Automotive

Lamborghini SC18: Squadra Corse Unveils Their Unicorn

Lamborghini SC18: Squadra Corse Unveils Their Unicorn The Lamborghini SC18 is track-ready but also street legal.
Customers work with Lamborghini Squadra Corse to design their SC18.
The V12 engine creates nearly 800 horsepower and has a dozen air intakes.
Say ciao! to the SC18, the latest and greatest to roll out of the Lamborghini Squadra Corse shops. Think of it as the road-going version of a dedicated track car, and you’d be half right. Sure, you can drive it on the street, but the SC18 is very, very track-oriented.
A Bone To Pick
Lamborghini Squadra Corse is the Motorsport division of the Sant’ Agata Bolognese firm best known for making cars that go on posters for the bedroom walls of kids (boys, mainly) not old enough to drive.
Yes, Lambo does have the Squadra Corse, but the company doesn’t really race all that much.
This is one of the (major) bones I have to pick with them, but why quibble about that now? Sure, they have a one make series for the well-healed gentlemen racers out there, but that doesn’t really count if that’s the only kind of racing you do.
Testing The Waters
The SC18, designed in-house by Centro Stile Lamborghini, is a one-off road car (the first in the company’s history) that will most likely be a portent of others to come. Yes, it’s “road approved” but Lambo cautions saying it’s “primarily for use on the track.” Which is a polite way of saying it’s harsh, brutish, lacking in comfort and convenience features and, to a chucklehead like me, that makes it even more desirable.
Lambo says the SC18 “paves the way to further personalized development projects for Motorsport customers under the Squadra Corse brand.” So, like I said, this is probably a trial balloon. If people love the Lamborghini SC18, plan on seeing more vehicles in this vein.
Lamborghini SC18. Photo: Automobili Lamborghini.
Dirty Dozen
The aerodynamics package for the SC18 is described as being “extreme.” By the looks of it, they ain’t lying. The air intakes on the hood come from the Huracán GT3 EVO, for example. The sides and rear include fenders, fins, and air scoops inspired by the Huracán Super Trofeo EVO racer.
Hanging off the back end is the “large” (i.e. monstrously huge) carbon fiber wing. It has three mechanical adjustments, so you can tune it for optimal downforce on any given circuit. Lambo also punched in twelve air intakes on the rear deck lid.
They say it’s a way to “increase heat exchange and improve the cooling of the V12 engine.” Which any eagle-eyed, old rail bird will recognize as louvers from back in the hot rod days.
The racer look is finished off by the single nut wheels, 20-inch monsters on the front, and larger, 21-inch monsters at the rear. These are wrapped in Pirelli P Zero Corsa tires. There’s even a telemetry system to measure all aspects of performance on the track.
Related: The Lamborghini Huracán Performante Spyder is all about open-air emotion.
Photo: Automobili Lamborghini.
Snake Pits & Shedding Skin
The SC18 has a top-of-the-line Lamborghini powertrain, bringing the performance of an honest to Ferruccio true racing car to your life. The naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12 reels out 770 horsepower and a pavement rippling 531 lb-ft. torque. All that power is handled through an ISR (Independent Shifting Rod) seven-speed gearbox. No, I have no idea what an Independent Shifting Rod trans is, and they don’t give away any details.
It does sound like a snake pit gearbox from a pro-stock drag car, but I seriously doubt it’s one of those.
This drivetrain is wrapped in a body that has gone on a serious weight loss program. The entire body is new, made entirely of carbon fiber, and other ultra light materials. The whole shee-bang even drops to a low-ride-er 109 mm of ground clearance. If that doesn’t explain Lambo’s assertion that “road approved but designed primarily for use on the track,” then I don’t know what will.
Photo: Automobili Lamborghini.
This is probably a trial balloon. If people love the Lamborghini SC18, plan on seeing more vehicles in this vein.Click To TweetColor Array
The color is Grigio Daytona with visible “details” and red screen-printing to enhance its sportiness. In layman’s terms, its grey with a trim kit with visible carbon fiber here and there. The interior is all done up in Nero Ade Alcantara with cross-stitching in Rosso Alala. In other words, black suede with red stitching. The seats themselves are carbon fiber bucket units.
Pricing & Availability
Lamborghini doesn’t mention cost, but given what their other factory specials have run, it will probably be comparable to a condo overlooking Central Park (and just as hard to come by).
Tony Borroz has spent his entire life racing antique and sports cars. He is the author of Bricks & Bones: The Endearing Legacy and Nitty-Gritty Phenomenon of The Indy 500, available in paperback or Kindle format. Follow his work on Twitter: @TonyBorroz.
Lamborghini SC18 Gallery

Photos & Source: Automobili Lamborghini.

