Tag Archives: news

Audi Thinks You Need To Be Making $120k To Afford A 2022 A3

October 20, 2021 admin

Many of us are happy to accept that we’ll never be able to afford a fancy European supercar. It’s why posts about mid-engined exotics can often generate less reaction than ones on cars like the BMW M3 and Audi RS3, which might seem almost as unattainable today, but could well be a realistic ownership proposition at some point in the future.

And while you’re waiting for the financial stars to align so you can buy that RS3, you can always make steps down that road by buying an S3 or a regular A3. I mean, the A3’s just a slightly nicer VW Golf, so you wouldn’t need to be that wealthy to afford one, right?

Wrong, at least according to data Audi released for the North American launch of the 2022 A3, S3 and RS3. The company provided sample customer profiles for the three versions of its compact that included gender, age, and marital status, but the thing that really stood out to us was the median household income (HHI) for each vehicle.

Audi expects even customers buying the regular A3 to have an HHI of $120,000, which rises to $150,000 for the sporty S3. And if you want the Nürburgring-monstering RS3 and its fancy new drift mode, you better be bringing in a serious $200k a year or you’re not on Audi’s radar and the salesmen may well redirect you to the nearest Kia showroom.

Driven: The 2022 Audi S3 And A3 Are Your Fast And Sensible Baby Executive Sedans

For context, the median HHI across the U.S. was $67,521 in 2020. Which means you need to be making about twice the national average just to get yourself into a 2.0-liter front-wheel-drive sedan with four rings on the nose by Audi’s calculations, and more than three times the average to take an RS3 home.

The 2022 A3 starts at $33,900 for a basic FWD car, but prices rise to $43,200 for the Prestige with Quattro transmission. From there it’s only a small jump to the $44,900 S3, whose Quattro system is tested by a more powerful 306 hp 2.0-liter motor, while the 401 hp (394 hp in Europe), five-cylinder RS3 is likely to cost around $60,000.

Still want to be able to stick that Audi fob on the bar but can barely afford a drink let alone make enough bread to hit Audi’s outrageous $120k HHI target? We got you covered with this Copart find. A 2006 2.0 Premium located in Des Moines, IA, it’s currently bid to just $500 and looks fine…apart from the zombie ice pick dents in the hood.

The Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing Is Pretty Good, But Not As Sporty Or Precise As The BMW M3

October 17, 2021 admin

With the new CT4-V Blackwing and CT5-V Blackwing, Cadillac has put the likes of BMW M, Mercedes-AMG, and Audi Sport on notice, offering exceptional performance for much less money than their German rivals.

The CT4-V Blackwing acts as the successor to the ATS-V and carries over the twin-turbocharged 3.6-liter V6 of its predecessor. Importantly, a number of upgrades have been made to the engine, including the fitment of new control software, revised crankshaft counterweights, and an improved air intake. The turbine wheels of the turbochargers have also been tweaked. All up, the engine delivers 472 hp and 445 lb-ft (603 Nm) of torque.

Doug DeMuro recently had the opportunity to put the CT4-V Blackwing through its paces. Typically, the review starts in the cabin.

The first thing that DeMuro notes is just how similar the interior of the CT4-V Blackwing is to the CT5-V Blackwing. Many of the components are identical, including the steering wheel, pedals, gauge cluster, and switchgear. The most obvious difference is the larger infotainment screen of the CT5-V Blackwing. Of course, this is nice for CT4-V Blackwing owners, as they get lots of thing from the CT5-V despite paying roughly $40,000 less.

Towards the end of the video, the popular YouTuber hits the streets in the sports sedan. He says it is a great car to drive in many different ways and is very complimentary of the engine. However, he notes that the CT4-V Blackwing doesn’t handle quite as well as the new BMW M3 and isn’t as sporty or precise.

[embedded content]

Is The Two-Door Ford Bronco A Proper Off-Roader To Rival The Wrangler?

October 7, 2021 admin

After a 25-years hiatus, the 2021 Ford Bronco two-door manual SUV is set to become the envy among the off-roading community. After a lengthy period in which the Jeep Wrangler dominated the market as the only off-roader in its segment, Ford decided it was time to do something about it.

Sofyan Bey of Redline Reviews was handed one from the factory for a week: a two-door manual, Black Diamond trim Bronco draped in Cactus gray. On paper, it got everything that screams “off-roader” such as a truck ladder frame, all-wheel drive, locking front and rear diffs, and a front sway bar disconnect.

Its retro design is based on the first generation 1976 Bronco and comes with seven distinct style trim variants. The Black Diamond model is one of the lightest versions and features LED headlights, steel bumpers, black steelies, a full bash plate underneath, and 32-inch-tall General Grabber all-terrain tires. Moreover, the molded-in-color hardtop, incandescent taillights, and full-size spare tire come as standard. If you don’t mind plastic windows, the Bronco is also available with a soft top.

