Tuesday, November 9, 2021

Dealer’s Inventory Of Rare Lamborghinis Includes $9.3M Veneno, $3M Centenario, And $3.3M Sian

 


The Veneno built to celebrate Lamborghini’s 50th anniversary in 2013 is the rarest of them all, with production capped at three units for the Coupe and nine for the Roadster. Thus, the gray example of the Veneno Coupe with delivery mileage offered by Luxcars doesn’t come cheap, with an asking price of €7,990,000 ($9,262,607). For comparison, Lamborghini sold each Veneno for €3,000,000 ($3,900,000) plus taxes in 2013 money, which shows the appreciation that has occurred in eight years’ time.

We must admit though that what appears to be the same Veneno was offered for sale both in 2017 for €8 million ($9.4 million) and in 2018 for €8.09 million ($9.5 million), so if that’s the case, maybe the owner hasn’t been lucky enough to find a buyer yet.

Monday, November 8, 2021

These CGI Bodykits For The Lamborghini Huracan And The Dodge Viper Look Amazing

 


Despite being depicted in photorealistic environments, Hycade’s bodykits do not exist in real life. However, many comments under his videos ask for a possible collaboration with a tuning company in order to translate the digital drawings into an actual kit.

The truth is that most of the visual tweaks proposed most likely wouldn’t really work in terms of aerodynamic efficiency, cooling, visibility, and driveability in public roads. Driving a car with wings sticking out of every corner would likely result in scraping the carbon-fiber bodywork, while the stretched ultra-low profile tires are not ideal for anything other than ultra smooth tarmac. Having said that, there are some companies willing to undertake such extreme projects, so you can never say never, right?

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Alfa Romeo Confirms Work On Small SUV That Could Be Dubbed The Brennero

 



The above rendering is an illustration of the baby Alfa Romeo SUV by Jean Francois Hubert/SB-Medien for CarScoops and has not been endorsed by Alfa Romeo.

Alfa Romeo chief executive Jean-Phillipe Imparato has confirmed that the car manufacturer will launch an SUV to slot below its forthcoming Tonale.

Reports about a new entry-level SUV from Alfa Romeo first surfaced in April and during a roundtable discussion with British journalists last week, Imparato said the Italian automaker needs this new model to compete against rivals, including Mini.

“I can absolutely fight against Mini,” Imparato said. “Premium-ness is not a question of size. I’m convinced if I want to put Alfa Romeo on the safe side of P&L [profit and loss] in 10 years, I must be in the biggest segments in the world,” he said. “I need to be in the B-SUV segment [small] and C-SUV [compact]. Being in the corner doesn’t bring any results.”

Alfa Romeo Tonale Concept

Details about this new model are limited but reports suggest it could be dubbed Brennero, in reference to a mountain pass in northern Italy. It may also be built at Stellantis’ plant in Poland and could be based on PSA’s eCMP platform, allowing Alfa Romeo to offer both hybrid and all-electric variants.

Imparato added that venturing into new SUV segments will prove hugely beneficial for the automaker.

“The C-SUV segment in Europe is around 2.5 to 3 million cars a year in Europe,” he said. “The B-SUV segment is 2 million. Whatever the market share you have, it’s a huge effect in terms of volume.”

The Tonale has been a long time coming and will finally launch next year, with production kicking off in March 22 at Alfa Romeo ’s factory in Pomigliano, Italy, Auto News reports. It remains to be seen when the Brennero could launch.


2022 Porsche Panamera Goes Platinum With Fancy New Trim

 


Pricing starts at $101,900 for the Panamera Platinum Edition and $106,000 for the Panamera 4 Platinum Edition. Both feature a twin-turbo 2.9-liter V6 engine that produces 325 hp (242 kW / 330 PS) and 331 lb-ft (449 Nm) of torque.

Customers can also upgrade to the Panamera 4 E-Hybrid Platinum Edition, which starts at $115,200. It features the aforementioned engine, but here it’s combined with a plug-in hybrid system that consists of an electric motor and a 17.9 kWh lithium-ion battery pack. This setup gives the car a combined output of 455 hp (339 kW / 461 PS) and 516 lb-ft (700 Nm) of torque.

Mercedes-Benz Poised To Recall Over 19,000 EQCs Globally

 


This isn’t the first time the EQC has been recalled since it hit the market. In November 2020, the SUV was involved in a recall also related to a damaged wiring harness that could cause the power steering system to fail and also potentially trigger a fire.

Mercedes-Benz first introduced the EQC in the fall of 2018 and had intended on bringing it to the United States in early 2020. It would have undercut the Tesla Model X by approximately $17,000 but earlier this year, the automaker confirmed that the EQC’s U.S. launch had been delayed indefinitely. Instead, the first new all-electric model from Mercedes to land on U.S. shores is the EQS sedan, a luxurious alternative to the traditional S-Class.