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Free Performance Car Pumpkin Carving Patterns

Free Performance Car Pumpkin Carving Patterns

As the seasons change, fall colors blossom, tailgating excursions ensue, and trick-or-treaters set out for candy hauls of legendary proportions. Marking the fall decidedly is Halloween, a time of sweet treats, costume parties, and the mystery of why radio stations spin Jim Stafford’s Spiders and Snakes in the proceeding days.
It’s a 70s country hit detailing an idiosyncratic boy who, upon realizing the fairest girl in school has a crush on him, is unable to reciprocate the feelings. Granted, unrequited love is probably terrifying but that doesn’t make it a Halloween song.
Moving on . . .
Modern-Day Dragula
If you’re tired of carving the typical spooky kitty into your pumpkins, you might consider these free patterns of a 2018 Camaro ZL1 1LE and Subaru WRX STI. The patterns, which only require a printer, steady hands, and a big orange pumpkin, were provided by GMPartsCenter.net, SubaruPartsPlus.com, and StoneyKins. These performance car patterns will look cool on the front porch with candles inside – at least that’s how Matt Mylan, Director at GMPartsCenter.net, puts it.
“A real life Camaro is technically much faster than a pumpkin, and a pumpkin can’t corner as well as a real ZL1 1LE, but, other than all that, a pumpkin with a Camaro carved into it is awesome,” he said.
The Chevy Camaro ZL1 1LE is the is the fastest Camaro in history, as verified by its recent Nürburgring time. Under the hood is a supercharged, 650 horsepower LT4 engine, complimented by a literal treasure chest of aerodynamic and suspension technology. The MSRP for a Camaro ZL1 1LE is around $70,000. The MSRP for the average pumpkin is significantly less.
“For the price of a pumpkin spice coffee drink and an hour of spare time, you can have a brand new pumpkin with a Camaro carved into it that’s almost as good as the real thing,” Mylan said. “Almost.”

Spiders, Snakes & Subarus
Subaru fans will delight knowing their porch walkway is now a mini race track. One might not initially describe the WRX STI as “scary” but that probably depends on who you ask, given the car’s specs. The 2018 WRX STI is unlike any other in Subaru’s lineup with its turbocharged, 305 horsepower 4-cylinder engine. The Multi-Mode Vehicle Dynamics Control system with Active Torque Vectoring provides exceptional handling and performance.
“I guarantee you’ll scare the heck out of any adult that owns a Mustang, Camaro, or Challenger if you carve an STI into your pumpkin,” says Steve Ferreira, Director at SubaruPartsPlus.com. “When one passes you, you start to freeze, paralyzed by the fact that no one is going to save you from getting lapped.”
Carl Anthony is Managing Editor of Automoblog and resides in Detroit, Michigan.

2018 Chevy Camaro ZL1 1LE pattern.
2018 Subaru WRX STI pattern.

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Range Rover Sport Goes Plug-In Hybrid In 2019

