Automotive

Porsche 911 GT2 RS Fastest 911 Ever With Staggering Nürburgring Lap

Porsche 911 GT2 RS Fastest 911 Ever With Staggering Nürburgring Lap

Somehow over the years, the Nürburgring has become the de facto benchmark for carmakers. What once started out as a make-work project by the Nazis (no, really) and ended up being the venue for the German Grand Prix for decades was, for a while there, seemingly consigned to being a footnote in racing history. Niki Lauda’s near-fatal crash in ’76 sounded the death knell for the track as a GP venue in favor of safer more anodyne locations like Hockenheim or the new Nürburgring GP circuit.
Local Attraction, Digital Destination
The old track, properly referred to as the Nürburgring-Nordschleife, was still there, draped around the countryside, ringing the ancient ruins of a Medieval castle, used on occasion for sports car races, and, for no sane, logical, reasonable explanation, open to the average driver as a public road. You could, and still can, for a not-unreasonable fee, take any car with a license plate for a lap around the old Nordschleife. Everything from 2CVs to big bore Ferraris were welcome and this, over the years, grew organically into a yardstick to measure yourself and your car.
Automotive manufacturers cottoned to this growing level of cachet right around the same time that Sony and Microsoft were establishing themselves in the game console market. Before you could legally drive on a public road in this country, you could lap the Nürburgring-Nordschleife just as fast as your digital car could go in a PlayStation or Xbox.
And now, setting a hot lap time around the old circuit means something, and boy, did Porsche just blast off a hot one a few days back with their 2018 911 GT2 RS. For those of you that want to cut to the chase, here’s the number: 6:47.3. That is, to use the engineering term, really &#%$^*$ fast! I mean mein Gott in Himmel fast. Seriously. Power up your PlayStation or your Xbox and give it a go. See how fast you can go. G’head. Take your time. I can wait . . . see? Not that easy, is it?
Photo: Porsche Cars North America, Inc.
Sunday Driver
And do keep in mind that although the 2018 Porsche 911 GT2 RS is a factory stripper hot rod, it is also a fully street legal sports car. This is no track day special. You could hang a license plate off your 911 GT2 RS and drive it to work if you wanted to. I know I would, but I’m funny like that.
Porsche’s best lap time of 6:47.3 minutes surpassed Zuffenhausen’s internal target by 17.7 seconds, a huge gap to say the least. Frank-Steffen Walliser, Head of Motorsport and GT Cars for Porsche, stated flatly, “this result makes it official: The GT2 RS is not only the most powerful, but also the fastest 911 model ever built.”
As if that lap record wasn’t intimidating enough, it’s also worth noting that it wasn’t a single, go for broke, banzai lap. Porsche points out that once drivers Lars Kern and Nick Tandy broke the previous record for street legal sports cars of 6:52.01, they immediately proceeded to lap the track in under 6:50 on five separate occasions. Although Kern and Tandy were each trading the quickest times back and forth, it was Kern, a Porsche test driver by trade that set the quickest mark of the day.
Photo: Porsche Cars North America, Inc.

Power & Performance
The specs for the 911 GT2 RS are just as staggering as that lap time. It’s the fastest and most powerful road-going 911 thanks to a 3.6-liter twin turbo flat-six engine, producing 700 horsepower and 553 lb-ft. of torque. The two-seater tips the scales at 3,241 pounds and is shod with standard N-spec Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires. All this adds up to a 0 to 60 launch of 2.7 seconds and a top speed of 211 mph.
The Porsche 911 GT2 RS is the cover car in Microsoft’s upcoming Forza 7. Forza 7 will be one of the main launch titles for the soon-to-be-released Xbox One X which means, given the inclusion of the Nürburgring-Nordschleife in Forza, that you could have a tilt at those lap times laid down by Messrs. Kern and Tandy. I know I’ll be trying.
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, Video & Source: Porsche Cars North America, Inc.