Mercedes EQC models sold in other markets feature an 80 kWh battery pack and dual electric motors that produce 402 hp and 561 lb-ft (760 Nm) of torque.

Sunday, November 7, 2021

BMW Individual Matte Black X3 And X4 M Sport Editions Launched In Japan, Capped To 40 Units

 


Some tweaks have also been made to the cabins thanks to the fitment of carbon fiber trim and Verneska black leather trim in the X3 M40d M Sport Edition model. The interior of the X4 also benefits from some added carbon fiber parts but has a combination of BMW Individual Fiona Red and Black merino leather, making it much more striking.

Local prices for the X3 model start at 9,980,000 yen ($87,080) and at the time of writing, just 8 examples were yet to be sold. Meanwhile, prices of the X4 M40i M Sport Edition start at 10,225,000 ($89,835) yen and of the 10 examples being produced, only two are available. Deliveries of the X3 will start this month while the X4 will arrive in January 2022.

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Saturday, November 6, 2021

Stealthy 2022 Rolls Royce Ghost Black Badge Wears 100 Lbs Of World’s Darkest Black Paint




Claimed to be the darkest black available on a production car, it consists of 100 lbs (45 kg) of paint, which is atomised and applied to the electrostatically charged body before being covered with two coats layers of clear coat and polished by hand. The whole process takes up to five hours.

Related: CEO Of Rolls-Royce Explains Why Their First EV Is A Two-Door Coupe

The Spirit of Ecstasy mascot, radiator grille and interior brightwork all feature a dark finish, the 21-inch wheels are created from 44 layers of carbon fibre, and there are multiple appearances for the Black Badge’s Leminscate symbol, including on the illuminated fascia, where it appears next to 850 stars only available in darkness.

2022 Mercedes-AMG SL Breaks Cover With 2+2 Seats, Fabric Top, AWD And Up To 577 HP

 


Other significant changes include the addition of two small rear seats that will accommodate bodies up to 4 ft 11-inches (1.5 m), effectively limiting them to children and Snow White’s crew, and a switch from a retractable hardtop back to a triple-layer fabric convertible top.

Ditching the retractable roof concept lowers the center of gravity and is worth a 46 lbs (21 kg) saving, and it saves on trunk space when folded, too. Mercedes claims you can fit two golf bags in the trunk even with the tops down. You struggled to get much more than a golf club in older SLs when the sun was shining.

Mazda3 And CX-30 Get Mild Updates In Japan Including New Special Editions

 


In terms of the new trim levels, the Smart Edition is available for models equipped with the e-Skyactiv X engine. It brings more comfort and safety equipment including an active driving display, smart brake support, high beam control system, lane keep assist, and blind-spot monitoring.

Meanwhile the Black Tone Edition, which is available for all powertrain variants of both models, is visually differentiated by the black 18-inch aluminum wheels, the gloss-black mirrors, and the red stitching inside the cabin.

The pictured Mazda CX-30 Black Tone Edition is fitted with optional aero components including the bumper and side-sill extensions.

Following the example of the more recent CX-30, all Mazda3 models get a new dimming turn signal which, according to Mazda, gives “a sense of life” in the car. Last but not least, the Platinum Quartz Metallic is a new color option for the Mazda3 and the CX-30, while the Polymetal Gray Metallic is added to the palette of the Mazda3 Sedan.

Orders for the mildly updated Mazda3 and CX-30 are open in Japan as of today, with vehicles arriving in dealerships in late November.


2022 Lexus LS 500 Gains More Features With A $76k Starting Price

 


Furthermore, even the entry-level LS can now be equipped with a 23-speaker Mark Levinson Quantum Logic Immersion Reference Surround Sound Audio System. That’s a mouthful, but it boasts an impressive output of 2,400 watts.

The last major change is the addition of a newly standard Lexus Safety System+ 2.5 suite of driver assistance systems. It includes All-Speed Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist, and a Pre-Collision System with Frontal Collision Warning, Automatic Emergency Braking as well as Pedestrian and Bicyclist Detection. Other highlights include Lane Tracing Assist (Lane Centering), Road Sign Assist and Intelligent High Beams.

Lexus was coy about the LS 500h, but the LS 500 has a familiar twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6 that produces 416 hp (310 kW / 422 PS) and 442 lb-ft (599 Nm) of torque. This enables the rear-wheel drive variant to accelerate from 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) in 4.6 seconds.

Priced From $76,000 To $82,850

The 2022 Lexus LS 500 is slated to arrive at dealerships late this year and pricing will begin at $76,000 before a $1,075 destination charge.