Luxury Cars
-
Audi's first volume electric car, the e-tron, is almost here. Production of the first customer example, finished in Catalunya Red, was completed on Monday at the car's plant in Brussels, Belgium, a high-tech facility where automated transport systems bring the batteries to the assembly line just in sequence. The e-tron will be unveiled to the public on the evening of September 17 in San Francisco and start deliveries in early 2019 as a 2019 model. If you want to be among the first owners of the electric SUV, make sure to put in a reservation when order books open alongside this month's...
-
This off-road S-Class is what Mad Max would drive if he won the lotteryMercedes-Benz built the W140-generation S-Class from 1991 through 1998. During that time, we'd estimate that approximately zero of the engineers involved in the project ever envisioned a jacked-up, off-road version sitting atop a former military truck chassis. Someone out there figured that this...
Jeff Glucker -
Drive with Mercedes EQ app to check whether electric cars suit youDrivers around the world will need more information and education on electric cars if automakers are to realize zero-emissions goals. Mercedes-Benz has taken a creative step to show drivers that they may be ideal candidates for a switch to the electric lifestyle. The German luxury brand is testing...
Sean Szymkowski -
Total seclusion: Rolls-Royce Privacy Suite turns Phantom into rolling meeting spaceElites will have no need to wait until their destination to discuss pressing matters, at least not when they're in the back seat of Rolls-Royce's Phantom. On Friday, the British ultra-luxury marque debuted its new "privacy suite" for the extended-wheelbase Phantom at the Chengdu auto show currently...
Sean Szymkowski -
2019 Audi S6 Avant spy shotsAudi engineers are hard at work developing a redesigned S6 and more have just been spotted, some without any camouflage gear. The prototypes are for the wagon body style, referred to by Audi as an Avant. Audi revealed the new A6 Avant (shown below) earlier this year, which means the sportier S6...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Every Bentley built in 2019 can celebrate brand's centennialBentley turns 100 in 2019, and instead of letting only a few buyers celebrate the occasion with a run of limited-edition cars the brand will offer special touches commemorating the centennial on every car it builds throughout the year. The special touches are known as the Centenary Specification...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Bugatti has a track-focused model in its lineup. It's called the Divo, and it was shown for the first time Friday at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering in Monterey, California. While Bugatti's Chiron is all about combining speed and luxury, the Divo, as Bugatti openly states, was made for corners. “Happiness is not around the corner. It is the corner. The Divo is made for corners,” Bugatti boss Stephan Winkelmann said in the lead up to the reveal. “With this project, the Bugatti team has an opportunity to interpret the brand DNA in terms of agile, nimble handling in a...
-
Aston Martin announces intention to launch IPOReports of Aston Martin launching an initial public offering (IPO) date back as far as the brand’s sale by Ford to a consortium led by Prodrive founder David Richards in 2008. Now it appears that the IPO is close to happening. The automaker announced Wednesday its intention to potentially...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Aurus Senat: Civilian version of Putin's limo makes 2018 Moscow auto show debutWell-heeled Russians will soon be able to roll around in the same car as their president, Vladimir Putin. New Russian luxury car brand Aurus used this week's 2018 Moscow auto show to unveil the civilian version of the Senat sedan. This is the car that forms the basis of Russia's newest state...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
This Audi S5 has a Tesla Model S powertrainEngine swaps are an integral part of automotive culture. For decades, gearheads have ripped out factory engines and replaced them with something superior, at least in their eyes. Perhaps the powertrain in the Tesla Model S will soon become the GM LS V-8 swap of the future for those who prefer...
Sean Szymkowski -
Audi A4 Ultrasport returns, limited to 40 carsIt appears Audi of America has come up with a proper way to send off the last Audi A4 sedans equipped with a manual transmission—and the results should tickle A4 enthusiasts. Although we're saddened to learn the 2019 A4 and A5 will drop the manual-transmission option for the new model year...
Sean Szymkowski -
Rolls-Royce Cullinan makes US debut in MontereyMonterey Car Week is the perfect place for truly luxurious vehicles to become acquainted with potential future owners. That's why any automaker worth its exotic luxury salt packs up its finest wares and treks to Northern California once a year. For Rolls-Royce, the surrounds of the Pebble Beach...