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2018 Toyota RAV4 Adventure Arrives With Tow Package, New Features

2018 Toyota RAV4 Adventure Arrives With Tow Package, New Features

There is a new trim level for Toyota’s RAV4 called the Adventure. Perhaps that’s the subtle work of the marketing department, or maybe that’s done on purpose. Maybe it’s a more cleaver and less redundant way of saying “adventure starts with the new RAV4.” Of course the other, and much bigger question is: Starting at approximately $28,000! I thought these things were supposed to be cheap?
Bang For The Buck
Nearly $30,000 seems like a lot of scratch, to me, for an entry-level cute-ute/crossover/thingo. $30k can get you a lot of ride, even if you’re looking for something more or less off-road capable. So if you were to drop that much on Toyota’s RAV4 Adventure, what do you get for your money?
The condensed version is that the 2018 Toyota RAV4 Adventure adds select exterior styling features and grade-specific interior bits and bobs. Falling between the XLE and SE versions, the Adventure gets large over-fender flares and big 18-inch five-spoke black alloy wheels, mounted with 235/55R18 tires. Toyota says this means the RAV4 Adventure is “ready to play in the dirt,” and I can hear you serious off-roaders, King of The Hammers participants, mud-boggers, and all the rest chuckling from here.
Adventurous Stance
But let’s face facts: 90% of rides like the RAV4 Adventure are bought by people who will never take them off-road. So yeah, Toyota is playing to that ego-fault and, like other crossover-thingo manufactures, Toyota is making money hand over fist. The RAV4 Adventure also comes with exclusive gray lower valance panels and rocker panel guards, black headlight bezels, black fog lamp surrounds, roof rails, and exclusive Adventure badging. You know, since it says Adventure, it better look the part. It also sits a bit higher with an overall height increase of 10-millimeters, while ground clearance is up a total of 6.5-inches from 6.1-inches.
Interior Treatments
On the inside there are exclusive interior features such as carbon-fiber-like trim panels, a leather-wrapped shift knob, and RAV4 Adventure logos on the door sill protectors. There are also all-weather floor and cargo mats with RAV4 Adventure badging and a 120V/100W power outlet in the cargo area to serve as a convenient portable charging station and/or handy power source during tailgate parties, camping trips, and the like.
Drive Options & Towing
The 2018 RAV4 Adventure (which Toyota hilariously terms as being “active lifestyle-inspired”) comes in front-wheel drive with an Automatic Limited Slip Differential. If you choose the all-wheel drive version, you get Dynamic Torque Control. Whether you choose the front driver or the more off-road suited all-wheel drive model, both versions feature a standard Tow Prep Package with an upgraded radiator and additional engine oil and transmission fluid coolers. With the available tow hitch receiver and wiring harness, the RAV4 Adventure is capable of towing 2,900 lbs. (FWD) and 3,500 lbs. with Dynamic Control equipped AWD models. Not too shabby in either case.
Safety & Security
Like all RAV4 models, the Adventure comes standard with an alphabet soup of safety, comfort, and convenience gizmos. You get Toyota Safety Sense P that includes Toyota’s Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection, Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist, Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, and Automatic High Beams; you also get Hill-Start Assist Control.
Colors & Availability
The RAV4 Adventure comes in five exterior colors: Black, Magnetic Gray Metallic, Silver Sky Metallic, Super White, and Ruby Flare Pearl, which is both new to the RAV4 and an additional cost. Other exclusive features include heated seats, a power driver’s seat, heated leather steering wheel, and wiper de-icer as part of a new Cold Weather Package. The 2018 Toyota RAV4 Adventure is available now starting at $27,700 for the FWD model and $28,400 for the AWD variant.
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.
Photo & Source: Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.

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https://carsecret.atspace.eu/blog/2018-toyota-rav4-adventure-arrives-with-tow-package-new-features/