Range Rover Sport Goes Plug-In Hybrid In 2019

Even though the new Range Rover Sport will be in dealerships by the start of the new year, Range Rover is already thinking ahead to 2019. That’s when the Range Rover Sport Plug-In Hybrid will arrive on these streets. For a certain segment of humanity (and it’s easy to picture Range Rover buyers being in that segment), living green is very important.
Now, probably, someone who buys a Range Rover will not be one of those “off-the-grid” types, living on garbanzo beans and recycling household waste for fertilizer, but that doesn’t mean the average Range Rover buyer doesn’t care.
Power & Performance
The 2019 Range Rover Sport will be the first plug-in hybrid electric vehicle produced by Jaguar Land Rover. Officially called the 2019 Range Rover Sport P400e, the new model offers ecologically conscious performance thanks to a 296 horsepower, 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder Ingenium gasoline engine. It’s combined with a 114 horsepower (that’s 85 kW) electric motor. With a total of 398 horsepower and 472 lb-ft. of torque available for the permanent four-wheel drive system, 60 mph comes up in 6.3 seconds; the entire rig tops out at 137 mph. That maximum speed is both impressive, given this thing is as aerodynamic as the crate it’s shipped in, and also unimpressive, since ’round 140 ain’t all that fast.
But you know they probably have to limit that top speed or risk damaging something like the regen system or burning out an electric motor or something like that.
Electrified Capability
The electric motor is juiced by a 13.1 kWh high-voltage lithium-ion battery that Land Rover engineers setup to maximize interior space and weight distribution. The longitudinally-mounted 2.0-liter Ingenium gasoline engine is paired with the 85kW electric motor, housed in the ZF automatic eight-speed transmission at the center of the vehicle, and alongside the 7kW on-board charger.
The Range Rover Sport P400e can run on just the batteries and not the dinosaur juice in the gas tank, with the all-electric range coming in at 31 miles. The company says “Land Rover customers can experience zero-emission off-road luxury with uncompromised all-terrain capability.” And that is probably true. It will be interesting to see if someone actually tries to get up 25 miles of bad logging road using just the EV drivetrain in this thing though.
The Range Rover Sport is comprised of an all-aluminum body, 39 percent lighter than the steel equivalent. The structure was subjected to extensive testing in something referred to as “optimization processes” by Jaguar Land Rover. This process included computer simulation and a 1,000 years of processor time. Photo: Jaguar Land Rover.

Drive Modes
The Range Rover Sport P400e has two driving modes to best suit your luxury transportation needs. The default mode is called Parallel Hybrid, which combines the gasoline and electric drive. You can further optimize the battery charge or fuel economy by utilizing one of two charge management functions while in Parallel Hybrid mode. One is the SAVE function which prevents the battery charge from dropping below a pre-selected level.
The other mode is called Predictive Energy Optimization. Predictive Energy Optimization, or PEO is used by entering a destination into the navigation system. The navigation system will then use built-in GPS altitude data for the selected route, and combine the electric motor and gasoline engine to maximize fuel economy. Pretty slick. The Electric Vehicle or EV mode enables you to run solely on the electric motor using energy stored in the battery.
Exclusive Features
Other niceties found on the Range Rover Sport P400e include Land Rover’s Terrain Response 2 technology. Terrain Response 2 has a unique calibration to logically and accurately distribute torque from the electric motor to all four wheels. Terrain Response 2 gives greater control during low-speed, off-road maneuvers and provides maximum torque from zero rpm.
A new cabin air ionization system, called Nanoe, is a nice feature for passengers. The suite of driver assistance features on the new Range Rover Sport has been “restructured to be even more intuitive for customers.”
Cost? Who knows at this point, but with the upcoming Range Rover Sport topping out at around $140,000 and the plug-in EV coming in on top of that model, don’t expect the 2019 Range Rover Sport P400e to be inexpensive.
Tony Borroz has spent his entire life racing antique and sports cars. He means well, even if he has a bias toward lighter, agile cars rather than big engine muscle cars or family sedans.
Photos & Source: Jaguar Land Rover.

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2018 Nissan Maxima Arrives With More Tech, New Colors

