Hennessey has been in the business of modifying sports cars and gaining even more performance out of them for over 20 years, and their latest project is the new 2014 Chevrolet Corvette C7 (also known as the Corvette Stingray). Hennessey has unveiled their plans for their Corvette C7 upgrade program, with a launch date sometime in October.
The upgrades will consist of an Eaton supercharger, custom CNC-ported factory cylinder heads, proprietary intake and fueling systems, and a re-tuned engine control unit that will give the Corvette C7 up to 700-horsepower, which is quite the jump from the factory 460-horsepower that you get if you buy the car off the lot.
We’re already expecting an enhanced version of the C7 directly from Chevrolet, known as the ZR1, but we have yet to hear anything about that, so it seems like Hennessey is taking things into their own hands.
As for external modifications, there’s a carbon fiber bodykit and upgraded wheels with Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires. The whole performance upgrade will cost you $18,450, but that’s a small price to pay for almost double the horsepower, right? Plus, we have to say the exterior modifications make the C7 look extremely good.
If 700HP is a bit too much for you, but still want that Hennessey look and feel added to your new ride, the company will also offer kits that boost the horsepower to only 500 or 600, depending on the kit you want. However, they will also have 800HP and 1,000HP kits as well. Details on these kits specifically haven’t yet been discussed, but the 1,000HP kit is said to cost just under $70,000.
Ford is dropping the price of their new 2014 Ford Focus Electric by a whopping 10%. In what appears to be an effort to stay competitive in the electric vehicle market, Ford dropped the price of its 2014 Focus EV down to $35,200. The car previously had a sticker price of $39,200, making that a $4,000 drop in price.
In a statement from Ford, the company said that “the new starting MSRP of $35,200 keeps us competitive in the marketplace and is an important part of our commitment to provide customers with a range of electrified vehicles to choose from.” Affordability is a huge factor when it comes to buying any new car, and electric vehicles certainly can’t be a part of the exception if companies want them to fly off dealer lots, but Ford says they’re “really committed” to electric vehicles, and making lower-cost EVs is a big goal of theirs.
Car companies are getting desperate and want to sell their electric vehicles before they end up making too many and have tons of inventory on the back burner. General Motors announced plans back in May to cut the price of the Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid by as much as $10,000. This is despite the fact that GM is actually losing money on every Volt that it sells.
Nissan also dropped the cost of its 2013 Leaf by a cool $6,000, bringing its price below the $30,000 price point, which Nissan says is the lowest-priced five-passenger electric vehicle sold in the US. It doesn’t take much convincing for drivers to pick electric vehicles over gas-guzzling ones, but the price is still a huge concern for most people.
Of course, Tesla Motors is doing a decent jobs at spreading awareness of electric vehicles. The Model S definitely isn’t a cheap car, but it has convinced drivers that electric vehicles don’t have to be tiny compact cars, but also mid-sized four-door sedans that can fit the entire family.
Terra Motors, a manufacturer of electric scooters, has announced its A4000i, an electric scooter that can be connected to an iPhone, which will then serve navigation and scooter-status purposes. The scooter is currently being showcased in Tokyo, and is being aimed at emerging markets in Asia, allowing users to combine their transportation with their smartphone.
Such an offering will be the first time a motor bike has been developed with the ability to interface with an iPhone (or any smartphone), something that will extend beyond mere navigational purposes. Owners will be able to monitor their scooter’s remaining battery charge, for example, as well as their mileage information and average driving speed.
Beyond that, apps will also be provided for A4000i owners that are free of charge, which will be initially offered as beta software. With these apps, says Terra Motors, the owners will be able to find recommended stores in their local area, as well as downloading navigational assistance applications. You can see one example of an iPhone being used in conjunction with the scooter in the image below.
The company plans to sell 2000 units of the scooters, with global sales anticipated to hit 100,000 by the end of 2015. The A4000i has a reported range of 65 kilometers. The power is provided via a lithium-ion battery, which is removable and has a reported life span of up to 50,000 kilometers. Total charge time is said to take about 4.5 hours.
The A4000i scooters will undergo mass production starting this upcoming December at a factory in Vietnam, with global sales of the motor bike beginning in the same month. The unit will be priced at ¥450,000, which is about $73,000 USD. The company also has plans to offer a non-iPhone version for less, but pricing and dates weren’t revealed.
Volkswagen has announced some changes it will be introducing in the 2014 model year, among them being a replacement of the 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine currently used in the Beetle, Passat, and Jetta with a 1.8-liter turbocharged and direct-injection 4-cylinder TSI engine. In addition, the auto maker will also be expanding its R-Line with five new models.
In particular, the VW Jetta SE and SEL models will get a new 170-horsepower 1.8-liter engine, which will boost its mileage rating by about 16-percent. In addition, all of the Jetta models will be changed up to offer independent rear suspension, as well as some technology changes that include Navigation in select models, and an MFI high-res display in the instrument panel.
The 2014 Beetles will also be seeing a new 1.8-liter engine, which has an estimated highway fuel economy boost of 17-percent, a tad higher than the increase for the Jetta models. The Turbo model will be replaced with the Beetle R-Line model, gaining new bumpers, badging, and the option for Bi-Xenon headlamps and 19-inch wheels.