Ford, Virginia Tech Help Autonomous Cars Talk To Us

Ford, Virginia Tech Help Autonomous Cars Talk To Us

Well this is kind of a goofy question to answer, but honestly, I’m glad someone is thinking to ask it now versus waiting for an autonomous car to plow through a Times Square crosswalk: How will autonomous cars let us know they see us? If you think about it, this is not usually an issue for pedestrians and drivers interacting on the streets today. It’s kind of pointing out the obvious, but being either a pedestrian or a driver and interacting at a crosswalk is pretty easy because there are people involved.
Communication Breakdown
What happens when you take people, flawed and distracted though they may be, out of half of that equation? How will an autonomous vehicle be working, what it be needing to do, and how will it communicate that to us? For me, it has always been rather easy to tell what a car (and therefor its driver) is going to do. I spend a lot of time around cars and racetracks and end up paying a lot of attention to what cars are doing. So it’s easy for me to tell if a car/driver “sees” me and whether it’s okay to walk into the street.
Dive, squat, roll, transitioning from one vehicle state to another is something you pick up at racetracks almost by instinct. “Yeah, he’s on the brakes early,” you can say because, over the years, you have been training yourself to notice things like weight transfer, causing the front to nose down by half an inch because the driver has gotten off the throttle. And it’s easy to transfer those traits from the racetrack to every day life.
A lot of people, however, do not think in ways that your everyday, run-of-the-mill gearhead does. Those are the people that, when waiting to cross at a crosswalk wait. They wait until they not only see the car is slowing, but until they see it is coming to a stop, and then they, sometimes, wait even further until the car comes to a complete stop and they make eye contact with the driver and the driver gives them a nod or motions them forward (or both) and then they cross the street.
For those people, who are the majority, how will the inevitable autonomous car let them know it’s okay to cross? Ford Motor Company and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute have been working on just that.
Photo: Ford Motor Company.
Signals & Signs
FoMoCo and Virginia Tech are conducting user experience studies to suss out a way to communicate the vehicle’s intent by soliciting real-world reactions to self-driving cars on public roads. The team thought of using text displays, but reasoned that would require all people understand the same language. I would have rejected it because it requires people to stop, read, cognate, and react and that takes too much time. They also thought of using symbols, but that was nixed because symbols historically have low recognition among consumers.
Ford and VTTI found that lighting signals are the most effective means for creating a visual communications protocol for self-driving vehicles. Think of it as being akin to turn signals and brake lights, only more so. Turn signals and brake lights are already standardized and widely understood, so they reckon the use of lighting signals is the best way to communicate. The lighting signals will communicate if a vehicle is in autonomous mode or if it’s beginning to yield or about to accelerate from a stop. Makes sense, no?
To signal the vehicle’s intent to yield, two white lights that move side to side were displayed, indicating the vehicle is about to yield and come to a full stop. Active autonomous mode was signaled by a solid white light. Start to go was conveyed by a rapidly blinking white light that indicated the vehicle would soon be accelerating from a stop.
Photo: Ford Motor Company.
Candid Camera
To test this out, Ford equipped a Transit Connect with a light bar on the windshield. To go even further and not tip their hand that there was an actual human driving the thing, the VTTI team developed a way to conceal the driver with a “seat suit” so it looked like the van was empty. I know, I know, that’s going a bit far, isn’t it? Then again, this is real science, and a real study, and you best be figuring out how to negate outside undue influences and such. This is why studies are double-blind and things of that nature: eliminate all variables that can skew the results.
Ford and VTTI took it a step further even. While driving the simulated autonomous Transit Connect on public roads in northern Virginia, they captured pedestrian’s reactions on video. They logged over 1,800 miles of driving and more than 150 hours of data, including encounters with pedestrians, bicyclists, and other drivers at intersections, in parking lots, garages, and even airport roadways. The vehicle was studded with high-definition cameras to capture the behavior of other road users and provide a 360-degree view of surrounding areas as well.

Universal Language
Ford is hoping to create an industry standard and is already working with several organizations including the International Organization for Standardization and SAE International for a common visual communications interface across all self-driving vehicles, in all locations. Ford is also working on ways to communicate with those who are blind or visually impaired as part of this project too.
Will it work? They didn’t seem to run over anyone in northern Virginia so it worked in that sense, and besides, festooning cars with more lights and signals and all that, it does seem like a plausible and workable solution. Besides, we’ll have to do something along these lines, or nobody – cars, people the whole lot – will know what to do when the traffic light turns green.
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.
Photo: Ford Motor Company.
Photos & Source: Ford Motor Company.

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2020 Audi Q7 Release Date and Redesign

One more great SUV from Audi will come in 2020, the latest generation of the Audi Q7 will soon be on the market by Audi to prepare for the year 2020. There is currently a lot of information we could get. we do have some information that may help you in identifying how this car. The latest model of the Q7 will offer some updates that will make you very sure of the quality of this car.

2020 Audi Q7 Redesign : Interior and Exterior

How about the interior. 2020 Audi Q7 supplies the area for 5 different vacationers with a lot of minds and decrease leg room within the two-row seating layout. However, it is actually in addition presented by a third row which can be the best alternative for little ones or smaller sized grown-ups. it is basically highlighted by premium supplies, normal leather-based upholstery, and sophisticated gadgets. The dashboard capabilities a 7 inc touchscreen to your infotainment course of action. Every on the versions consists of a rearview digicam, power entrance seats, a panoramic moonroof, an electric power-foldable following row, keyless ignition, and so forth. A lot more important trims will Apple CarPlay, Guided interior lamps, and Bose sound.

Engine Performance

Talking about the engine. The bottom engine is often an acquainted 2.0 liter and 4-cylinder device by using a max power of 255 hp and 275 pound-feet of twisting. The not compulsory V6 engine includes a displacement of 3.0 liters. It gives all-around 330 horse and 320 pound-feet of twisting. combined with an 8 speed automated gearbox. there may be also an edition with an engine unit, at the same time as a hi-performance SQ7. The final a single functions 4.0-liter engine, which supplies a max power of 435 horse energy and awesome 660 pound-feet of twisting.

2020 Audi Q7 : Release Date and Price

There is no certainty of information about release date and also the price of this car. Rumors circulating 2020 Audi Q7 in release in the winter of next year. And the price of such his will be more expensive than the BMW X5 and Volvo XC90 BWW.

http://carsecret.atspace.eu/blog/2020-audi-q7-release-date-and-redesign/

2020 Honda Odyssey Redesign, Release Date and Interior

What’s new from Honda is the best minivan we will discuss in this article. This model is central to a time of testing and will soon be ready like his release in the near future. What design similar to the earlier model, certainly not. some changes may just be you will find on the latest model of the Honda Odyssey 2020. the nearest competitor to the car includes the Chrysler Pacifica, Toyota Sienna, Kia Sedona, and Dodge Grand Caravan. We’ll see how the Honda Odyssey is coming.

2020 Honda Odyssey : Interior and Exterior

The outdoors over the new Odyssey 2020 will continue to get definitely comparable to that of its precursor. The auto may possibly benefit from the actual same front-end design and through the identical rear end. Nonetheless, it appears just like some alterations will occur. Initially, of all, the tires to the new motor vehicle ought to be up-to-date to one thing a somewhat additional current day-searching.

The interior, 2020 Honda Odyssey will supply you about 3 lines of seats as well as other kinds of leisure, so it is going to unquestionably be described as a fantastic selection for the really extended household members trips. If it goes to modifications, the best has possibly been created during the 2nd row of seating that is definitely to become when making use of so-generally regarded as “Magic Slide” remedies. It ensures that chairs could possibly be moved and flattened. Around the dashboard, which will obtain a curvier and modern-day layout, you can find an electronic digital tool bunch with significant take care of keys. A revolutionary and advantageous characteristic is unquestionably the ‘Cabin Watch’ which incorporates cameras within the interior cabin to ensure you’ll be able to check your kids. There exists an extra rear 10 inches touchscreen to deliver added amusement towards the back vacationers.

Engine Performance

New generation Honda Odyssey will probably be by using a 3.5 liter and V6 engine that could make 280 hp using the 8-speed car transmission. Nonetheless, the higher trims are likely to be targeted using a 6 speed automated transmission that will be the primary in the marketplace about minivans.

2020 Honda Odyssey Release Date and Price

What are you waiting for this car, the release date of this car has not been in public right by Honda, rumors are circulating this car will come in the summer of next year. For the price, the cost of almost $60,000 for top models, but this is just simply our predictions.

http://carsecret.atspace.eu/blog/2020-honda-odyssey-redesign-release-date-and-interior/

2019 Subaru Legacy GT Specs and Price

The sedan car market for the moment still isn’t very good, they are no longer as popular as it once was. one of the sedan from Subaru also suffered such an awful lot of barriers in sales. 2019 Subaru Legacy GT will soon be released in the near future. Subaru will not give up and are very convinced that this model will get the attention of many people. engine specs for 2019 Subaru Legacy GT we discuss on the article this time.

2019 Subaru Legacy GT : Interior and Exterior

Among the weakest factors from the Subaru Legacy is its design. Subaru played it secure and they opted for that clean appearance, but that’s quite substantially it. There is practically nothing unique about it, as opposed to the Outback model for example. Maybe which is the reason why Subaru struggles with all the product sales of Legacy. The new model sits over the 18-inch steel wheels, that are featured about the base model and so they search low cost.