2018 Nissan Maxima Arrives With More Tech, New Colors

The Maxima is Nissan’s flagship sedan and for 2018, the vehicle adds a handful of new options. The 2018 Nissan Maxima comes in five grades: S, SV, SL, SR, and Platinum. Standard equipment includes Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, Intelligent Forward Collision Warning, and Automatic Emergency Braking.
Nissan’s patented V-Motion grille is also present on the 2018 Maxima.
Power & Performance
The heart of the Maxima is a 3.5-liter VQ-series V6 with 300 horsepower. It’s attached to an Xtronic transmission with D-Step shifting logic. Nissan says this provides “rapid shifts at high throttle openings” for a more “performance-oriented” feel. Ride and handling is refined through the 4-wheel independent suspension and monotube rear shock absorbers.
Look & Feel
The 2018 Nissan Maxima is characterized by its wider front end and muscular stance, much of which centers around the aforementioned V-Motion grille. The LED daytime running lights further compliment the body lines. The color selections were tweaked a bit with a new Carnelian Red paint added to the mix.
The more sporty Maxima SR features 19-inch wheels and tires.
The available Ascot leather seating surfaces with diamond-quilted inserts add luxury points. Additional convenience points come by way of two available rear USB charge ports.
Photo: Nissan North America.
Technology & Connectivity
The 2018 Maxima benefits from a host of available tech magic, including NissanConnect. The system features navigation on an 8-inch display with SiriusXM radio and SiriusXM Travel Link. Through NissanConnect, owners can start their Maxima remotely via their smartphone or locate it should it be stolen.
Available safety features include Intelligent Cruise Control, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Blind Spot Warning, and Intelligent Driver Alertness.
Pricing & Availability
The 2018 Maxima is now at Nissan dealerships nationwide; we have included a pricing chart below. The 2018 Nissan Maxima is assembled in Smyrna, Tennessee, while the engines are produced in nearby Decherd.
Carl Anthony in Managing Editor of Automoblog and resides in Detroit, Michigan.
2018 Nissan Maxima Starting MSRPs
Maxima S
$33,020
Maxima SV
$35,020
Maxima SL
$37,440
Maxima SR
$38,280
Maxima Platinum
$40,690
Photos & Source: Nissan North America.

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Ram 1500 North Edition: Over The River & Through The Woods (Literally)

Ram 1500 North Edition: Over The River & Through The Woods (Literally) The 2019 Ram 1500 North Edition takes it to Old Man Winter.
Goodies include a one-inch factory lift and locking differential.
Ram’s special edition lineup has seen multiple new entries over the last year.
Pick your poison Mopar fans! The Hydro Blue Sport, Lone Star Edition, Heavy Duty Night Editions; even a Kentucky Derby Edition. More recently, the 1500 Rebel 12 and 2500 Power Wagon Mojave Sand Editions come to mind. Ram is stacking the deck with special edition trucks and they are adding another to the mix.
The 1500 North Edition is arriving just as Old Man Winter sets up shop, but a note of observation first:
Trucks For Every Taste
Ram’s special edition blast (as it were) is not without sound reason or intent. Think of it like this: trucks sell in droves and that trend will continue for the foreseeable future. With so many on the road, driving one with a special edition theme says I’m part of the crowd – but – in my own individual way. Ram has plenty of that in their lineup today. And it’s especially alluring.
Related: Ram tops GM in sales for the time being.
Concerning the 1500 North Edition, it’s more than just looks – although it is that too. Based on the Big Horn, the North’s monochromatic theme includes the body-color bumpers, door handles, mirrors, and grille. But underneath the skin, the bones are solid.
“The 2019 Ram 1500 North is more than a great-looking pickup, it offers cold-weather content for truck owners who require a no-compromise 4×4 as part of their daily regimen,” explained Reid Bigland, Head of Ram Brand. “A factory lift, locking rear axle, and all-weather tires deliver confidence when your path is anything but clear.”
The 2019 Ram 1500 North Edition features a one-inch factory lift, an electric-locking rear axle, and front tow hooks. Photo: FCA US LLC.
Those Tires Though . . .
The all-weather tries are three-peak mountain snowflake (3PMSF), severe snow service-rated on/off-road Falken LT tires. Say that three times fast! Three is the magic number, however, for the transfer case, which has three different settings: Auto, High, and Low. Ram added an engine block heater too, for those early mornings after the truck sits facing a north wind all night.
Related: Simple but effective: Our full review of the 2019 Ram 1500 Tradesman.
Interior Treatments
Plenty of warmth inside with a heated steering wheel and the heated, 12-way power driver’s seat with four-way power lumbar. SiriusXM Travel Link Weather, heated and folding mirrors, and Mopar all-weather floor mats are included.
2019 Ram 1500 North Edition interior layout. Photo: FCA US LLC.
Power & Performance
The North’s 3.6-liter Pentastar with eTorque creates 305 horsepower and 269 lb-ft. of torque, and features revised variable valve timing and two-step variable valve lift systems. By comparison, the larger 5.7-liter Hemi creates 395 horsepower and 410 lb-ft. of torque. Both engines have Interactive Deceleration Fuel Shut Off (iDFSO), which pauses fuel flow to the cylinders under deceleration in third gear and higher.
Every 2019 Ram 1500 – including the North Edition – is equipped with a fully-electronic TorqueFlite eight-speed automatic. The transmission features a wide spread of gear ratios to balance power and efficiency.
The engine choice is ultimately up to you.
Pricing & Availability
The 2019 Ram 1500 North Edition is available now with a starting MSRP of $47,585. The truck comes in Crew Cab 4×4 with either a short or long bed.
Carl Anthony is Managing Editor of Automoblog and resides in Detroit, Michigan. He studies mechanical engineering at Wayne State University, serves on the Board of Directors for the Ally Jolie Baldwin Foundation, and is a loyal Detroit Lions fan.
2019 Ram 1500 North Edition Gallery

Photos & Source: FCA US LLC.

