In October 2017, Mercedes said goodbye to the V12-powered G-Class with a G65 Final Edition. Fast forward to June 2023, the G500 V8 Final Edition marked the end of the road for the non-AMG eight-cylinder model. While the G63 is still available, the iconic off-roader is also getting smaller. In 2024, there will be a G-Class variant that has no combustion engine at all. The electric G-Class was shown in prototype form at IAA Munich and will soon be closer to production.
Two years after revealing the Concept EQG at the same event, Mercedes is now showcasing a prototype of the electric SUV that is very close to the final production version. Mercedes has announced that visitors to the IAA event will have the opportunity to see the electric G-Class up close “months before its worldwide debut next year.” No further details have been provided, but it is confirmed that the conventional gasoline-powered G-Class will also continue to be available.
In 2017, Rolls-Royce unveiled the Sweptail, a one-off Phantom-based coupe that became one of the most expensive new vehicles ever at $13 million. It showcased the brand’s prowess in coachbuilding, the process of designing a new body and interior on an existing platform. Following the success of the Sweptail, Rolls-Royce revealed the Boat Tail in 2021, another one-off creation priced at $28 million. Now, the company has unveiled the third car of the series, the Droptail, during Monterey Car Week.
Unlike its predecessors, the Droptail is not a one-off. Rolls-Royce plans to build four models in total, with the first one being “La Rose Noire,” shown in the photos above. The Droptail is slightly smaller than the one-off models, with dimensions similar to the Ghost sedan. It features two massive doors and seating for two, making it a true roadster.
The Droptail boasts a retractable carbon fiber roof, a departure from the cloth roofs found in previous Rolls-Royce convertibles. Its electrochromic glass allows the cabin’s light to be adjusted. Every body panel on the Droptail is new, along with its lighting elements and front grille. The design team angled the Pantheon grille and reduced the size of the headlights, creating a sleeker aesthetic. The daytime running lights align with the grille’s upper edge, creating a seamless line.
The Droptail model showcased above is named “La Rose Noire,” inspired by the Black Baccara rose. Its exterior features two red hues, “True Love” and “Mystery,” which were chosen by the customer who commissioned the vehicle. Rolls-Royce developed a new paint process to achieve the unique finish, blending different tones of red for a color-shift effect. The wheels feature a darker shade of red called “Mystery,” complementing the primary body color. The trim pieces are chrome plated using a unique finish called “Hydroshade.”
The Droptail’s interior is particularly impressive, featuring an intricate artwork display made of Black Sycamore wood. It consists of 1,603 hand-finished and hand-assembled triangles, with 533 red pieces depicting scattered roses. This art piece took nearly two years to complete. Additionally, the customer commissioned a one-off watch by Audemars Piguet, which matches the car’s color scheme and is integrated into the dashboard.
Under the hood, the Droptail is powered by Rolls-Royce’s 6.75-liter twin-turbocharged V12 engine, producing 593 horsepower and 620 pound-feet of torque. These figures are slightly higher than the standard production model. Rolls-Royce has not announced the debut dates for the remaining three Droptail commissions.
Triumph will continue to provide engines for the Moto2 racing series until 2029, as announced by Dorna, the organizer of MotoGP. Since the 2019 race season, Triumph’s 765cc triple engine has been the sole powerplant for Moto2 bikes.
The 765cc engine, originally introduced in the updated Street Triple in 2017, has proven to be reliable and powerful both on the street and on the track. It continues to be used in the current generation Street Triple motorcycles.
The extended contract with Triumph as the exclusive engine supplier for Moto2 is a testament to the engine’s performance and durability. Carlos Ezpeleta, Chief Sporting Officer of Dorna, praised Triumph’s contribution to the Moto2 series, stating that it has successfully bridged the gap between the Moto3 and MotoGP classes.
In the future, the Triumph Moto2 engine’s performance will be enhanced through updates, including a new transmission expected to be introduced for the 2025 season. Details about the new transmission have not been disclosed, but it is anticipated to be a “racing gearbox” that could potentially offer improved speed and acceleration.
Steve Sargent, Triumph’s Chief Product Officer, expressed confidence that the new racing gearbox will significantly improve on-track results for riders. The engineering team is already working on improvements for gear selection and testing parts based on this year’s Moto2 races.
The current tuning of the Triumph Moto2 engines allows them to produce 145 horsepower, with a recent increase in rpm. The engines now rev up to 14,400 rpm compared to the previous limit of 14,000 rpm. For enthusiasts who want a taste of the Moto2 experience, Triumph offers the Street Triple RS Moto2 Edition, which features the same engine found in the race bikes, as well as high-end suspension and precision handling components from Öhlins and Brembo.
The BMW 6 Series Gran Turismo, launched in 2017, has not been a successful model for the Munich company. It has not generated many sales to private customers and has mainly been utilized as an airport and hotel shuttle in certain European countries. It is therefore not surprising that BMW plans to discontinue the model later this year.
Although nothing has been officially confirmed yet, according to BimmerToday, the 6 Series GT will be removed from the brand’s lineup for the 2024 model year. This implies that the somewhat unconventional-looking grand tourer will continue to be produced for a few more months before the 6 Series nameplate is retired once again, at least for the time being.
The Dodge Viper, a supercar that was in production for over 15 years, was discontinued in 2017 and is no longer being manufactured. However, Stellantis managed to sell one brand new Viper last year, following the delivery of 10 units of the model the previous year. If you missed out on purchasing one of those remaining Vipers, don’t worry – there is currently a unique 2002 model listed for sale in Maryland.
Unlike your typical Viper, this particular car has a distinctive feature. Although it appears to be a standard RT/10 from the 2002 model year, it is painted in an uncommon color – pink. Pink was never offered as an official color option for the Viper, except for two units of a special edition model known as the Advanced Aero Solid Edition, which was available during the 2017 model year. The previous owner of this car decided to repaint it, so pink is not its original color. From the available photos, the body of the car seems to be in excellent condition, although it is unclear when it lost its original factory color.
Prior to its revival in 2017, Alpine produced some of France’s finest sportscars from the 1950s all the way to the 1990s. Since its revival in 2017, Alpine has only released one model–albeit a great one at that. It’s called the A110, and Alpine has evolved into becoming Renault’s performance and motorsports division as it merged with Renault Sport. This means that it wasn’t just going to make sports cars, but also performance derivatives of Renault’s vehicles as well. Alpine also became Renault’s motorsports flagbearer, actively participating in Formula 1 and the World Endurance Championship. Motorsports is at the heart of modern-day Alpine, and this gave them confidence to expand its model range beyond just the A110. It also declared that it will enter the North American market by 2027, and to enter such a competitive market, here’s how Alpine plans to succeed.
But as the world switches to electro-mobility, offering a single sportscar with an internal combustion engine (ICE) won’t cut it. Realizing this challenge, Alpine recently announced that they are currently undergoing a “revolution”. The bold statement comes with a preview of Alpine’s fully-electric “Dream Garage”, which consists of seven new models to be launched from 2024 to 2030.
Alpine
Front view of Alpine A290 Hot Hatch concept
Surprisingly, Alpine’s electric dreams will kick off with an electric hot hatch that’s based on the A290_β concept, a move that is in contrast to most other EV startups that offered big, expensive models first before trickling down to offer more affordable models. The production A290 will utilize the Renault Group’s CMFB-EV platform that will underpin the upcoming Renault 4 and 5 EVs. Details are scarce at the moment since no production model has ever utilized the CMFB-EV platform yet, but we expect the Alpine A290 to be the highest-performing small EV in the Renault Group’s model range. It’s also probably too small for North American tastes, so don’t expect the A290 to be sold stateside.
What will definitely come stateside is the electric successor to the A110. The next-generation electric A110 was previewed with a concept car in 2021 called the A110 E-ternité, which proved to the world that Alpine could develop an electric sportscar that’s lighter than the Porsche 718 Cayman with an ICE. The concept was co-developed with Lotus, but the partnership has been terminated–albeit on friendly terms. Moving forward, Alpine is now developing a new platform called the Alpine Performance Platform (APP), in which the production electric A110 will formally debut in 2026.
Unfortunately, the 2026 launch date also means that American buyers won’t ever get the chance to own an ICE-powered A110. Remember, the brand is only set to enter the North American market in 2027, in which by that time, its lineup will consist purely of high-performance EVs.
A blue Alpine A110 R parked in a city alley of Tokyo
Alpine said that its revenues for 2022 have hit a record, up 33 percent versus 2021. The A110 is the best-selling sportscar in France for the past seven years and is also one of the five best-selling sportscars in Europe. There’s currently a seven-month backlog and sales are expected to reach 4,200 units in 2023. But having only one low-volume model is not going to be enough if Alpine wants to continue growing in terms of revenue. Therefore, Alpine is also set to ape the sales strategy of Porsche in a bid to gain more customers and sales.