The two-door Bronco Black Diamond offers 8.4-inches of ground clearance, a 100-inch long wheelbase, and a 174-inch overall length. The Sasquatch package option for an extra $4200 adds two and a half inches of ground clearance, larger fenders, and 35-inch tires.

Also Watch: How Did Ford’s New Bronco Outer Banks Fare In A Challenging Off-Road Trail?

[embedded content]

With a 3500lb towing capacity and larger cargo space available even without folding the rear seats, the Bronco certainly outshines the Wrangler. After the two-person task of detaching the hardtop is done, you’re in for an open-air experience with no crossbar to disrupt the view – unlike the Wrangler. Ford also has included airbags built into the roof rails. The stylish doors are lightweight and have frameless glass to aid the detachability.

The cabin is a nice place to sit in thanks to the two-tone leatherette waterproof seats. With a few exposed screw heads, knobs, buttons, and auxiliary switches on the roof, the Bronco creates the impression of a competent off-roader. It’s equipped with a half-digital, half-analog instrument cluster, an 8-inch infotainment system, GOAT (Goes Over Any Terrain) mode and LED cabin lighting. Opting for the Outer Banks trim makes a 12-inch display accessible. As with all Broncos, it’s highly customizable.

The interior has a hard-touch plastic and rubberized floor with drain pits to support the hose-down philosophy. The back seats provide sufficient legroom and USB charging outlets, but when the top is off, wind buffeting can be a problem for rear passengers.

Opening up the hood exposes a 2.3L turbo EcoBoost four-cylinder engine, which offers 17mpg in the city and 19mpg on the highway. It is mated to a six-speed manual gearbox with a crawler gear and a low-range transfer case. The engine delivers 300 horsepower and 325 lb-ft of torque that’ll push the truck from 0-60 (0-96 km/h) in about 7.8 seconds. With about 4,319 lbs (1,959 kg) of weight, it’s an impressive figure for an SUV. For $2000 more, you can get the 2.7-liter twin-turbo V6 engine capable of 330hp and 415 lb-ft of torque that’s paired to a 10-speed automatic.

The Bronco is excellent for those who enjoy an open-air drive with the wind in their hair. It’s joyful and easy to drive compared to the Wrangler owing to the short-throw manual, rack and pinion steering, independent suspension, and the turbo whistle you hear when you put your foot down.

The Bronco came into its own when Sofyan took it to an off-road trail just outside Frederick, Maryland. The handling and ride are as sublime as they were on the tarmac. According to Sofyan, it glides over gravel roads and makes driving through rocks, dirt, dips, and water holes seem like driving through a parking lot. When speeding past bumps, the independent suspension absorbs the shocks, so there are no annoying rattles.

Overall, despite being a grade at the bottom of the trim hierarchy among seven models, the Black Diamond Bronco is a highly capable SUV that costs just over $40,000.

The FBI Says Motor Vehicle Thefts Rose 11.8 Percent Last Year

September 28, 2021 admin

2020 was a year of lockdowns and stay-at-home orders, but it appears criminals kept themselves pretty busy despite the coronavirus pandemic.

According to new statistics released by the FBI, motor vehicle thefts rose 11.8 percent in 2020 despite an 8.1 percent decline in overall property crime.

There’s no immediate explanation for the sudden increase in vehicle theft, but cars are pretty lucrative as they can be stripped for parts that can be sold for thousands of dollars. According to a study from the National Insurance Crime Bureau , a handful of the most frequently stolen 2016 model year vehicles have between 14 and 20 commonly replaced components that can easily be sold to unsuspecting buyers.

Also Read: Consumers Love Trucks And So Do Thieves As Ford F-Series Tops Most Stolen List

In the case of the 2016 GMC Sierra, that includes the headlamp assembly, the front bumper and a tailgate that are worth between $724 and $1,144. When all those common components are added up, they’re worth more than $21,000 and this makes the truck appealing to thieves who can easily sell parts on Craigslist, eBay and Facebook Marketplace.

Getting back to the latest data, the FBI says there were 727,921 “motor vehicle theft offense counts” last year. That’s up from 667,064 in 2019 and 712,236 in 2018. More strikingly, that’s the most reported since 2008. Of course, it’s worth noting all of the agencies eligible to participate in the Uniform Crime Reporting Program don’t send in their information, so the total picture isn’t completely clear.

Putting that caveat aside, there were 67,095 arrests for motor vehicle theft last year and most of them were males between the ages of 25 and 29. However, it is interesting to note there were six arrests of people under the age of 10 and 167 arrests of people 65 and older.