How about the interior. You’ll discover an ugly dashboard along with a contrived seem which can be simply beaten by any rival. High within the dashboard can be a 6.6 or an 8.2-inch touchscreen, whereas the controls are found left of your steering wheel. Contrasting stitching across the dash can be observed in all designs with all the exception on the entry-level automobile, which offers some existence on the Subaru Legacy GT.

2019 Subaru Legacy GT Specs Engine

Issues also won’t adjust below the hood of the 2019 Subaru Legacy GT. New GT model will feature a regular 2.4 liter and 4 cylinder engine that delivers 170 horsepower and 171 pound-feet of torque. The price of the car you can see on the official Subaru website, for the design and performance of the car is its sense of you do have to buy this car. This car will compete with the Honda Accord. Ford Fusion and Toyota Camry.

http://carsecret.atspace.eu/blog/2019-subaru-legacy-gt-specs-and-price/

What Makes Supercars Super: Yellow Compass Group

What Makes Supercars Super: Yellow Compass Group

Near the end of last year, we decided to expand into video. We didn’t know exactly how to go about it or what the videos would look like; we just knew we wanted to do it. We thought people might enjoy a video series about cars. Our publication is growing steadily and to that end, we are deeply thankful for readers like yourself.
As we have grown, we decided this year was the ideal time to dive into video.
This past spring, I met Gino D’Orazio for coffee near Detroit. I was impressed by his candor and energy. A few days later, he had a conference call with Chris Burdick, Automoblog’s Founder who heads our office in Berlin, Germany. He felt the same about Gino. We hope you take as much of a liking to him as we did. Gino loves cars and in our line of work, loving cars goes a long way.
Gino is our first Video Content Director and Host. The fist episode of our first series, “What Makes Supercars Super” is below. Gino traveled to The Yellow Compass Group, a boutique Ferrari dealership, where he met Mike Berman. In this first installment, Berman, Chief of The Yellow Compass Group, shows us why Ferrari is so special to him and his customers. Through Berman, we begin to learn why supercars are in fact super.
Enjoy.

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http://carsecret.atspace.eu/blog/what-makes-supercars-super-yellow-compass-group/

Expert Panels Lead Autonomous Car Discussions During Global Summit In Brussels

Expert Panels Lead Autonomous Car Discussions During Global Summit In Brussels

What does the future of mobility look like? It’s an increasingly common question with often contrasting answers. Those developing the technology are doing so with a number of challenges and opportunities in mind. These challenges and opportunities vary, depending on if it’s a large OEM, top tier supplier, or relatively new startup.
Challenges and opportunities: the two best words to describe the landscape of future mobility. AutoSens Brussels examined both in great detail this week.
Strength In Numbers
Inside the famed Autoworld Museum, AutoSens Brussels united over 400 senior level researchers, engineers, and other experts to identify the challenges and opportunities surrounding future mobility. Attendees, speakers, and sponsors were encouraged to leverage each other’s expertise.
“Don’t be the only one working in the silo,” said Rob Stead, Managing Director of Sense Media, during the event’s opening remarks on Wednesday. “We are here to work together, so please reach out and meet someone new.”
Sense Media Managing Director, Rob Stead opening AutoSens Brussels on Wednesday. Photo: Carl Anthony for Automoblog.net
Distinguished Voices
A number of dynamic and diverse speakers took the stage to share their insights, experience, and visions. Richard Schram, Technical Manager, Euro NCAP, highlighted the organization’s 2025 Road Map, which details a number of initiatives, driver assistance and crash avoidance among them. The 2025 Road Map leads straight to automated driving, but interestingly, covers things like child safety with regard to heat stroke. In an informational video, representatives from Euro NCAP spoke about how parents can sometimes accidently leave their children in the vehicle.
It also takes into account, especially in Europe, the number of two-wheeled vehicles, from bikes to motorcycles. Euro NCAP is working to minimize the higher fatality rates associated with two-wheeled vehicles in an accident.
Financial Impacts
Rudy Burger, Managing Partner, Woodside Capital Partners, spoke on mergers and acquisitions within the automotive arena and how that affects future mobility. Burger highlighted the more recent acquisitions, like Harmon by Samsung, Mobileye by Intel, and Cruise Automation by General Motors, the latter of which he believes is promising.
“As an acquirer, I would have to take my hat off to GM,” Burger said on stage. “Their bet in Cruise Automation is significant.”
Burger also pointed out how corporate investors are much more active when it comes to future mobility. Burger’s presentation made mention of BMW, Daimler, Delphi, and Denso among others as the most diligent.
“What we are seeing is a number of very large companies placing bets – significant bets – whereby they believe in order to create a controlling position in the market, they must actually acquire a company,” Burger said.
AutoSens Brussels was held in the famed Autoworld Museum in Brussels, Belgium. Photo: Carl Anthony for Automoblog.net.