Porsche only made sportscars until 2003 when it decided to launch an SUV called the Cayenne. The plan worked beautifully for Porsche, bringing in new customers to the brand and more importantly, increasing its sales and thus having more revenue to fund its sportscar development. Likewise, Alpine is aiming to repeat the same feat by launching two more vehicles using its in-house developed APP platform.
Alpine
Teaser photo of the seven new models that Alpine will launch
APP is set to be a scalable performance EV architecture. This means that apart from the lightweight A110, APP will also give birth to two more models–a roadster based on the A110 and a modern-day four-seater coupe successor to the A310. Once again, details of the APP-based vehicles are very scarce, and no existing vehicle has utilized this platform yet. We’ve now mentioned four cars, the A290, the next-generation A110, the A110-based roadster, and a modern-day A310. What Alpine has also confirmed is the launch of two new cars in the D and E segments, which in North American terms means that these will be midsize and full-size cars. These two will presumably be rivals to the Tesla Model S and/or the Porsche Taycan.
Unsurprisingly, the seventh model will be yet another electric crossover SUV. For now, Alpine is calling it a “Crossover GT” (initially teased as the GT X-Over), which is set to debut in 2025, but this won’t be underpinned by the APP. Instead, it will most likely utilize the CMF-EV platform that the Nisaan Ariya and Renault Megane E-Tech electric crossovers use. Unsurprisingly, details about the upcoming SUV are scarce, since it’s still in the infancy of its development stages, but you can pretty much guarantee that this electric crossover will arrive in America.
In just a short span of time, Alpine managed to become a household name among car enthusiasts in Europe, mostly thanks to its involvement in Formula 1. Being present in Formula 1, after all, is one of the best marketing tools for any brand to make its presence felt. Unfortunately, in the United States, you need more than motorsports heritage to become popular. Alfa Romeo is also a household name in motorsports, but that hasn’t necessarily translated to the brand becoming desirable in the United States.
Likewise, Alpine will most likely face that uphill battle. It also doesn’t help the fact that French automakers found it too challenging to adapt to the tastes and preferences of North American buyers. Peugeot was the last French automaker to do business in the United States, leaving the country in 1991. Among the French players, Peugeot had the most success, with its sales peaking at 20,000 units in 1984. Initially, they were able to ride the hype train of midsize imported European sedans in the 1980s, but because Peugeot was slow to adapt to shifting American preferences, its sales went on a downtrend, selling just 4,200 units by 1990.
Hopefully, whatever mistakes Renault also did in the past in the United States are still fresh in the memories of its executives. This would help steer its marketing team and executives away from any potential mistakes that could prevent Alpine from being successful in the United States.
The current generation of the BMW X3 (G01) has been on the market since 2017, receiving a facelift in 2021 and refreshed M variants the same year. However, BMW has now confirmed that a more significant update for its best-selling SUV is on the way for next year.
In a recent press release, BMW announced that the next-generation BMW X3 will be produced in South Africa as a plug-in hybrid for global export starting in 2024. The Rosslyn plant, which has been producing vehicles since 1968 and has built 1.6 million cars so far, will receive a substantial investment of $218 million (€200 million) towards electrification.
Although BMW did not reveal specific details about the new X3, spy photos of prototypes have been circulating since last year. The images suggest a larger but similar shape to the current model, with a more defined fascia, a screen-focused interior, and the inclusion of hotter M variants. There is even footage of prototypes being tested around the Nurburgring.
G-Heat, a French company known for its heated clothing, has expanded its range to include “refreshing clothes” designed for hot days. The company’s latest addition is the EV05-GRE cooling vest, which shows promise despite not being specifically targeted at riders.
The EV05-GRE is a sleeveless garment made from a blend of polyester and Polycool polymer fiber. It resembles the thicker, quilted vests worn by employees at stores like Home Depot or road crews in high-visibility vests. To use the vest, the wearer simply soaks it in cold water for about a minute, wrings it out, and then dries it. As the water held inside the Polycool fibers evaporates, it draws heat from the body, keeping the wearer’s torso cool.
One potential downside for riders is that the EV05-GRE, like other evaporative cooling products, requires exposure to fresh air to function properly. This makes it suitable for activities like walking around a hot swap meet or music festival, but it may not work effectively under a heavy leather jacket or riding suit. However, it could be a good option when worn under a well-ventilated armored textile jacket.
The EV05-GRE cooling vest is available in one color, gray, and comes in sizes ranging from small to 3XL. It is priced at €59.99 (approximately $65) and can be found on G-Heat’s website along with other products in their lineup.
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