual tests have been performed or published. This nonetheless likely bodes well for gasoline-powered cars in the U.S., and could point to class-leading (non-hybrid) economy in its segment.

A light stiff structure should also be a boon for handling, roadholding, and ride. The XE will feature a new multilink rear suspension with integral links and a control-arm front suspension based on the F-Type’s. Many of the suspension components themselves will be forged or cast aluminum as well, and the car, as you probably expect, will have electric power steering. Expect U.S. powertrains to include at least one four-cylinder from Jaguar Land Rover’s new Ingenium engine family, as well as the supercharged V-6 from the F-type. We have also been told that a V-8 will fit quite nicely in the engine bay—500-plus-hp XE-R anyone?

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The XE will be produced on a new, dedicated line at Jaguar’s Solihull, West Midlands, U.K. plant. It will debut in London on September 8.

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Land Rover “Spies” the Discovery Sport, We Spot an Explorer

Here’s the closest glimpse yet of the production Discovery Sport undergoing testing in England, which Land Rover has so graciously spied for us, as part of what appears to be a growing trend of automakers “leaking” their own prototypes.

We can see a lot of the current Ford Explorer in this upcoming Land Rover LR2 replacement, particularly the slanted nose and arching headlamps, the high beltline, and C- and D-pillars that trace remarkably similar glass panels. And like the Explorer, there will be room for seven.

Seven of what we’re not exactly sure. As it does with the new Range Rover Sport, Land Rover technically calls the seating “5+2.” In reality, the aft-section jump seats will be inhospitable to all but the scrawniest of humans—and/or the inebriated friends that Rover owners are typically seen carting home from the Hamptons.

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When the thin wrap comes off (likely at the Paris or Los Angeles auto show this fall), we can only hope the Discovery Sport looks as slick as the Discovery Vision Concept that was previewed in New York. And we wouldn’t put our worst enemies in that third row.

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BMW i3 to gain a fuel cell variant - report

When BMW and Toyota announced plans to jointly develop a new sports car, they also confirmed the development of a fuel cell system. The latter news was overshadowed by the Supra rumor mill but new details are starting to emerge about BMW's FCV.

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The vagaries of Land Rover’s ‘claimed’ Nurburgring lap time

Land Rover is claiming to have set a new lap record for sports-utility vehicles at the Nürburgring with its Range Rover Sport SVR. Which means what, exactly?

If the Range Rover Sport SVR really is faster than a Porsche Macan Turbo around the Nürburgring – which is what Land Rover now appears to be claiming – then I will eat my own hair.

Admittedly there’s not much left of it to munch on nowadays, but even so; how on earth does Land Rover expect us to believe that a 2.5-tonne leviathan like the Sport SVR can outrun a 500kg lighter rocket ship of a sporting SUV from Porsche, even if the über-Rangie does have the 542bhp engine from the XK RS?

Sorry folks, but I timed a Range Rover Sport against the far bigger, far heavier, quantifiably LESS rapid Cayenne Turbo around Brands Hatch last year for a video and the RR was three seconds slower than the Porsche. So even if the SVR version does have sportier suspension and a bit more poke and so on, there is no way that it could live with, let alone beat, a Macan Turbo around the 'Ring.

But maybe the more relevant point to make about Land Rover’s claim in this instance is – does anyone actually care how fast a Range Rover Sport is around the Nürburgring?

Do prospective owners of Range Rover Sports wander into JLR showrooms nowadays wanting to buy the fastest SUV in the universe? Is the raw performance of the RR Sport the thing that sells it to its audience? If so, why does it weigh 25 per cent more than most of its relevant competitors?

No, what sells the Range Rover Sport isn’t its performance, or its (somewhat dubious) ability to lap the Nordschleife in eight minutes and 14 seconds.

What sells this excellent machine to its loyal and loving customers are its looks, its magnificent cabin, its reputation, its ride quality, its soothing and effortless performance and, most of all I’d suggest, its brand strength. None of which has anything to do with the ruddy Nürburgring.

Now please, will the otherwise highly capable folks at JLR stop trying to kid themselves and get back to talking about what matters, not what doesn’t matter one single iota to any one, anywhere.

Thank you.