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Top Automotive Trends 2018 (Driverless Cars Slip, Trucks & SUVs Surge)

Top Automotive Trends 2018 (Driverless Cars Slip, Trucks & SUVs Surge) As 2018 comes to a close, trucks and SUVs will continue to dominate.
Aftermarket sales remain strong as consumers seek to personalize their vehicles.
Despite bold promises from manufacturers, the public seems disinterested in autonomous driving.
Here are the top automotive trends of 2018 with a look ahead to next year.
The automotive industry and aftermarket remain strong as Americans continue their love affair with personal transportation. Despite doom-and-gloom predictions to the contrary, cheap gas and a strong economy have encouraged shoppers to step into showrooms and drive out with something new. This year, aftermarket products have provided a large variety of choices to car enthusiasts, leading industry experts to believe that 2019 is primed for steady, continued growth.
Above all, trucks have supplanted import sedans to become the new status-symbol luxury vehicle.
Top Automotive Trends 2018: Trucks & SUVs Dominate
At the beginning of 2018, the auto industry watched to see which direction the trends would move. Concerns included alternate powertrains (hybrids & EVs), passenger car versus truck sales, and the impact of global events on consumer confidence.
With ten months of the year behind us, pickups, SUVs, and minivans have strengthened their dominance, jumping from 63 percent of the total market in 2017 to 68.5 percent as of October 2018. As a result, we have seen major manufacturers like Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Ford drop some sedans due to slow sales. Additionally, luxury manufacturers began entering the light truck game. We even have SUVs from Jaguar, Maserati, Lamborghini, and Rolls-Royce – and it’s rumored Ferrari will also build one!
Related: The battle for younger buyers heats up in the SUV and crossover market.
Lamborghini Urus: Photo: Automobili Lamborghini.
Top Automotive Trends 2018: Online Retailers Benefit
As new vehicle sales go up, sales of aftermarket accessories also go up. Owners of new vehicles who want them personalized turn to their favorite aftermarket retailer. Advances in safety and technology, including lighting and cameras, trickle down to drivers of older cars who also want these features. And they get them from the aftermarket.
With trucks taking a larger slice of the pie, truck-specific wants like big wheels and lift kits sell strongly. And as consumers (including car owners) prefer to shop electronically, it’s online aftermarket retailers who are benefiting greatly from these trends.
On the flip side, hybrids and electric vehicles still account for a very small percentage of the market. Predictions that all road-going vehicles will be autonomous in five years have faded into the background. Several highly-publicized accidents and fatalities have given this technology a black eye, forcing some companies to postpone or even cancel their efforts.
The more realistic predictions are that widespread applications are at least a decade or two away.
Related: A recent AAA study finds most consumers are afraid of autonomous cars.
Earlier this year, Hyundai begun a strategic partnership with Autotalks for the manufacturing of Vehicle to Everything communication chipsets. V2X technology allows vehicles to communicate with each other, as well as road users and infrastructure. Photo: Hyundai Motor Company.
What Was Seen At SEMA 2018
Each year, thousands of car enthusiasts make their way to Las Vegas for the SEMA show. A colleague who attended shared some insights. He said that compared to previous visits, he has never seen the show so crowded, which speaks to the health of the aftermarket.
Unsurprisingly, the number one trend was trucks, trucks, and more trucks.
Horsepower was big, as always, and this year, reaching or surpassing 1,000 horsepower seemed almost par for the course. Electric cars were on display alongside the big gas-engine brutes; both a new electric Camaro concept and a ’49 Mercury converted to electric were shown. By contrast, autonomous vehicles were not a major highlight, as consumers continue to clutch their long-held desire to own their own set of wheels, preferably personalized.
Related: People still love driving despite onset of autonomous cars.
Chevy eCOPO Camaro Concept. Photo: Chevrolet.
2019 Projections: Engine Technology & Ride Sharing
New Engine Tech: Thanks to VW, the diesel engine is all but dead. New technologies like Nissan’s variable-displacement engine and Mazda’s compression-petrol engine will ensure gasoline remains a viable fuel source. Hybrids and pure EVs will slowly but surely capture a slightly larger percentage of sales.
However, as long as gas remains cheap in the U.S., trucks will sell in big numbers, especially with their high horsepower engines.
Ride-Sharing’s Next Ride: Uber, Lyft and the like may add to congestion in places like New York City, but they help convince young adults that old-school car ownership is no longer a given. Connected to this is the nascent “Vehicle Subscription” model. Vehicle subscriptions include maintenance, taxes, and insurance, all for one monthly number. Swaps into other models from the manufacturer’s lineup are usually included.
Consumers can walk away at any time. The downside? Monthly prices that run between $1,000-$3,000. They’re starting with luxury brands but, if it catches on, expect car makers to find ways to reduce that cost.
The “Mercedes-Benz Collection” allows subscribers to switch between different vehicles depending on their needs or lifestyle. The program consists of three tiers – Signature, Reserve, and Premier – with prices ranging from $1,095 to $2,995 per month after an activation fee. Subscribers can choose from all the available vehicles in that tier, sedans, coupes, cabriolets, roadsters, and wagons among them. Photo: MBUSA.
2019 Projections: Smarter Cities & Economic Impacts
Crowded Urban Areas: We are on a collision course as single-occupancy SUVs compete for space with ride-sharing drivers in already jammed urban areas. Add to that: FedEx and UPS trucks making hourly Amazon deliveries, lack of investment in public transportation, electric scooters serving as alternatives, and concerns about pollution and climate change.
Some European cities have already made plans to ban internal-combustion vehicles from their streets in the coming decade.
I predict that in 2019 some U.S. cities, recognizing that an outright ban is too extreme, will instead get serious about congestion pricing and “car-free pedestrian zones” as ways to combat the congestion.
The Elephant In The Room: The automotive industry, perhaps more than any other, depends very much on free global trade. A failure by world powers to reach a solution to trade issues could upend any or all of what we foresee for 2019.
Top Automotive Trends 2018: Boiling It Down
Overall, my predictions for 2019 are more of what we already have; pickups, Jeeps, crossovers, horsepower, customization, and individualization. The aftermarket is healthy and looking forward to continued, strong growth in 2019. Especially as SUVs keep taking a larger percentage of the new vehicle sales pie at the expense of fewer sedans.
Richard Reina is the Product Training Director at CARiD and an auto enthusiast and expert with over 30 years of experience working with cars.

