Tag Archives: didn’t

Motorsport

A Lexus With GR Corolla Power Is ‘Highly Likely’ To Reach Production

It can be a bummer if Toyota did not put its potent three-cylinder engine in additional vehicles aside from the GR Yaris and GR Corolla. It seems as if the third mannequin to get the 1.6-liter turbo may need a Lexus badge. Unveiled as an idea in January on the Tokyo Auto Salon, the LBX Morizo RR has a excessive likelihood of reaching manufacturing.

The small Lexus crossover with the tiny however mighty G16E-GTS is all however confirmed to go on sale in choose markets. Drive journal spoke with Lexus Australia CEO John Pappas who mentioned the LBX Morizo RR is “highly likely” going into manufacturing. However, he did add the potent by-product of the Yaris Cross-based LBX has not obtained the inexperienced gentle simply but.

2024 Lexus LBX Morizo RR Concept

While the Yaris Cross has spawned a GR Sport by-product, it is all present with none further go. The hotter LBX proven in the beginning of the yr in Japan had the 300-horsepower engine from the GR Corolla, full with the 295 pound-feet of torque discovered within the GR Corolla Morizo Edition. As against the recent hatch we get right here within the United States solely with a six-speed handbook gearbox, the spicy LBX has a newly developed eight-speed, torque converter computerized transmission borrowed from the 2024 GR Yaris.

Australian journal Drive factors out Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda has already been heard saying the LBX Morizo RR will go on sale later in 2024. Fun reality—the corporate’s former President and CEO is understood by his “Morizo” nickname when he is sitting behind the wheel. If authorised, the beefy by-product would have greater than twice the ability of the common LBX, which makes do with 134 hp from its hybrid 1.5-liter engine.

2024 Lexus LBX Morizo RR Concept

We do not get the LBX in North America the place the UX is the smallest mannequin Lexus sells. However, placing the punchy engine into the crossover may be an indication that Toyota and Lexus are wanting to develop extra enjoyable vehicles. Ideally, a few of them will get a US visa. The new R&D heart in Japan with its interior designed to mimic the Nürburgring pit lane is the place future GR (and Lexus) fashions are being developed. That provides us hope for extra Gazoo Racing-branded vehicles.

The exact same Akio Toyoda hinted on the finish of final yr about reviving the Celica. Earlier in 2023, Toyota President Koji Sato additionally advised he’d prefer to see an eighth-generation mannequin. Meanwhile, the FT-Se idea is a window into the way forward for an MR2-esque electric sports car.

Motorsport

The Kia K4 Hatchback Is Coming to the US

The new Kia K4 sedan is a pointy alternative to the outgoing Forte sedan. But one factor we did not count on to see throughout its New York Auto Show debut was a hatchback model, which Kia discontinued on the Forte (the Forte5) again in 2018.

And we have excellent news: The K4 hatchback is coming to America. Kia confirmed to Motor1 that it’ll arrive within the US “at a later date.”

2025 Kia K4 Hatchback

Much just like the sedan, the hatchback seems sharp. The K4 five-door is “a practical vehicle that is aimed at a dynamic and urban lifestyle,” the corporate famous throughout its press convention. “The five-door shares the same front and rear design as well as the smooth elegance of the sedan.”

That means it most likely has the identical powertrain choices because the sedan, too. The base engine is a 2.0-liter four-cylinder making 147 horsepower and 132 pound-feet. There’s additionally a extra highly effective turbocharged 1.6-liter engine making 190 hp and 195 lb-ft.

We’ll know extra in regards to the K4 nearer to the sedan’s on-sale date, which must be someday later this 12 months. The hatchback will go on sale someday after that.

Motorsport

Tesla Owners Get Free Full Self-Driving for a Month To See How It Works

Tesla car house owners who did not go for the $12,000 Full Self-Driving (FSD) possibility may have the flexibility to strive it out free of charge, supplied the automobile is correctly geared up for it. Elon Musk shared the information on X in a easy submit, nevertheless it appears there is a bit extra occurring behind the scenes concerning Tesla’s infamous driver-assist system.

An inside Tesla memo seen by Bloomberg News allegedly instructs firm workers to put in FSD on all automobiles. They are additionally instructed to take house owners on a brief take a look at drive to exhibit the system. Bloomberg’s report suggests this is applicable not simply to new purchases, however house owners of older automobiles who are available in for providers. Musk’s assertion on X additionally implies this. We contacted Tesla requesting extra data however a response wasn’t obtained earlier than publication. We will definitely replace the submit ought to we hear again.