The Passat will see new trimmings and the new 1.8-liter engine, with Volkswagen saying this will start with the SEL model. The new engine will give the Passat 184 lb-ft of torque, as well as new electro-mechanical steering, which will trump the current hydraulic offering. The VW Car-Net system will be available in the Wolfsburg and higher editions.
In general, all the Volkswagen models will be E15 capable starting with the 2014 models, and the VW Car-Net connectivity system will be rolled out in “a broad range of models.” The auto maker has added the Touareg R-Line to its lineup of vehicles, as well as the addition of an R-Line to the Tiguan range. The Routan, meanwhile, will be carried over without change only as a fleet model.
Students at the Eindhoven University of Technology have developed a solar-powered car they call “Stella,” which is claimed to be the first-ever family car that runs off the sun. The vehicle is designed to seat four individuals, and utilizes power drawn from the sun via solar panels that are located on its roof. We have a video of it in action after the break.
As you can see in the image above, the car is very long, as well as short in terms of roof height, tapering down to a thin tail for aerodynamics. According to the students who created it, Stella is capable of traveling up to a distance of 600 kilometers, something that will be put to the test in Australia’s World Solar Challenge, which is a 3,000 kilometer race that starts in Darwin and goes all the way to Adelaide.
Stella is racing under the Cruiser Class category, which is a new addition to the event this year. For the new category, the solar car will be competing under different requirements than the other cars in the race, aiming for both usability and comfortable. As part of the category’s regulations, Stella will need to transport a passenger in addition to the driver for the duration of the race.
Said Solar Team Eindhoven: “The design of the car of the future has to meet the needs of modern consumers. The car must be capable of transporting a family from the Netherlands to France in one day, it needs to be suitable for the daily commute to work, and it needs to achieve all this in comfort. Since Solar Team Eindhoven wants to contribute to the development of a car of the future, the design demands more than just a focus on speed. Comfort, ease of use, and feasibility are all key terms.”
The car is made of both carbon and aluminium, and offers a dashboard composed of a touchscreen panel, eschewing typical button conventions. The steering wheel is said to also be unique, contracting and expanding depending on the speed the car is traveling at. As for the race itself, it will take place from October 6th to 13th.
Chrysler recalled a handful of different vehicles totaling almost 500,000 vehicles due to an active head restraint issue that could cause it to not work properly due to a potentially faulty microcontroller. The head rests are meant to move forward during a car accident, but the issue could prevent that from happening as it should.
Around 442,000 of the recalled vehicles are located in the United States, with 25,000 of them located in Canada, 10,000 in Mexico, and 12,000 in other regions of the world. As for what vehicles are affected, Chryslers says that Chrysler Sebrings, Chrysler 200s, and Dodge Avengers from 2011 and 2013 are affected, as well as 2011 to 2012 Dodge Nitros, and 2011 to 2013 Jeep Libertys.
So far, Chrysler says that no accidents or injuries have been reported dealing with the head restraint, but it seems the company isn’t hesitating on this one, unlike recently when Chrysler initially refused to recall some of its vehicles over a fire hazard. They eventually pulled a 180 and recalled the vehicles, but without putting up a fight first.
Furthermore, Chrysler is also recalling over 65,000 2013 Dodge Ram pickup trucks due to an issue with a warning light that would falsely show that stability control has been disabled. This brings the total number of recalled vehicles over 550,000, which is quite a lot, but not even close to the 2.7 million of the company’s last recall.
Earlier this month, Chrysler received word from the NHTSA that it’s recommended for the car manufacturer to recall 2.7 million Jeeps due to a fire hazard that allowed the vehicles to catch fire more easily than usual. Chrysler resisted at first, but eventually succumbed to the pressure and issued an official recall later in the month.
We’ve seen many great cars come out of Saleen’s factory in Corona, California, but none may be better than the car company’s most recent project. The 2014 Saleen 351, which was announced back in December at the LA Auto Show, is finally entering production, and it’s the rebirth of the 351 that was last seen in 1999.
What makes this newest car so unique? Well, the 2014 Saleen 351 is Saleen’s most powerful Mustang to date, and it features a 5.75-liter (351-cubic inch) V-8 motor that has a supercharger capable of cranking out 700 horsepower and 655 pound-feet of torque, which should get the job done on any race track we think.
The new 351 comes standard with a six-speed manual with a final gear ratio of 3.73:1. To keep things cool under pressure, the 351 is also fitted with an intercooler and high-flow fuel injectors to keep things running smoothly at high RPMs. The car also has 14-inch brakes with four-piston calipers to control the large 20-inch wheels.
However, it’s not just the exterior’s good looks and the engine that gives the Saleen 351 it’s uniqueness. The interior has two-tone leather and Alcantara trim, as well as a special dash plaque that comes with the car’s serial number, that way you’re getting a true Saleen car. The 351 will cost a reasonable $82,634, with a 3 year/36,000-mile limited warranty.
Electric vehicles are becoming all the rage these days, and Ford is looking to make a dent in the market with their own offerings. They have a small variety of hybrid vehicles, but I ended up checking out the 2013 Fusion Energi and giving it a brief test ride around one of Ford’s test tracks at their headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan. One of the big features that the company is touting is the inclusion of gamification, which aims to encourage drivers to drive more efficiently on the road by providing a drive score.
This was my first time behind the wheel of any kind of electric vehicle, so I was a bit nervous at the start, which is odd since there was nothing to really be nervous about. It mostly came down to the fact that I wasn’t sure what to expect out of an electric vehicle, but I came to find out the car handled almost exactly like a normal car does.
However, one of the most obvious differences is that the Fusion Energi can run off of a battery, so when you start the car up, there’s no cranking of the engine or the all-too-familar whirring noise of an idling vehicle. Instead, when you start it up, you’re treated with absolute silence, making you wonder if the car even turned on. Indeed, it did, and off I went.
Handling of the Fusion Energi wasn’t all too different from a traditional gas-guzzling vehicle, although the brakes were extremely touchy – something that I find to be the case for a lot of newer cars, especially from Ford. In this case, it’s partially down to the regenerative braking in the Fusion Energi, meaning that the kinectic energy caused by braking is converted and used to power other portions of the vehicle.
As for acceleration, it was pretty superb, and the lightest touch of the gas pedal sprung me forward a few miles-per-hour for every time I applied more pressure to the gas pedal. I didn’t get it up quite to highway speeds during my drive, but I felt that the Fusion Energi would be more than a good option for daily commutes at the least.
On the inside, you have a comfy interior, and the center console includes your usual set of controls, and the touch screen up top allows you to adjust a number of settings with the tap of a finger, as well as get turn-by-turn directions and all sorts of media options. The instrument panel also includes some digital displays as well, with one that shows you how much battery you have left, as well as your mileage.
This display also gives you your drive score and brake score during your drive. You have a brake score that gives you a score out of 100% that’s based on how efficient your braking was. For instance, taking your foot off the gas, coasting, and then slowly applying the brake until you come to a gentle stop will most likely score you in the high 90% range, while stopping suddenly and creating a whiplash effect will give you a very low brake score.
The drive score is an overall score based on your driving habits. It accounts for braking, acceleration, top speed, and even interior features that use up energy, such as the air conditioning. Drivers are more likely to earn a high score for accelerating and braking gently, as well as keeping their top speed at the speed limit. However, the overall drive score is much harder than getting a good brake score. I was able to earn the best brake score out of all the other test drivers that day, but I found that getting a good overall drive score was a lot harder than I anticipated.
Essentially, Ford is encouraging drivers to drive more efficiently on the road using this clever gamification system. It’s proven that human beings love statistics and having the best score, whether that’d be through video games are other forms of activities. Adding a video game-like experience to everyday tasks makes them not only more enjoyable and engaging, but it can also make you better at these activities by attempting to do the best job you can in order to score points and level up, so to speak.
Ford says that their new Fusion Energi can go up to 620 miles on a full charge and on a full tank of gas, with a rated fuel mileage of 100 MPGe. The price is where reality sinks in, however. The Fusion Energi starts just short of $39,000, but it’s on par with its competition, with the Chevy Volt also priced in the $39,000 range. Then again, the only question you need to ask yourself is if the higher cost is worth the investment, seeing as you won’t need to fill up the gas tank as often.
A modern assembly line can churn out a new vehicle every few minutes, but when carmakers want to build and test a prototype, it takes weeks to produce the dies and moulds needed to stamp out a custom one-off part. So Ford has developed a fantastic new prototyping machine that functions kind of like a 3D printer in that it can produce a custom part in mere hours. Except that instead of plastic, it works its magic on sheet metal.
Tesla Motors has been in a constant battle with state governments over whether or not the car company can sell its vehicles directly to customers rather than going through a middle man (a.k.a. car dealerships). However, a White House petition recently surpassed the required 100,000 signatures, and it asks the US government to allow Tesla direct sales in all 50 US states.
Since it passed 100,000 signatures, it now moves into the hands of the Obama administration and requires a response. The petition stated that “states should not be allowed to prevent Tesla Motors from selling cars directly to customers. The state legislators are trying to unfairly protect automobile dealers in their states from competition. Tesla is providing competition, which is good for consumers.”
Several states have already issued bans on Tesla Motors from selling their cars within state borders, including Texas, Virginia, and Massachusetts, with other states trying to sneak in similar legislation – the most recent state being New York. Tesla as a company has been fighting with legislators to reserve the bills, but Tesla Motors fans have begun joining in.
The White House petition was started around a month ago, and it reached the required number of signatures today, just a couple days shy of the deadline. The best part is, all the signatures came from the community, so we’re sure that Tesla is more than grateful for the help. Frankly, we’re surprised at how quickly the petition gained the last 25,000 signatures, seeing as how the petition reached 75,000 signatures just yesterday.
The next step is to wait for an official response from the Obama administration. It’s not guaranteed that President Obama will be writing the decision himself, but as the petition website notes, we’ll most likely hear a response from other administration officials instead. Hopefully, they lean our way in their decision, but we’ll have to wait and see.
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