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Mazda6 Gets New Amenities In Mid-Cycle Refresh

Mazda6 Gets New Amenities In Mid-Cycle Refresh

Mazda, the Hiroshima-based auto manufacturer of cars great-to-banal, has just released some half-year updates to its bread and butter 6-Series lineup. This, doing things halfway through a year, is rather rare now, but lots of car makers used to do it with regularity. Ford’s Mustang, for example, came out as a half-year introduction; the first Mustangs being neither 1964s or 1965s, but actually were sold as 1964-1/2 Mustangs.
So what does Mazda bring to the Mazda6 menu halfway through 2017? For a start, lots of leather.
Features Galore
Unlike the previous versions of the Mazda6, the 2017.5 now comes with leather seating surfaces along with other trim changes for both the entry level Sport and mid-trim Touring models. You also get Blind Spot Monitoring and Rear Cross-Traffic Alert. The Mazda6 Sport comes with standard 17-inch alloy wheels, cloth seats, power windows, keyless entry, a backup camera, and an electronic parking brake (no more handbrake turns for you, young man).
The Mazda6 Touring, which is the mid-level trim for the range, comes with 19-inch wheels and “leatherette” seats. Touring models also come with Advanced Keyless Entry, dual-zone automatic climate control (nice!), rear HVAC vents, a 6-way power driver’s seat, and Smart City Brake Support (which is one of those low-speed automatic braking deals so you don’t look like a complete dork on hills and such). And there are automatic headlights and rain-sensing wipers if you’re one of those forgetful types.
Navigation and heated front seats are now standard, and yes, the Mazda6 Sport has the newly available leather seats. If you’d like to upgrade the Touring package even further, there’s an available Bose/Moonroof/Satellite Radio Package, which carries on that fine Mazda tradition of cramming disparate features into one package option.
Photo: Mazda North American Operations.

