There are a few different ways to get your carbon fiber fix if you’re purchasing a Ford Mustang Shelby GT500. You can go all-out and opt for the $18,500 Carbon Fiber Track package, which includes some carbon fiber bits (an unmistakable GT4 track wing, splitter wickers, and 20-inch wheels), as well as a bunch of other go-faster features. Or you can spend almost half that on the regular Carbon Fiber package, netting most of the cool bits but not the rear-seat delete, big rear wing, or amazing Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires. Further down the list, there’s the $1,500 Handling package, which only includes the Gurney flap and the splitter wickers. But what if you’ve already taken delivery of a GT500? That’s where the new Ford Performance carbon fiber accessories come into play.
General Motors and LG Energy Solution today confirmed the two companies will build a $2.3 billion battery cell plant in Tennessee that will be key to powering the 2023 Cadillac Lyriq electric midsize SUV, which will be assembled at the adjacent Spring Hill vehicle assembly plant starting next year. Construction begins immediately on the 2.8-million-square-foot facility on land leased from GM in Spring Hill. The goal is to have the plant come online in late 2023. It ought to employ 1,300 individuals who will help produce Ultium lithium-ion battery cells, GM CEO Mary Barra said.
The plant will have a capacity of 70 GWh, which is double that of Tesla’s Gigafactory 1 in Nevada, LG Energy Solution President and CEO Jonghyun Kim said. The battery cells will be used in vehicles made at the Spring Hill assembly plant that is being retooled to make only electric vehicles. First up is the Cadillac Lyriq.
GM has [...]
Like a kid waiting for Santa on Christmas morning, the wait for the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz compact pickup truck has seemed interminable. We first saw the Hyundai Santa Cruz Concept at the 2015 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, where its quirky looks and bold aspirations attracted big crowds—and no shortage of skeptics.
But Hyundai execs knew it was a risky segment and said the Santa Cruz was one of the most-researched vehicles they had ever created. They believed there was a market for the truck, even though success had eluded other automakers.
Hyundai Santa Cruz ConceptDave Zuchowski, the then-CEO of Hyundai Motor North America, said the automaker was using the show to gauge reaction. The response was overwhelmingly positive and within days, the early verdict was “go for it,” especially as Hyundai’s lineup was mostly cars and it needed SUVs and a truck to better match its product portfolio with consumer [...]
Nissan’s latest take on its GT-R sports car comes in the form of the NISMO Special Edition. The limited-run model, which is due to arrive in the United States this fall, straddles the line between the 2021 and 2022 model years, which is why the Japanese brand instead intends to market and sell this car on our shores as a 2021.5 model.
The 200-mph barrier is a big deal. While the recently announced Bentley Continental GT Speed coupe can break that barrier with ease, it now can do so with its top down thanks to the arrival of the Continental GT Speed Convertible.
Mechanically, the GT Speed ’vert is identical to the coupe that broke cover earlier in the year. The big change is the addition of a folding soft-top instead of the regular Speed’s swept roof. Power (650 hp) and torque (664 lb-ft) from Bentley’s twin-turbo 6.0-liter W-12 stays the same in the drop-top as it does in the coupe. The same goes for the Speed’s impressive 208-mph top speed. The trot 60 mph does take 0.1 seconds longer compared to the coupe, though, rising from 3.5 to 3.6 seconds.
All the go-fast tech from the coupe that’s been added to the Speed to tame its additional power and torque is here, too. The GT Speed [...]