Jeff Glucker -
With concept car looks, strong performance, and impeccable build quality, the Lexus LC is one very special car. Still, Lexus has gone out of its way to dial up the wow factor with a series of special editions collectively known as the Inspiration Series. The first was unveiled last October wearing a coat of blue paint that alone took eight months to develop. There's no actual blue pigment used in the paint itself, yet it reflects blue light. Lexus has used Montery Car Week to preview the second model in the Inspiration Series. The automaker unveiled the LC Inspiration Series concept on...
-
BMW Group design boss hints at 9-SeriesBMW has just introduced a modern 8-Series but the car doesn't necessarily represent the end of the road for the automaker's push into the upper end of the market. In an interview with Autocar published Thursday, BMW Group design boss Adrian van Hooydonk hinted that there could be a model positioned...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Aston Martin gives first look at Rapid-E's 800-volt batteryAston Martin CEO Andy Palmer on Tuesday gave an update on the progress of the automaker's first electric car, the Rapid-E. Palmer posted a photo of what he described as a “production intent” version of the battery destined for the Rapid-E, and confirmed it will be an 800-volt design...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2019 Audi A6 priced from $59,895Ahead of its arrival later this year, Audi announced pricing on Tuesday for the 2019 A6. The mid-size luxury sedan will start at $59,895, which includes a $995 destination fee. The German luxury marque will offer the A6 in three trims: Premium, which carries the starting price, Premium Plus...
Sean Szymkowski -
Lincoln Navigator gets up to $3,500 more expensive for 2019, crests $100KLuxury SUV shoppers will face higher Lincoln Navigator prices for the 2019 model year. CarsDirect reported pricing analysis on Friday that shows the popular luxury SUV will cost up to $3,500 more, depending on trim. The increase means the Navigator L Black Label now starts at more than $100,000...
Sean Szymkowski -
New Bentley boss rules out sports carsThere's been plenty of talk of Bentley adding a fifth model line to join its Continental GT, Flying Spur, Bentayga and Mulsanne, with the leading speculation calling for a two-seat sports car along the lines of the EXP 10 Speed 6 concept rolled out at the 2015 Geneva auto show. In a detailed...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Just as BMW aims to put the sport back in sport sedan with its redesigned 3-Series, Audi's A4 is losing the manual transmission for the 2019 model year. Audi made the manual available as a no-cost option on A4s equipped with all-wheel drive for 2017. It pointed out at the time that it was the only automaker offering a manual-equipped all-wheel-drive sedan in the segment. Unfortunately, few seemed to notice or care, at least in the United States. Only 5 percent of A4 buyers here chose the manual over the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. Audi also confirmed Thursday to Car and Driver that...
-
Chinese luxury EV brand Gyon debuts without a carYet another Chinese electric car startup has announced its intentions, only this one doesn't have a flashy concept to show us just yet. The new company goes by the name Gyon, and its launch took place on August 8 in Los Angeles, California. Present at the event was Tom LaSorda, a former Chrysler...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2018 BMW M5 recalled for faulty fuel level sensorThe 2018 BMW M5 is a powerful beast, but some owners may also think they are getting fantastic fuel economy. Sorry, that's not the case. The 2018 BMW M5 is being recalled for a faulty fuel level sensor. The fuel gauge in the new M5 may show more fuel than is actually in the tank. That's because a...
Jeff Glucker -
Polestar will increase the rear bias of your AWD VolvoPolestar may be its own independent brand now but the former motorsport and tuning company is still offering performance upgrades for its parent Volvo. Its latest upgrade is a software tune that sees the all-wheel-drive systems of popular Volvo models increase their rear bias. The software...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
BMW swears its 3-Series is going to be a sport sedan againBMW's 3-Series has traditionally been the benchmark for the executive sport sedan, however in recent years its top perch has been crowded out by impressive alternatives such as the Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Cadillac ATS. The fact has not been lost on BMW, which is why the automaker is working extra...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Collection honors the “Best Car in the World”When Rolls-Royce sets out to mark a milestone, it does so with the utmost finesse, especially when honoring the legendary Silver Ghost. The automaker on Tuesday unveiled the first of a limited run of Silver Ghost Collection cars based on the 2019 Rolls-Royce Ghost. The run celebrates an historic...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran