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Alastair Sloane

Muscle-bound Jeep Trackhawk on sale in NZ before Christmas

June 1, 2017 by Alastair Sloane

The Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk SUV will be among the most powerful production cars in New Zealand when it lands here just before Christmas. The supercharged 6.2-litre V8 under the bonnet of the Trackhawk delivers 527kW, a little less power than the 6.3-litre V12 Ferrari F12 (544kW) and a little more than the 6.5-litre V12 Lamborghini Aventador coupe … [Read more...] about Muscle-bound Jeep Trackhawk on sale in NZ before Christmas

Prototype McLaren sets record lap of Nurburgring

May 31, 2017 by Alastair Sloane

The McLaren P1 LM has set a record lap of the Nurburgring for a road-legal production vehicle. This video shows former Indianapolis champion Kenny Brack piloting the P1 LM around the circuit in 6minutes 43.2 seconds – 2.7 seconds quicker than China’s all-electric Nio EP9 managed earlier this month. The P1 LM is a road-legal version of the P1 GTR, and was developed by Lanzante … [Read more...] about Prototype McLaren sets record lap of Nurburgring

At the wheel: an open and shut case in top-down Merc

May 29, 2017 by Alastair Sloane

Hard-charging Kiwi motorcycle great Graeme Crosby tells the story of racing in the Isle of Man TT for the first time in 1979. He sort of ‘smelled’ his way round the 48km circuit. “It’s such a long way that it’s hard sometimes to remember exactly where your are,” he once told me. “There is one part of it where they grow garlic, and you can smell it. “So as soon as I got a … [Read more...] about At the wheel: an open and shut case in top-down Merc

Maserati Levante was nearly a swept-up Jeep Grand Cherokee

May 28, 2017 by Alastair Sloane

Maserati’s Levante SUV would have shared much with the Jeep Grand Cherokee had Sergio Marchionne not stepped in and told engineers and designers to stop what they were doing and start again. The Levante had been taking shape on a Grand Cherokee platform for more than 18 months before the Fiat Chrysler Automotive (FCA) boss halted progress. A Maserati needs to be a Maserati, … [Read more...] about Maserati Levante was nearly a swept-up Jeep Grand Cherokee

Future of electric cars: follow road the computer industry took

May 26, 2017 by Alastair Sloane

Jason Torchinsky, from US website Jalopnik, writes that the electric car industry should model itself on how computers evolved … At this moment, the idea that we’re on the brink of electric cars becoming cheaper to build than combustion cars is getting a lot of traction, along with the idea that EVs will be as cheap to own as a family car even sooner. These are important … [Read more...] about Future of electric cars: follow road the computer industry took

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The Good Oil

French carmaker Renault has won the 2025 European Car of the Year award with the all-electric R5 supermini (pictured). It’s the brand’s second win in a row, following the new Scenic’s gong in 2024. The R5 led the vote count from start to finish from the 60 jurors in 23 countries. It received 353 points, beating the Kia EV3 (291 points) and the Citroen C3/e in third place with 215 points. It’s Renault’s eighth win in the 62-year history of the Coty award. The R5 goes on sale in the UK this month. There are two main drivetrains: a 90kW motor/40kWh battery model with a 300km range, and a 112kW/52kWh example with a 400km range. The R5 starts in price at £22.995, or $NZ50,000.

EU carmakers seek trade deal with Trump

BMW and Mercedes-Benz are among carmakers urging the European Union to get a favourable trade deal with US President Donald Trump. The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) wants to keep open trade with both the US and China. It fears Trump, who promises heavy tariffs on Chinese imports to the US, will look unfavourably on countries that continue to trade freely with Beijing. Ola Kallenius, president of the group and chairman of the management board of MB, said in a letter to EU leaders:  “Overall, it is essential to recognise that trade with China and the US is most vital for the prosperity of the European economy.The EU should seek a grand bargain with the US and attempt to avoid a potential trade conflict.”

Diesel fuels EV concept for US military

A  go-anywhere EV concept for the US military uses an onboard 12kW diesel generator to top up the batteries on the move.  The all-wheel-drive has 800-volt technology and a 200kWh battery pack to power three electric motors, two in the rear and one up front. Claimed output is 745kW/15,590Nm, or 1000hp and 11,500 ft-lb of torque.  The four-seater was developed by the defence division of General Motors and is based on the platform of the Hummer SUV. It rides on Fox performance shock absorbers and 37-inch tyres and comes with “exceptional” approach and departure angles for off-road mobility. Maximum range using the generator to keep things ticking over is said to be around 500km.

We are the World

The outside temperature in Midland, Texas, was 40.5C when staff at the local office of the US National Weather Service set out to show the cabin of a closed car can literally get baking hot in summer. They mixed up a batch of chocolate chip cookies and laid them on the car’s dashboard – the surface of which showed a temperature of 87.7C. A little over four hours later the cookies were ready to eat. “Even though ours weren’t golden brown, we can confirm that they are done and delicious,” the staff wrote on Facebook.

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Electric G-Wagen takes you for spin

https://youtu.be/NwHbJ7HN1sU

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