 

It’s additionally unclear if this FSD tutorial is motivated by authorized causes, a advertising push, or a mixture of the 2. In December 2023, Tesla recalled over two million vehicles for a software program replace to its Autopilot system, requiring extra stringent measures to make sure drivers do not abuse the system.

A prolonged investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration particularly discovered fault with the autosteer operate in Full Self-Driving. The ensuing replace added extra driver notifications to maintain arms on the wheel in addition to a system deactivation for repeated misuse.

In the Tesla memo, Musk reportedly said that nearly no person realizes how effectively the system works, and stated that instructing car house owners on it was a “hard requirement” in response to Bloomberg.

Cars

The Reason Why Chevrolet Discontinued The Spark

In 2017, Spark gross sales fell 11% from the prior 12 months. The economies of scale did not add up, so GM took the ax and chopped the Spark off its lineup earlier than the 2023 mannequin 12 months. The Spark wasn’t the one sufferer of the SUV craze in Chevrolet’s automobile lineup: The Chevy Cruze departed in 2019, adopted by the Sonic hatchback and sedan in 2020.

As of 2024, the Malibu is the one sedan in Chevrolet’s North American stock regardless of saying in 2019 that it will bear the identical destiny because the Spark and different sedans/hatchbacks sporting the bowtie emblem.

You’ll must refocus on the Trax or Trailblazer if you would like an reasonably priced, sub-$24,000 new Chevy automobile, though each are nowhere close to as mass-market reasonably priced because the Spark. However, there’s hope if you would like a brand new automotive for beneath $17,000. The longstanding Mitsubishi Mirage and Nissan Versa are two of the most affordable new vehicles for 2024, though rumors are ripe of each fashions crossing the rainbow bridge quickly.

Motorsport

The Polestar 3 Is Cheaper Than Originally Announced

Although the Polestar 3 was launched in October 2022, manufacturing did not begin till final month. The first vehicles rolled off the meeting line in China, whereas manufacturing within the US in South Carolina will kick off in a number of months. Before it does, Polestar launched US pricing for the brand new 3 SUV.

The Polestar 3 begins at $74,800 with the $1,400 vacation spot payment included. All 2025 Polestar 3 fashions offered within the US have twin motors, all-wheel drive, and a 111.0-kilowatt-hour battery pack that may be DC quick cost charged at as much as 250 kilowatts.

The base mannequin has a mixed output of 489 horsepower and 620 pound-feet of torque, sufficient for a 0-60 mph run of 5.0 seconds flat. Performance variations up the facility ante to 517 hp and 671 lb-ft to attain a dash time of 4.7 seconds.

Trim Range Output 0-60 MPH Price
Pilot 315 Miles 489 HP / 620 LB-FT 5.0 Seconds $74,800
Pilot + Plus 315 Miles 489 HP / 620 LB-FT 5.0 Seconds $80,300
Pilot + Performance 279 Miles 517 HP / 671 LB-FT 4.7 Seconds $80,800
Pilot, Plus, + Performance 279 Miles 517 HP / 671 LB-FT 4.7 Seconds $86,300

As for the trim packages, the Plus Pack will get you 21-inch wheels, heated rear seats, and a 1,610-watt Bowers & Wilkins sound system with 25 audio system and an air subwoofer. Polestar covers the seats in “bio-attributed MicroTech or animal welfare wool seats.” The Performance Pack not solely provides further oomph through software program tuning but additionally sweetens the pot with 22-inch solid wheels, chassis tweaks, and gold accents.

Getting the Performance model means you are happy with a big drop in effectivity for the reason that vary goes down by 36 miles in comparison with a daily Polestar 3. Regardless of the mannequin you go for, all of them qualify for a Polestar Clean Vehicle Incentive of $7,500 on lease transactions.

How does the 2025 Polestar 3 stack up towards equally sized fashions when it comes to pricing? The desk under solutions that query.

Model Price
Polestar 3 $74,800
BMW iX $88,095
Audi E-Tron $75,595
Tesla Model X $81,380
Volvo EX90 $77,990
Kia EV9 $56,395

Polestar will begin deliveries to prospects within the second quarter of the 12 months. Aside from the opponents talked about above, it will additionally must go up towards the forthcoming Hyundai Ioniq 7.

News

Two New Exciting Venues Included within the 2024 SMX Series

I really feel unhealthy for anybody who did not catch the inaugural SuperMotocross (SMX) closing in 2023. It was a few of the finest, closest, high-stakes racing I’ve ever witnessed first-hand. But if you happen to missed out, worry not, as Feld Entertainment dropped all of the 2024 SMX venues.