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Eye-Nine: BMW Reportedly Preparing High-Performance i8 Variant

With only weeks of real-world experience under its belt (the first customer cars were delivered on June 5 in Munich; U.S. deliveries are slated for August 16 at the 2014 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance), it looks as if BMW’s i8 hybrid may be getting a more athletic sibling. According to Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport—via Autoblog, where we picked up on the news—word is circulating that BMW is preparing an even higher-performance version of the innovative hybrid to celebrate the carmaker’s 100th anniversary in 2016.

Speculatively referred to as the i9 (we’ve also heard rumblings of the M1 moniker being revived), the uprated hybrid is rumored to employ a six-cylinder gasoline engine and more-powerful electric motors. The combo is reportedly stout enough to get the car from rest to 60 mph in less than four seconds. That’s not saying much, as our recent test of the i8 with its three-cylinder gasoline engine and electric motors producing 357 combined horsepower, returned a zero-to-60 time of 3.8 seconds.

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With its futuristic styling, innovative powertrain, and unmistakable gullwing/scissor-door configuration, the i8 is a polarizing vehicle. Although its $136,000 price puts it out of reach for most people, you can bet that BMW will apply everything it learns from the i8 and rumored i9 to the rest of its lineup.

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From the C/D Archives: 1994 Mazda Miata 1.8L Tested

For 1994, Mazda calls its perky Miata “all-new beneath the skin.” We beg to differ. Like the federal government, the new Miata has been subjected to subtle improvements. Unlike Washington, the Miata faces change with an advantage. The public likes the Miata. READ MORE ››

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Independents of Speed, European: Horacio Pagani

Age: 58

Hometown: Casilda, Argentina

Company: Pagani Automobili SpA; 95 employees in 63,000 square feet of manufacturing space in Modena, Italy. It has produced 191 cars over its 16 years of operation.

Past projects: Zonda C12, a 555-hp carbon-fiber wedge using a 6.0-liter AMG-built Mercedes-Benz V-12, and subsequent iterations, including the Zonda S, Zonda R, the Zonda roadster, and 678-hp Zonda Cinque.

Current project: Pagani Huayra, a $1.6 million Zonda replacement intended for U.S. sales, with a 720-hp twin-turbo 6.0-liter Mercedes-Benz AMG V-12.

C/D: Given the difficulty of earning a profit in this business, why do you build high-speed cars?

HP: I’m telling you that you’re wrong; it is not a difficult business to make a profit. In 1983, I arrived in Italy with my wife and many dreams, two bikes, three suitcases, and a tent. Today we have a small, exclusive, and prestigious supercar factory, a brand valued at more than €300 million [$410 million], and we are building, without any external investments, a new €15 million [$20.5 million] factory that will be finished at the end of the year. Every year we close with a profit, and every year we invest a lot in research and development.

Pagani Huayra

C/D: Does top speed still matter?

HP: In the field of exotic cars, there are companies that aim at maximum speed, such as Bugatti; others to track performance; and others, such as Ferrari and Lamborghini, to keep alive the myth of the sports car without being necessarily the fastest. It happens infrequently that a customer asks us the maximum speed or the acceleration; these “numbers” have become uninteresting, at least to our customers. Our cars exceed 350 km/h [217 mph], but these are just numbers only to tell your friends at the bar!

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C/D: Is there a point at which power and speed will reach a limit? Are we there now?

HP: I think the cars in general are all too fast. I highly recommend everybody to drive very carefully, not only if you have a supercar.

C/D: Over your life, what would you say was your biggest mistake?

HP: Every day I look at the way I walked to avoid repeating the same mistakes. If I’m wrong, I did it with the head, not the heart. I would do the same path; I’m a very lucky person. Life has given me more than I deserve.

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Tesla says £3bn gigafactory will revolutionise EV battery production

Tesla confirms deal with Panasonic to collaborate on new gigafactory, as the company works towards its target of selling 500,000 cars per year by 2020

Tesla has released new details of its gigafactory manufacturing plant in the US, saying the site will represent a "fundamental change" the way batteries are produced for electric vehicles.

Due to open in 2017, the gigafactory will supply battery packs and components for Tesla's growing range of electric vehicles, including the upcoming Model X SUV as well as the firm's BMW 3-series rival. That car has now been confirmed as being called Model 3, rather than the previously suggested Model E.

One of the aims for Tesla's new factory is to drive down the costs of producing long-range battery packs for cars, helping manufacturers to introduce more electric vehicles into the market. Such cost reductions will be produced through economies of scale, with reports suggesting the overall cost of producing battery packs could be cut by 30 per cent.

