Hasta La Gadget!

Tesla‘s fourth and fifth cars will include a crossover SUV and a Roadster replacement, founder Elon Musk has teased, though drivers will need to wait until 2016 at the earliest to get behind the wheel. Although first on the electric car company’s agenda is the 2015 $30,000 sedan Tesla hopes will open up its audience considerably, Musk told Wired, work on the subsequent models is already underway, with a simultaneous launch promised.

The crossover will challenge BMW’s premium compact SUV, the X3, in the increasingly competitive (and lucrative) segment of those wanting off-road looks but without sacrificing on-road performance. As for the Roadster replacement, that will supposedly have “supercar performance, but not supercar pricing” Musk says, with a focus on a rewarding driver experience.

The new models aren’t just Tesla being over-ambitious: according to Musk, they’re an essential part of the car company making a profit from the investments it has made in underlying vehicle architecture. Neither has been officially named, though the founder did say that previous comments of the crossover being called the “Model E” were tongue-in-cheek and not to be taken seriously.

Tesla’s second car, the Model S, arrived with buyers in June, and the new sedan is expected to be slightly smaller as well as cheaper. Still, it will “look great and perform better than anything in its price range” Musk insists.

The third car, the Model X crossover unveiled earlier this year, is expected to hit roads in 2014.

Tesla teases 2016 compact crossover & Roadster replacement is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Volkswagen has outed the 2013 Golf, the seventh generation of the company’s bestselling hatchback, now lighter and almost a quarter more fuel efficient than before. Although outwardly similar to the model it replaces, the 2013 Golf is in fact redesigned completely, using VW’s “Modular Transverse Matrix” platform; it also gets new engines, offering from 85 PS to 150 PS of power and fuel economy improvements of 23-percent over the 6th-gen Golf.

Outside, the new Golf is 2.2-inches longer, while the wheelbase has stretched 2.3-inches over the old car. That not only improves internal space, VW says, but benefits the crash-protection structure and gives the car a sportier stance; you’d have to be a real Golf obsessive to notice that it’s 0.8-inches lower and 0.5-inches wider, however.

Despite the size change, the 2013 Golf sheds 220 pounds through a culmination of dieting. The air-con unit is six pounds lighter than before; the seats a full 15 pounds less. 80-percent of the car is high-strength steel (versus 66-percent before), and of that 28-percent is ultra-high-strength. For the Euro models, that means a 140 HP 1.4-liter turbo good for 49mpg, or 62mpg (EC figures, not EPA) from the 105 HP TDI Clean Diesel.

Inside, it’s another clean sweep for Volkswagen. Shoulder, leg, and cargo room are all bigger, with the hatch now opening for a more-easily accessible load area. Kit is yet to be confirmed, but there’s a 5-inch touchscreen infotainment system even on base-spec Euro models, while the top-end blows that up to an 8-inch unit with navigation.

Not all of the specs of the European 2013 Golf – the model VW showed off this week – will necessarily make it over to the North American version, though any design changes should be minor. Pricing will be announced closer to launch.

2013 VW Golf makes official debut is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

GM’s Vauxhall has revealed its latest urban car, the Vauxhall ADAM, complete with cutesy looks and a bagful of technology to suit the smartphone-addicted. Set to hit roads in January 2013, the ADAM will be offered as a three-door, five-seater with a distinctive “floating roof” design and what Vauxhall claims are “almost unlimited visual combinations” outside and in. That even includes an LED “starlight” roof lining.

Two different roof colors, optional LED running lights, various interior trims and a lengthy sheet of add-ons to be ticked add up to around a million combinations, the GM subsidiary reckons. Under the hood will be one of three ecoFLEX four-cylinder petrol engines – a 1.2-litre 70PS and two 1.4-litre engines with either 87PS or 100PS – putting power down through a five-speed manual gearbox with optional stop/start for driving in traffic. A six-speed box is in the pipeline, and the ADAM will be first of the company’s range to get its next-gen direct injection and forced induction petrol engine.

Inside, there’s a top-spec audio, navigation and entertainment system (if you tick the box on the spec-sheet, of course) that centers on a 7-inch touchscreen LCD and uses Bluetooth among other things to hook up to your iPhone or Android device. It’ll pull in content from internet-based services, such as traffic updates in navigation apps, using their data connection too.

A heated steering wheel, Advanced Park Assist II (which identifies suitably-sized parking spots and then helps the driver navigate into them), and that fancy LED ceiling are all options, while front, side and head curtain airbags are all standard, together with ESP and hill-start assist. A “CITY mode” lightens the electronic power steering.

Vauxhall will begin taking ADAM orders after the car makes its debut appearance in the metal at the Paris Motor Show in September. Pricing is unconfirmed, but it’s expected to be around £11,000 ($17,000) for an entry-level model; GM hasn’t said whether it has any plans to bring ADAM to the US market.

Vauxhall ADAM city car offers smartphone hub and LED star ceiling is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Bentley’s EXP 9 F SUV concept has a face only a mother could love, but that hasn’t stopped the Crewe company from aiming its massive grille at showrooms. The pumped-up super luxury off-roader has made a new appearance, complete with a video showing its not-inconsiderable heft being thrown around roads – though it’s perhaps telling that the majority of the “off roading” consists of the rough stuff at the side of the tarmac.

When Bentley first showed off the concept, back at the Geneva Motor Show in March, it described it as a “potential” third model-line alongside the company’s existing Mulsanne and Continental ranges. Since then, Volkswagen-owned Bentley has all but ‘fessed up to production plans, detailing a potential choice of three powertrains including a 500 HP twin turbo V8, a plug-in hybrid V6, and a flagship 6L W12 engine.

Any of the three would likely be sufficient to smear Mother Nature across the not-inconsiderable hood. Meanwhile, inside there’s more leather, wood and metal, along with bespoke picnic hampers, a pull-out awning and a pair of concealed umbrellas.

“The concept’s appearance at Goodwood is part of a systematic and comprehensive process of gauging customer and public reaction to the idea of a Bentley SUV” the company says of this latest appearance. “EXP 9 F also highlights Bentley’s intent to build the fastest and most luxurious SUV in the world.”

Bentley EXP 9 F SUV goes (very slightly) off-road on way to showrooms is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.