Exactly because the 2023 sequence, there are three venues: two for the playoff rounds and one for the finals. Fans of final yr’s sequence will doubtless be joyful that one of many venues carried over into 2024, however that leaves area for 2 new places.

The Venues

The zMAX Dragway at Charlotte Motor Speedway performed host to the primary SMX playoff race in 2023, and it will do the identical in 2024 on September seventh. This location is one in all solely two within the nation with a 4-lane drag strip, and this characteristic is essential to the rationale it was chosen to host a spherical once more in 2024.

“Last year, we transformed a four-lane drag strip into the ultimate off-road playground and fans were treated to a full day of action-packed racing at the opening round of the inaugural SMX World Championships,” mentioned Greg Walter, govt vice chairman and basic supervisor of Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Supermotocross charlotte motor speedway 2023

After Charlotte, the second spherical of the playoffs will probably be on the Texas Motor Speedway on September 14th. Here, followers can stay up for seeing how the sequence’ skilled monitor builders manipulate the 1.5-mile quad-oval superspeedway, which sits on greater than 1,400 acres of land.

The SMX Final will happen at The Strip at The Las Vegas Motor Speedway on September twenty first. “The Strip” joins zMAX Dragway as being the second of the 2 4-wide dragstrips within the nation and will permit the monitor builders to get inventive for the second-ever SMX finals.

Ticket Availability

Tickets for the SMX playoff rounds and closing will go on pre-sale on Tuesday, April 2, adopted by public on-sale on Tuesday, April 9.

Last yr, two rookies of their respective lessons, Haiden Deegan and Jett Lawrence, took house the $500,000 and $1,000,000 prizes. The query is, can they maintain off the competitors as soon as once more?

Motorsport

SUVs Are Getting Too Fat For European Roads

Perhaps we did not want a examine to inform us that automobiles are getting larger. SUVs, particularly, are the worst offenders in Europe, the place pickup vehicles usually are not as prevalent as within the United States. New analysis highlights the necessity for regulators to deal with the problem of more and more cumbersome automobiles.

The European Federation for Transport and Environment, a European umbrella for non-governmental organizations in accordance with Wikipedia, has examined the numbers. The information reveals that new passenger automobiles have gotten one centimeter (0.4 inches) wider each couple of years. Consequently, these more and more fatter automobiles have gotten too huge for roads and parking spots on the Old Continent.

Transport & Environment SUV study

The common new automobile now exceeds 180 centimeters (70.8 inches) in width, roughly the dimensions of a typical parking house on Europe’s streets. This successfully narrows the usable driving lane, posing a specific problem in historic cities with narrower streets. The examine highlights examples of notably huge automobiles, and unsurprisingly, they’re all SUVs. For occasion, the BMW X5, X6, X7, and XM all exceed 200 centimeters (78.7 inches) in width, whereas the Mercedes GLS, Audi Q8, Porsche Cayenne, and Volkswagen Touareg are just under that threshold.

But common automobiles have gotten larger over the many years, too. A well-liked automobile in Europe, the Skoda Octavia is technically a compact automobile, but it surely stretches at 4.68 meters (184.6 inches) lengthy and 1.82 meters (72 in) huge. The best-selling car ever in Europe, the Volkswagen Golf, is 4.28 meters (168.7 inches) lengthy whereas the unique Golf was solely 3.7 meters (145.9 inches) lengthy.

The steady development is not solely as a result of demand for extra spacious automobiles; it is also influenced by growing security rules. One simply noticeable instance is the widened pillars in immediately’s automobiles in contrast to a couple many years in the past. With regulators mandating extra security options, automakers want the additional house to accommodate the mandatory {hardware}. With dimension going up, so is weight, which has adverse repercussions on the automobile’s effectivity by growing gasoline consumption and emissions, however that is a unique story.

One of the driving forces behind this regarding pattern is the SUV. People can not seem to get sufficient of them, and automakers fortunately oblige. Additionally, there’s a security concern, as a examine performed by the Belgian Institute for Road Safety revealed some worrying outcomes. Crash information recorded in Belgium from 2017 till 2021 confirmed that elevating a car’s entrance by 10 % elevated the chance of a pedestrian or bicyclist fatality by 30 %.

The resolution to cease this so-called “autobesity”? The European Federation for Transport and Environment believes the pattern is not going to finish until there will likely be regulatory motion by European lawmakers.

Motorsport

Jeep Is Reportedly Dropping The V8 Wrangler With A Final Edition

Well, that did not final lengthy. The V8-powered Wrangler went on sale within the first quarter of 2021, and now Jeep is about to tug the plug. A member of the JL Wrangler Forums has discovered sellers have been notified about an upcoming Final Edition of the Rubicon 392 with its brawny 6.4-liter Hemi unit.