JB Straubel, Tesla's technical boss and co-founder, said the gigafactory will represent: "a fundamental change in the way large-scale battery production can be realised."

Tesla has said that by the end of the decade, the gigafactory will produce 35GWh of battery cells alongside 50GWh of battery packs. By the same date, Tesla wants to be producing around 500,000 vehicles per year.

The gigafactory will employ about 6500 people when the site reaches full capacity in 2020. Tesla hasn't confirmed the precise location of its factory, but has narrowed the choice down to five potential sites in Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada. Those states have plentiful space for the facility, as well as the requisite climate to allow Tesla to harness wind and solar energy to power the gigafactory.

The completed battery packs will be transported to Tesla's production facility in Fremont, California, for vehicle assembly.

Tesla has signed a deal with Panasonic to share space inside the factory, with Panasonic operating on the site alongside other Tesla suppliers. Tesla will shoulder the costs of preparing and managing the land the gigafactory will be built on, and will directly invest around £1.1bn into the build. The rest of the cost, estimated to be a further £1.7bn, will be shared among Tesla's partners.

As well as directly supplying Tesla's own vehicles, it's likely the firm will also sell battery packs to other electric vehicle manufacturers.

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The vagaries of Range Rover’s ‘claimed’ Nurburgring lap time

Range Rover is claiming to have set a new lap record for sports-utility vehicles at the Nürburgring with its Sport SVR. Which means what, exactly?

If the Range Rover Sport SVR really is faster than a Porsche Macan Turbo around the Nürburgring – which is what Range Rover now appears to be claiming – then I will eat my own hair.

Admittedly there’s not much left of it to munch on nowadays, but even so; how on earth does Range Rover expect us to believe that a 2.5-tonne leviathan like the Sport SVR can outrun a 500kg lighter rocket ship of a sporting SUV from Porsche, even if the über-Rangie does have the 542bhp engine from the XK RS?

Sorry folks, but I timed a Range Rover Sport against the far bigger, far heavier, quantifiably LESS rapid Cayenne Turbo around Brands Hatch last year for a video and the RR was three seconds slower than the Porsche. So even if the SVR version does have sportier suspension and a bit more poke and so on, there is no way that it could live with, let alone beat, a Macan Turbo around the 'Ring.

But maybe the more relevant point to make about Range Rover’s claim in this instance is – does anyone actually care how fast a Range Rover Sport is around the Nürburgring?

Do prospective owners of Range Rover Sports wander into JLR showrooms nowadays wanting to buy the fastest SUV in the universe? Is the raw performance of the RR Sport the thing that sells it to its audience? If so, why does it weigh 25 per cent more than most of its relevant competitors?

No, what sells the Range Rover Sport isn’t its performance, or its (somewhat dubious) ability to lap the Nordschleife in eight minutes and 14 seconds.

What sells this excellent machine to its loyal and loving customers are its looks, its magnificent cabin, its reputation, its ride quality, its soothing and effortless performance and, most of all I’d suggest, its brand strength. None of which has anything to do with the ruddy Nürburgring.

Now please, will the otherwise highly capable folks at JLR stop trying to kid themselves and get back to talking about what matters, not what doesn’t matter one single iota to any one, anywhere.

Thank you.

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Guinness says this Toyota GT86 broke the longest drift record, we disagree [video]

German driver Harald Müller in a Toyota GT 86 now holds the Guinness world record for longest vehicle drift.

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Toyota Fortuner Terbaru Kembali Tertangkap Kamera

Setelah minggu lalu tertangkap kamera, niat Toyota untuk mengembangkan Fortuner anyar nampaknya memang sudah kuat. Buktinya, minggu ini versi anyar Fortuner kembali tertangkap kamera.

















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Toyota GT86 Drift hingga 144 Km

Orang Jerman dikenal akan sangat mahir bila menguasai satu bidang. Sementara Jepang dikenal piawai membuat banyak barang. Nah, perpaduan ini mencetak rekor ketika seorang pria Jerman ada di dalam sebuah mobil sport Jepang.

















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'Toyota Bakal Dijungkalkan VW'

Raksasa asal Jepang, Toyota saat ini memang masih menguasai dunia setelah di semester satu 2014 mencetak penjualan hingga 5,1 persen di seluruh dunia. Namun, posisi Toyota sebagai raja otomotif dunia diprediksi akan tumbang. Tak lain oleh Volkswagen.

















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