Cupra’s Small EV To Cost €5k More Than Volkswagen’s Own Model

September 26, 2021 admin

The Volkswagen Group is readying a trio of fully electric small models wearing the VW, Cupra, and Skoda badges. It turns out that Cupra’s offering will be the most expensive of the three, with a starting price of €25,000 when it arrives in 2025.

The Cupra UrbanRebel Concept that premiered in Munich a few weeks ago previewed for the upcoming production model. In a similar fashion, Volkswagen previewed their own offering with the ID.LIFE Concept that will spawn a production car by 2025. Both models, together with the rumored Skoda Elroq, will be based on a shortened version of the MEB platform.

Cupra’s EV city car will start at around €25,000 which makes it more expensive compared to its Volkswagen sibling, starting at €20,000. We don’t have information about the Skoda, but given the budget-oriented nature of the brand, we guess that it will be slightly cheaper.

Cupra CEO Wayne Griffiths admitted that their EV city car will be priced higher, as they want it “to be positioned between the mass and the premium segment”. He added that the production version will retain the bold design language of the concept car, with the exception of the massive aero components: “You take the fin off the back and the spoiler off the front, and then you get very very close to what we want to do with the car we want to launch in 2025”.

As reported by Automotive News Europe, the production version will be fitted with a single electric motor producing 228 hp (170 kW / 231 PS) and feature a 55 kWh battery pack allowing for a 248-mile (400 km) range. Like its VW sibling, the Cupra will accelerate from 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) in 6.9 seconds, while Griffiths claims that the compact dimensions and the low weight will make the car quite sporty.

Cupra’s new small EV will join the upcoming Born C-Segment hatchback and the Tavascan SUV in the growing range of fully electric models. All small EVs of the VW Group will be produced in Spain with a capacity of up to 500,000 cars per year, utilizing both Seat’s Martorell and VW’s Pamplona factories.

PHOTO GALLERY

more photos…

Live photo credits Stefan Baldauf / Guido ten Brink for CarScoops

The Revived Moke Will Be Produced In The UK Instead Of France

September 23, 2021 admin

Remember the New Moke that was launched two years ago by a company called Moke International? Well, the reinvented Mini-based buggy is still alive and it will now be entirely produced in the UK thanks to a new agreement with Fablink.

As reported by Autocar, the deal was enabled by a UK government grand. Recently, the EU and UK signed an agreement on tariff-free trade, making UK-based car production viable for small automakers who intend to export in the European Union. Moke International wanted to bring the Moke in the US market in 2021, but plans were delayed supposedly due to the pandemic.

Moke International acquired the trademark and distribution rights of the car before initiating limited production in 2020 with a starting price of £20,000. This means that the new Moke has nothing to do with BMW Group’s MINI, besides being a part of its heritage.

Looking identical to the original 1964 Mini Moke that was sharing its underpinnings with the Alex Issigonis-designed Mini, the new Moke is said to be slightly larger to provide more cabin space. The FWD buggy is fitted with an updated 1.1-liter four-cylinder petrol engine producing 67 hp (50 kW / 68 PS), allowing a top speed of 68 mph (109 km/h). It also features upgrades on the suspension, brakes, and chassis.

Since 2020, the Moke was engineered and sub-assembled in Britain’s Midlands region before being shipped to Cerizay, France for the final assembly. Thanks to the new agreement with Fablink – a manufacturing firm based in Northamptonshire – the whole process will now take place in UK facilities. Fablink currently has six factories in the UK, employing a total of 700 people, and has undertaken manufacturing and engineering work for companies like Land Rover and Morgan.

PHOTO GALLERY

more photos…

Used Car Prices Fall In August But Are Still Up 32% From A Year Ago

September 20, 2021 admin

Used cars prices dropped in August for the first time in seven months after seven months in which they skyrocketed compared to 2020.

Figures from the Labor Department reveal that prices slipped by 1.4 per cent last month, posting the first decline since January. However, used car prices are still up 31.9 per cent from 12 months ago and as the global chip shortage continues to wreak havoc on the production of new vehicles resulting in supply not keeping up with demand in many cases, may remain high for quite some time.

Fox Business notes that used car prices were also supported by the flight from city centers to the suburbs and multiple rounds of stimulus checks. In addition, rental car companies have begun to restock their fleets after selling them off during the early stages of the pandemic.

“Used car prices started to see a negative payback after the record-smashing rally over the past year,” noted Bank of America economist Alexander Lin.

The Federal Reserve added that the surge in used car prices serves as evidence that inflation is transitory and that prices will recede once supply chain disruptions are resolved.

3M chief financial officer Monish Patolawala says new vehicle production will decline 6 per cent year-over-year in the second half of this year due to the chip shortage. However, some analysts expect used car prices to remain relatively stable in the coming months.