Pushing Limits
Corey Zehfus, an Optical Designer from Sunex, spoke on how automotive camera trends are influencing optical designs. He underscored the importance of why vehicle cameras must be durable, high performing, and able to handle a wide range of temperatures and weather conditions. Zehfus also addressed a reoccurring mindset with vehicle perception technology that effectively wants to do more with less.
“Now ADAS has grown to include many different functions and people are trying to do these functions and detections with as few sensors as possible,” he said during his presentation.
Zehfus also noted the increasingly critical role cameras play and how a number of ADAS systems, from emergency braking to pedestrian detection, rely on cameras. Zehfus explained how this demand means more sophisticated camera and lens specs.
“It’s pushing the state-of-the-art,” he said.
Corey Zehfus from Sunex speaks on Wednesday at AutoSens Brussels. Photo: Carl Anthony for Automoblog.net.
Human Versus Machine
Saskia de Craen from the SWOV Institute for Road Safety Research raised hard but necessary questions on automated driving. During her presentation, she addressed the distinctions between a human and machine driver, suggesting that even though automated technology is promising, there are some things only humans can detect.
“When a driver approaches this ball in the street, they can determine that perhaps a child is following,” she said, pointing to a basketball on the large screen above her. “Of course you can tell a computer this simple script, but a human can determine many different types of balls that could be in the road.”
de Craen, with a remote, changed the ball on the screen, from a football, to a beach ball, to even a Pokémon ball. She then challenged the audience to think in terms of other children’s toys that might inadvertently end up in the road: a little train, miniature car, or kite, for example. And if that scenario were encountered, would a machine be able to determine that not only a ball, but another toy in the road may mean a child is close behind. Would a machine be able to make that distinction as well as a human?
“Please let us not forget that our brain is the best computer ever invented,” she urged. “The point is that people are very good at adapting in situations like this and computers do make mistakes.”
Saskia de Craen from the SWOV Institute for Road Safety Research speaks at AutoSens Brussels on Thursday. Photo: Carl Anthony for Automoblog.net.

Extensive Panel
Other speakers and presenters included Dr. Heiko Hirschmuller, Co-Founder of Roboception, on how robotics and remote sensing play into autonomous driving; Erich Ramschak, Senior Product Manager ADAS Engineering, AVL List, on the importance of map data in autonomous driving, and Alain Dunoyer, Head of Safe Car, SBD Automotive, on the impacts of the autonomous car on traffic.
“It’s not every day you can find this many experts in one place,” remarked an attendee from the United States. “I have really learned a lot from watching the speakers.”
“The speakers are the best part because of their knowledge,” said another attendee from Germany.
AutoSens Brussels attendees had many networking opportunities, especially during lunch. Photo: Carl Anthony for Automoblog.net.
Collaboration & Connection
AutoSens creates an environment where those working on vehicle perception technology can collaborate. It’s not a trade show or convention, and attendees are not subjected to any sales literature. AutoSens is genuinely about getting the engineers, researchers, and other experts on ADAS together in one place. The vehicle and technology demonstrations combined with the expert panels make AutoSens a world-class event on something that will change the world as we know it.
“It’s important we don’t develop the technology behind closed doors and that we are all talking the same language,” Stead said. “We can bring some real benefits by doing that.”
AutoSens is returning to the U.S. next year. Although a venue and date have not been announced, organizers say they are planning a May event in the Detroit metro.
Carl Anthony is Managing Editor of Automoblog and resides in Detroit, Michigan.