Touring Packages
You can also add to the “normal” Touring Package with the Touring Premium Package. You get all the Touring goodies plus LED daytime running lights, self-leveling LED headlights, the Adaptive Front-lighting system, an auto-dimming interior rearview mirror (because you’re lazy), a Homelink garage door opener, heated side mirrors, and an auto-dimming driver’s side mirror. The Touring Premium package comes with your choice of black or Parchment leather seats and an 8-way power driver’s chair with adjustable lumbar support.
Sitting at the very top of the 2017.5 Mazda6 range is the Mazda6 Grand Touring. On top of all the previously mentioned perks, the Grand Touring comes with an Active Driving Display heads-up unit, LED interior lamps, LED fog lights, an LED signature grille surround, driver’s memory seat, 6-way power passenger seat, a car alarm, steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters for your base-level racing instincts, dark-painted alloy wheels to be cool, and a rear lip spoiler (also for the cool factor). Finally, the Grand Touring includes Mazda Radar Cruise Control, Lane Keep Assist, High Beam Control, and Smart Brake Support.
If that’s not enough for you, tick the box for the GT Premium Package and you’ll get Mazda’s i-ELOOP regenerative braking technology, rear outboard heated seats, heated steering wheel, Nappa leather seats with contrast piping, bright finish metallic switches and handles, and a hand-stitched “chidori” steering wheel. There’s also tons of tech goodies strewn about, befitting a car of this new century.
Performance & Availability
Regardless of which trim level you pick, all 2017.5 Mazda6 cars come with the SKYACTIV-G 2.5-liter engine mated to a 6-speed manual transmission or, in Sport and Touring models, a 6-speed automatic. That 6-speed automatic is standard for the Mazda6 Grand Touring. Other niceties include improved sound insulation, G-Vectoring Control, and an available Machine Gray Metallic paint.
The 2017.5 Mazda6 is in dealerships as you read this. Here’s a handy little chart showing the available packages, costs, and colors:
Tony Borroz has spent his entire life racing antique and sports cars. He means well, even if he has a bias toward lighter, agile cars rather than big engine muscle cars or family sedans.
Mazda6 Sport 6-Speed Manual
$21,945
Mazda6 Sport 6-Speed Automatic
$22,995
Mazda6 Touring 6-Speed Manual
$24,195
Mazda6 Touring 6-Speed Automatic
$25,245
• Touring Bose/Moonroof/Satellite Package (Requires Automatic Transmission)
$1,325
• Touring Premium Package (Requires Touring Bose/Moonroof/Satellite Package)
$1,425
Mazda6 Grand Touring
$30,695
• GT Premium Package
$2,500
Premium Paint Colors
Machine Gray Metallic
$300
Soul Red Metallic
$300
Snowflake White Pearl Mica
$200
Photos & Source: Mazda North American Operations.

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Geely Holdings, Volvo Invest Heavily In Polestar

Geely Holdings, Volvo Invest Heavily In Polestar

Geely Holdings, parent of Volvo Cars, has announced a major investment in Polestar. The first production model was reveled in Shanghai as the announcement came. The $756 million dollar investment will bolster the early phases of Polestar’s product lineup and industrial footprint.
“The investment highlights the financial muscle and industrial and manufacturing expertise Polestar will have access to, and establishes the fully consolidated Volvo Cars subsidiary as a stand-alone electrified performance car company,” Geely Holdings and Volvo Cars said in a statement.
Central Station
The investment dollars will be put toward a new, state-of-the-art Polestar manufacturing hub in Chengdu, China. The investment and corresponding facility will be instrumental in shortening the time it takes to develop and launch Polestar vehicles. The intent is to gain both a time and technical advantage over competitions, especially as Polestar looks to innovate new technologies in both electrification and connectivity. Volvo Cars and Polestar say the investment allows them greater “synergies” when it comes to joint development and economies of scale.
Polestar Production Centre in China. Photo: Volvo Cars.
Forthcoming Models
The Polestar 1 is, uniquely enough, the first model scheduled for production in mid-2019. The pure electric coupe hybrid is promising 600 horsepower and class-leading range and efficiency. Much of the Polestar 1 (about half) is based on Volvo’s Scalable Product Architecture; the rest is entirely new technology developed by Polestar engineers working within Volvo’s R&D department.
Polestar 2, a smaller variant, will enter production after the Polestar 1 and serve as Volvo’s first fully-electric car. The Polestar 2 is the first of five fully electric Polestar and/or Volvo vehicles planned between 2019 and 2021. The move comes following Volvo’s announcement this summer that from 2019, every vehicle in their lineup will have an electric motor.
Carl Anthony is Managing Editor of Automoblog and resides in Detroit, Michigan.
Polestar 1 Gallery