According to the doc despatched by Jeep, there is a gross sales problem in place for January 2024. Dealers that transfer extra vehicles this month than in January 2023 will every obtain a single allocation for a (takes deep breath) 2024 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 Final Edition.


News

Does A Suzuki Hayabusa Make A Good Adventure Bike?

Trying to conquer Hell’s Gate on a Hayabusa is, in a phrase, audacious. So, the truth that it did not go precisely to plan the primary time is not fully a shock, despite the fact that enduro rider Matt Spears’ using abilities in sketchy conditions gave us hope.

You cannot preserve an excellent bike down for lengthy, although. That’s why Spears, his ‘Busa, and his buddy Kevin determined to return out and do some journey tenting in stunning Canyonlands National Park in Utah. At the start of the journey, the Hayabusa is again to full well being and looking out fairly defiant with its cage.

It’s additionally been modified even additional this time round, with a full set of Mosko Moto Reckless baggage. For these not acquainted, this can be a baggage system that does not require any extra racks to mount, so it is comparatively simple to stay on a large number of bikes. Even bikes that do not normally carry baggage, akin to a Hayabusa.

Hayabusa Adventuring with Matt Spears

It’s not clear how a lot additional weight this baggage places on the again of the bike, however we do get to see simply how a lot stuff Spears has packed after they get to the camp website. Kevin’s on a GasGas, and he has one massive backpack on his again and one massive bag strapped to the entrance of his bike, the place a windscreen could be on a special machine.

Inside of Spears’ packs is a plethora of tenting requirements for each riders. There are two tent and sleeping setups, a JetBoil camp range to cook dinner meals (no fires allowed the place they are going), packs of tenting meals to rehydrate with water heated within the JetBoil, and extra. Spears even has some toasty slippers, and his buddy has quilted Frogg Toggs overalls and toasty slippers to mitigate the chilliness in a single day.

Speaking of which, we have not talked in regards to the climate. You can see a little bit of snow and ice on the bottom in some spots within the video. How chilly does it get in winter in southeast Utah, the place the park is situated? High temps vary between 30 levels Fahrenheit/-1 Celsius to 50 F/10 C. Low temps vary from zero to twenty F (or -17 to -6 C). It’s doable, however provided that you are ready for some chilly nights.

After an evening spent sleeping beneath the celebrities, Spears’ plan is to attempt to take the ‘Busa again to Hell’s Gate for an excellent quaint run at redemption. Unfortunately, this time he is thwarted not by a crash, however by the rim on his rear wheel cracking in two locations. Since he is operating a tubeless tire, it simply cannot maintain all of the air in. Pretty quickly, it is unseated itself fully and the Slime inside is on full show. 

A Daring Rescue

In some other video, which may have been the tip of the story. However, on this case, they’re on the filth bike path, not removed from the place it meets up with the 4WD path. Even although Spears says that his Toyota Tundra with a bazillion miles on it is not actually set as much as do hardcore stuff, he sees that there is not a lot selection if he desires to get the ‘Busa again dwelling to get a brand new rear wheel placed on.

This video is basically three movies in a single. You get some Hayabusa ADV using, some motocamping, and even a bit 4WD Tundra motion in on the finish. How does all of it pan out? That, pals, is why you must watch the video and see.

Technology

What Happened To Ride FRSH Air Fresheners From Shark Tank Season 14 ?

For those that did not watch the “Shark Tank” episode when it aired, the jab that led outgoing shark Mark Cuban to sit down out the bidding for Ride FRSH was fairly private. It concerned the cache of air fresheners the Brown brothers chosen to point out off to the “Shark Tank” panel throughout their pitch. One that ended up within the fingers of Cuban was branded with the brand of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors.

Cuban is, in fact, the proprietor of the Dallas Mavericks NBA franchise. That very 12 months, Golden State bounced Cuban’s Luka Doncic-led Mavericks from the NBA Conference Finals. In a transfer that maybe unnecessarily salted the injuries for Cuban, one of many brothers even took a protracted sniff of a Golden State freshener earlier than declaring, “Smells like winning,” with Cuban advising the Browns they need to’ve learn the room higher earlier than bowing out of the bidding. Donavan and Trey Brown would later admit the jab was intentional and conceived as a promotional stunt.

As a number of main information retailers coated Cuban’s response, it proved a savvy transfer in addition, with the following protection serving to the Browns get their firm’s title out to of us who may’ve missed their primetime debut. Luckily, Barbara Corcoran wasn’t offended by the jab and struck what may very well be a doubtlessly profitable take care of the brothers.