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2017 Volkswagen e-Golf Gets A Price (And It’s Not Just The MSRP)

2017 Volkswagen e-Golf Gets A Price (And It’s Not Just The MSRP)

VW’s 2018 E-Golf just had its price revealed, and it’s not all that bad. Cheaper than a new Tesla, for one thing, but the bottom line here is, as always, the bottom line: This better work. And I’m not saying that just for the sake of the planet, but I’m saying it for the sake of VW. After that diesel-gate screw up, Volkswagen has got to get their act together and start selling cars, a lot of cars, or things could turn out very bad for them.
Hand In The Cookie Jar
Volkswagen, like a number of other European automakers, has a lot of history in diesel engines. And a lot of them, VW chief among them, were not all that interested in pursuing EV technology. They decided to put their engineering focus on diesel engines for the sake of efficiency, but a funny thing happened on the way to the emissions testing station. VW was caught red-handed faking their diesel emissions scores and got the crap pounded out of them, legally and financially speaking. Shoot, one of the corporate higher ups just got a jail sentence for his part in L’affaire Diesel.
This leaves VW and any other automaker banking on diesel in a bit of a technological and political bind. With new efficiency and emissions standards looming on the horizon, car companies have to clean up their act. Which brings us to Volkswagen’s e-Golf: they better be able to make and sell these things by the boat-load. Funny thing is this just might work out. The Volkswagen E-Golf looks like a good alternative to most of the other EVs out there.
Photo: Volkswagen of America Inc.
Range Increase
The 2018 e-Golf has a starting price of $30,495, which I note is much cheaper than the hotly anticipated Tesla Model 3, and about what Nissan sells their Leaf EV for. The new e-Golf gets some improvements, like a longer EPA-estimated range, better economy, and more power. The updated lithium-ion battery improves energy capacity to 35.8 kWh, up from the previous 24.2 kWh, for an increase in vehicle range (83 miles to 125 miles on a single charge).
No, Jack, it’s obviously not a road trip car; it’s aimed at around town travel.
There’s also a 7.2 kW on-board charger standard on all trim levels, so you can charge the battery in less than 6 hours at a 240V station. And, when you go with the DC Fast Charging, optional on SE models, standard on Limited Edition and SEL Premium, the battery can be charged up to 80 percent within an hour at a DC fast charging station.
Battery chemistry improvements raise the overall “fuel” economy to 126 MPGe for city driving and 111 MPGe on the highway/autobahn. Combined city/ highway gets you 119 MPGe. These figures are slight improvements over the previous model.
Photo: Volkswagen of America Inc.
Power & Performance
All that juice is applied to the Straße via an upgraded 100 kW electric motor. It puts out 134 horsepower, a notable improvement over the previous 85 kW electric motor that put out 115 horsepower. Unsurprisingly, torque is also up, from 199 lb-ft. to 214 lb-ft., good enough to get you to 60 in just 9.6 seconds. Top speed is a lackadaisical 85 mph, but I doubt 99.9% of e-Golf buyers will care.
Trim Levels
Breaking it down by trim level, the base, or as VW puts it “value-oriented” e-Golf SE starts at $30,495. It comes with more standard equipment than the previous base model. The SE comes with an 8-inch glass-covered touchscreen display, LED taillights, cruise control, a leather-wrapped multifunction steering wheel, and the 7.2 kW on-board charger. Adding the DC Fast Charging package tacks on another $995.
The e-Golf Limited Edition rings out at $33,795 and includes all of the SE stuff, but adds DC Fast Charging capability, V-Tex leatherette seating surfaces, and Park Distance Control (ParkPilot), along with a new feature called Maneuver Braking to “avoid or mitigate the effects of a collision with stationary objects while parking.” No, seriously.
The range topping e-Golf SEL Premium will cost you $36,995 and offers an optional Driver Assistance package for $1,395. That includes a 12.3-inch Volkswagen Digital Cockpit instrument cluster, Adaptive Cruise Control, Forward Collision Warning with Autonomous Emergency Braking and Pedestrian Monitoring, Lane Assist, Blind Spot Monitor with Rear Traffic Alert, Park Assist, and Light Assist.
So, there it is. It’s not exactly a Hail Mary pass on Volkswagen’s part, but they better start selling these things like crazy.
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: Volkswagen of America Inc.

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