2015 SEMA Week Kicks off With Datsun Z Car Competition (W/Video)

The annual SEMA Show is the one time of year when you can see outrageous builds, auto industry celebs, the newest parts and accessories, and more all under one very large roof. This year, Nissan tasked the hosts of your favorite Motor Trend Channel shows with finding the best SEMA had to offer. In the first episode of 2015 SEMA Week, Mike Finnegan and friends compete in four very different Datsun Z cars for ultimate bragging rights.

Finnegan starts by roaming the halls and parking lot of the Las Vegas Convention Center. Along the way, he finds an art car built for the Burning Man festival, a super-efficient fuel pump, and a Ford Econoline powered by four blown Hemi V-8s. After getting his fill at the show, Finnegan is joined by fellow hosts Jessi Lang, Fred Williams, and Mike Sabounchi at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for a game of automotive H.O.R.S.E.

The hosts are each given a modified Datsun 240Z, which they must pilot through a series of challenges. Each penalty results in a letter (or number, in this case), and the first host to spell “240” loses. The challenges include a reverse burnout contest, drift parallel parking, and an autocross against a nitro-fueled, remote-controlled car. Which host comes out on top? Check out the video below to find out and keep watching 2015 SEMA Week to see a four-way drag race between the hosts.

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VW to Cut $2 Billion in Costs by Offering Fewer Trims, Variants

Thanks to the emissions scandal, Volkswagen’s future existence has been called into question as the company has had to set aside large amounts of cash to deal with the various recalls and fines. With sales numbers dropping, the automaker needed to find a way to tighten its belt.

The automaker identified a way to save around $2 billion, which will cut trim levels and variants in its lineup. “We from the works council have long flagged the huge range of model variants and different components. That brings enormous complexity and adds to costs, for example, for logistics. We can take out costs there on a large scale and don’t have to talk about job cuts,” said labor representative Bernd Osterloh in a briefing with journalists in Wolfsburg, Germany, last week.

So far, the emissions scandal has cost Volkswagen just over $9 billion. While the $2 billion that it will save by cutting trim levels will help, the automaker will also cut investments by $1.05 billion a year. VW Group is also scaling back its sports car racing programs to save money, with both Audi and Porsche running one less car in the WEC series. The scandal is currently being battled on three fronts now, with the nearly 85,000 3.0-liter diesel models in the U.S., 800,000 vehicles in Europe with irregular CO2 ratings, and the nearly 11 million vehicles globally that feature a 1.2-, 1.6-, and 2.0-liter diesel engine.

Source: Bloomberg

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Bugatti Chiron Prototype Shows Off its Mean Mug

The upcoming Bugatti Chiron hypercar should have a menacing mug to go along with its menacing amounts of power. A photo of a Chiron prototype recently surfaced on the heels of Bugatti’s announcement that the Veyron’s successor will officially be named Chiron.

The lone photo reveals plenty about the Chiron’s looks. No one will mistake it for anything other than a Bugatti and it appears to be more of an evolution of the Veyron with tighter lines, a more aggressive front fascia, and super wide haunches. While not as wild as the Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo concept, the Chiron will still look like a proper hypercar and should turn plenty of heads.

Speculation suggests that the Chiron will feature an updated version of the Veyron’s 8.0-liter, quad-turbo W-16. The engine will feature direct injection along with electric turbochargers for near instantaneous boost. Completing the drivetrain will be a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic and all-wheel drive. Total output is rumored to be around 1,500 hp, which is 300 more horses than the Veyron. Top speed is expected to reach an insane 288 mph.

The price tag will undoubtedly top a million bucks, but that hasn’t stopped 100 customers from placing orders for the new hypercar. Bugatti says the Chiron will make its official debut at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show, though the car probably won’t roll off the production line until 2017.

Photo Source: Brian Williams

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2015 Ram ProMaster City Wagon Dog Test Video

With its tall roofline, sliding doors and huge cargo area, Ram's new ProMaster City Wagon excelled at safely carrying editor Jen Burklow's golden retriever Tyler using the Gunner Kennels dog crate. Watch the video for more.
 

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Tomorrowland: Glimpsing the Future in Tokyo, Again – The Big Picture

IIHS to Start Testing Headlights, Score Could Affect TSP+ Consideration

Automakers who want their vehicles to earn the coveted IIHS Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ awards will have to start making smart headlights a priority, as the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is adding a standalone test for headlights to its existing battery of safety evaluations.

Next year, the IIHS will add a rating program for headlights. Adaptive headlights use cameras, sensors, and motors to help direct the headlight beams toward corners or dips in the road. The technology has been employed by some manufacturers like Porsche, Audi, Hyundai, and others, but IIHS hopes the feature will enter the mainstream.

“We’ve studied all of these different innovations to the extent we’re able, and the strongest signal we get back from the data is that the steerable headlights are associated with the largest reductions of crashes reported to insurers,” IIHS chief research officer David Zuby told Automotive News in an interview.

Those findings led IIHS to take a closer look at the technology with a standalone test. While adaptive headlights have the ability to adjust to the road ahead, other innovations include the ability to dim automatically when an oncoming vehicle is sensed. Zuby went on to say, “It makes sense that if drivers can see better at night, they’ll be involved in fewer crashes at night.”

If all goes well with the new test, a good headlight score could be a requirement for TSP+ consideration as early as 2017.

Source: Automotive News (Subscription required)

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Audi Announces New R18 e-tron Racer, Cutbacks for Le Mans Race

The Volkswagen Group is pinching pennies to deal with its diesel emissions scandal, and the financial cutbacks are affecting the entire company, including its motorsports division. Audi recently unveiled the newest version of its R18 e-tron Quattro race car, but also announced that it, along with sister company Porsche, will have fewer entrants for the upcoming 2016 World Endurance Championship season.

“In the interest of maximum cost efficiency, Audi and its Group sister brand Porsche, have both agreed to each compete in the Le Mans 24 Hours, the WEC season’s pinnacle event, with only two instead of the most recent three cars,” Audi said in a statement.

That said, the updated R18 e-tron Quattro LMP1 racer moves up from the four-megajoule to the six-megajoule hybrid sub-class, according to a report by Autocar. Contributing to the move is the R18’s new energy storage system featuring a front-axle, lithium-ion battery system, which replaces the flywheel setup used in previous cars. A six-cylinder TDI diesel engine remains. Audi has yet to release figures on the revised powertrain. Visually, the new R18 features redesigned, L-shaped headlights, along with a red-accented black paint job.

Porsche will unveil its race car at a later date. Autocar reports that one Audi car will be piloted by Andre Lotterer, Benoit Treluyer, and Marcel Fassler, while the other will have a team consisting of Loic Duval, Lucas de Grassi, and Oliver Jarvis. Audi drivers from last year’s number-three team (Filipe Albuquerque, Marco Bonanomi, and Rene Rast) remain on the team as works drivers.

Meanwhile, Porsche’s teams will include Mark Webber, Brendon Hartly, and Timo Bernhard in one car, and Romain Dumas, Neel Jani, and Marc Lieb in another car. The Porsche team that won it all in last year’s Le Mans race (Nick Tandy, Earl Bamber, and Nico Hulkenberg) look unlikely to return.

Source: Audi, Autocar

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