If you happen to have a vehicle sitting around that you could do without, now could be the time to sell it. However, if you’re in the market for a used car, waiting for the chip shortage to end could be a wise move.

Elon Musk Praises Chinese Automakers As He Attempts To Restore Tesla’s Image In The Country

September 18, 2021 admin

Elon Musk was in a complimentary mood during his appearance at the World New Energy Vehicle Congress. In his message, he praised Chinese automakers, who he opined were “the most competitive in the world.”

Bloomberg reports that Musk’s comments during his pre-recorded appearance can be seen as an attempt at repairing Tesla’s image in China. “I have a great deal of respect for the many Chinese automakers,” said Musk, adding that the country’s carmakers are particularly strong on software. “Public sentiment and support for electric vehicles is at a never before seen inflection point because they know it is the future,” he noted.

Tesla has faced a difficult few months in China following a largely positive welcome. China is a crucial market for the California-based carmaker as it’s the world’s largest EV market, with the added jeopardy of having plenty of home-grown EV competition.

In May, Tesla’s sales halved in the wake of public and government criticism. Accusations of poor aftersales service spurred negative opinions of the brand, with a local paper saying that the company’s “arrogant and overbearing stance” was “repugnant and unacceptable.”

Read: China Is Developing Tech That Can Track Automotive Data Sent Abroad

[embedded content]

Meanwhile, Chinese authorities grew suspicious of Tesla and how it handled the storage of customer data. Staff at some important Chinese government facilities were told not to park their Tesla vehicles inside government compounds due to security concerns related to their exterior cameras.

Musk spoke about data security, reiterating that the company was working with national authorities to ensure the security of data gathered by their vehicles. Tesla has complied with a request from the Chinese government to store data gathered by its locally-used cars within the nation.

China has gone on to develop advanced machines that will be able to track data sent overseas by cars driven on its streets. The system, which analyzes the path of data transmission, is currently being tested on vehicles from foreign automakers, including Tesla.

Modellista Unveils Eye-Catching Parts For The Toyota Corolla Cross

September 15, 2021 admin

Modellista has introduced a number of accessories for the Toyota Corolla Cross that’s available in Japan.

Two different kits are available, the Aero Parts Set and the Cool Shine Kit. Of the two, the Aero Parts Set is the more striking and perfect for Corolla Cross owners who want to make a statement, while the Cool Shine Kit is slightly more restrained.

Found at the front of the Aero Parts Set is a unique front spoiler that easily affixes to the bumper of the crossover, giving it a muscular new shape. At the sides there are body-colored wheel arches and beefed-up rocker panels, while spats have been added to the rear bumper.

Meanwhile, Modellista’s Cool Shine Kit for the Corolla Cross includes a unique chrome garnish on the front grille, side vents, tailgate, wing mirrors, and door handles.

A number of individual parts are also available. For example, Modellista offers 17-inch wheels with black and silver spokes and 18-inch wheels with slightly more complex spokes. The crossover can also be equipped with an upgraded JBL audio system, a carbon-like film on the recessed part of the door handle to prevent scratches, a two-way cushion/tote bag, scuff plates, new license plate bolts, an LED tailgate light, and LED door lights.

All Modellista parts will be available from Toyota dealerships across Japan; at this point, it is unknown if they will be offered in other markets as well.

PHOTO GALLERY

more photos…

Watch Thieves Steal A Black Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat

September 11, 2021 admin

The Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat is one of the most sought-after performance cars in the U.S. This desirability seems to be prompted the theft of one in Chicago recently.

This video was filmed at 5:00 a.m. in the morning of August 25 and initially shows a white Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT pulling into the parking lot and reversing into a spot right next to the Hellcat.

Two masked men then get out and at the same time, an accomplice in an orange Dodge Challenger also pulls into the parking area, reversing into a nearby space to keep a close eye on what was happening. Before long, a white Audi e-tron pulls in and also appears to have been driven by an accomplice.

Also: Looters Raid FCA Dealership Driving Off With Hellcats, Burn AMG GT In Mercedes Showroom

Over the following few minutes, the thieves manage to break into the black Challenger SRT Hellcat and are able to start it up. Before long, all four vehicles involved in the heist pull away.

It is difficult to say what tools the thieves used to steal the Dodge but it certainly took a lot longer than we have seen with recent relay attacks targeting vehicles with keyless entry systems. Relay attacks are often performed at homes where thieves use a device to receive the signals from a vehicle’s keyless remote. These signals are then transferred to a second device that allows thieves to open the doors and turn on the engine.

Dodge is aware of the popularity of the Challenger among thieves and recently introduced an Enhanced Security Valet Mode that limits the car to 2.8 hp and 22 lb-ft (30 Nm) unless the correct four-digit code is pinned into the infotainment screen.

[embedded content]