Photos & Source: Volvo Cars.

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Letter From The UK: Classic Car Treasure Troves

Letter From The UK: Classic Car Treasure Troves

Like in many countries of the world, the British Sterling Pound currency is changing. Gone are our elegant paper bank notes, replaced now by seemingly indestructible plastic money that does not have that special “feel” only proper paper bank notes can have.
Goodbye Pound Coin
In general use, the British Pound is worth approximately $1.32. With the challenge of Brexit hanging over our heads like the sword of Damocles, by the time we become the The Lonely Man of Europe in 2019, I suspect the Pound will be worth about 25 cents, that’s if you get anyone to buy it at all. (As a writer, I take Dollars by the way if anyone’s interested. Also Roubles, Yen, multiple other currencies, and livestock in lieu).
Now, a good few years ago, the old One Pound note was replaced by a small, insignificant round coin. This was a complete “gimme” to forgers who we learn have made and circulated some 47 million of the things. Mostly, we are none the wiser when spending.
The British Royal Mint slowly cottoned on to this forgery business and as of the 15th of October, the old gold-colored £1 coin (by the time you read this) will have ceased to be legal tender. It has been replaced by a slightly thinner and lighter twelve-sided coin with a security feature that makes this dodecagonal coin much harder to forge. This means any £1 coins from your last UK trip you have been saving for your next holiday visit to the rainy shores of Britain are now worthless.
Mystery of the Missing Coins
An interesting currency statistic has been thrown up by Mr. Edmund King, President of the Automobile Association, here in Britain. It appears up to £30 million in old One Pound coins might be lost down the cracks and crevices and secret places of our cars. That’s a lot of money to lose out on.
Even as I type, UK drivers are frantically executing one last comprehensive sweep of their cars, some with actual metal detectors. Feverish hands are groping through gloveboxes, cigarette ash trays, side door pockets, and on, under, and between the seats. The more foolhardy are poking into electric seat motors (always a rich seam of lost items) in the hope of discovering some of this golden treasure – before it’s too late.
Go through the glovebox, dig around the seats, and carefully search every nook and cranny of your car. You never know what long forgotten treasures lie within.

Classic Car Treasure
There are approximately thirty million cars on the road here and it is not unreasonable to suggest there might be a £1 coin in each of them. The older the car the richer the spoils one suspects. This is why a classic or vintage car might be a real treasure trove of cash or other goodies. Consider for a moment the sort of events that take place in cars. If you know where I’m going with this and are at all squeamish then look away now.
Imagine when your Mom and Pop where courting. I know it’s a difficult image to conjure up without feeling a bit icky but bear with me. They would cruise to the drive-in for a bit of serious necking and general rummaging where loose notes and coins could be easily liberated from pockets and purses during the match.
Why, there could be whole dollars still hidden away in those beloved classic vehicles and barn finds that turn up every day and who knows what else? Old pin-ups of Cheryl Tiegs under the seat squab, ancient and outdated prophylactics bought long ago more in hope than expectation, a rusting weapon, Tiddles, your Grandma’s missing cat, a plain brown envelope containing $10,000 in used notes mysteriously marked with the cryptic message “see that Jake gets this or else” and, no doubt, many other strange and wonderful things.
Now that the word is out that the contents of Britain’s cars are worth more than the vehicles themselves, I expect our homegrown car thieves will just take the cash in future, or whatever else might be under the seat.
Geoff Maxted is a motoring writer, photographer, and author of our Letter From The UK series. Follow his work on Twitter: @DriveWrite

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