Volkswagen prepares a new Golf R:
The all-wheel-drive R stands out as the most powerful and the most expensive Golf model. There were rumours that it might be retired (there was no 2020 model) as VW focuses on a number of coming electric models.
The Spymaster now confirms that a new Golf R will arrive for the 2022 model year. The four-door (no two-door models) hatchback gets the same basic body as other Golfs, but comes with a new turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine rated at 315 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque. The 2019 R made 288 horsepower and 280 pound-feet.
The six-speed manual transmission might not be returning, which would leave the previously optional seven-speed paddle-shift gearbox. VW claims the R can scoot to 60 mph (96 km/h) from zero in about 4.5 seconds. An upper-$40,000 base price is anticipated.
Has Nissan鈥檚 redesigned 2021 Frontier pickup been revealed?
That鈥檚 what The Sleuth believes after viewing images of the automaker鈥檚 Navara model, which is what the Frontier is called outside of North America.
It appears that Nissan鈥檚 designers have used the larger Titan pickup as a template, since the resemblance between the two trucks is obvious. However where the Navara is available with a turbo-diesel engine, the new Frontier will stick the 3.8-litre V-6 that was new for
The engine is hooked to a nine-speed automatic transmission. Nissan previously confirmed that the 2021 Frontier would be available with a number of Nismo-brand off-road components.
Ford鈥檚 new gasoline V-8 plus five new electric vehicles?:
It seems odd that a union would be the first to spill the beans about Ford鈥檚 future product plans. That鈥檚 exactly what happened when Unifor 鈥� which represents autoworkers at General Motors, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Ford plants in Canada 鈥� issued a press release that made reference to a new V-8 engine of up to 6.8 litres in displacement that鈥檚 destined for the Ford F-150 pickup and possibly the Ford Mustang.
The V-8 will be built at an existing plant in Windsor, Ont. (across the U.S. border from Detroit).
Unifor also said that Ford will build five electric models at its plant in Oakville, near Toronto, that currently turns out the Edge utility vehicle. That retooling will cost Ford nearly $2 billion as spelled out in a contract with Unifor workers. Ford has yet to say what those five vehicles will be.
Who鈥檚 up for a baby Land Rover?
The new-for-2020 Defender isn鈥檛 the smallest model in Land Rover鈥檚 lineup as the Range Rover Evoque currently occupies that spot. That could change in a couple of years with the release of a new junior-size Land Rover.
The coming off-road-styled model is rumoured to come in both two-and four-door versions as well as front- and all-wheel-drive derivatives. The base engine is expected to be a turbocharged 1.5-litre three-cylinder engine and a plug-in hybrid system will be optional. A low-$40,000 base price in Canada for the to-be-named Land Rover would be The Sleuth鈥檚 guess.
Bentley is going all-in on electrics:
According to a report in business publication Automotive News, the Volkswagen-owned luxury automaker plans to abandon the sale of internal-combustion engines by 2030.
The automaker will begin with two additional plug-in hybrids that are slated to arrive sometime in 2021 and will join the plug-in Bentley Bentayga utility vehicle.
The Sleuth believes that the Continental GT coupe and convertible and the Flying Spur sedan are the likely plug-in candidates. An electric Bentley is expected in 2025 as part of the automaker鈥檚 鈥淏eyond 100鈥� plan to significantly reduce emissions at all stages of the production process.
Bentley, which was founded in 1919 and produced its first car in 1921, is currently the largest manufacturer of 12-cylinder internal-combustion engines.
UPS AND DOWNS
Up: U.S. President-elect Joe Biden is a car guy
The future 46th president of the United States is the proud original owner of a 1967 Corvette roadster that he received as a wedding present. The car is equipped with a 300-horsepower 327-cubic-inch V-8 and a four-speed manual transmission.
Up: The SRT Hellcat Redeye crate engine is now available
The public can now purchase the same V-8 that鈥檚 installed in the Dodge Challenger and Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye models. The 807-horsepower supercharged 6.2-litre V-8 is similar to the 707-horsepower Hellcat engine (also available as a crate engine), but the Redeye version has a larger supercharger. Coincidentally, prices start at US $21,807.
鈥� written by Wheelbase Media
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