2016 Ford Focus RS Spotted in New York

A few days ahead of its U.S. debut at the New York Auto Show, the new 2016 Ford Focus RS was spotted in Manhattan, hanging out in a classic car club with its legendary grandpa, the Escort RS Cosworth. This is the first time we get to see the new RS out in the wild.

The Ford Focus RS spotted in NYC is also wearing a more unique paint jobs available for the new hot hatch, a baby blue sort of color Ford calls Nitrous Blue. It seems that all the colors for the new RS will be special edition colors, such as Frozen White, or Stealth Gray.

The light blue paint job on this Ford Focus RS lets you appreciate better the subtle styling details of the car, which are not as in-your-face as, say, the new Civic Type R, but not boring either. Ford designers have managed to strike a fine balance between style, practicality and dignity, and they’ve done it without compromising the car’s sheer hot-hatchedness!

In terms of performance, the 2016 Ford Focus RS is powered by a 2.3 liter EcoBoost turbo four-pot out of the new Mustang, developing around 350 horsepower which is sent to all four wheels via an intelligent all-wheel-drive system. That means better acceleration, and, hopefully, no more torque steer.

Mercedes GLE officially unveiled

2016 Mercedes GLE

Mercedes has officially unveiled the 2016 GLE, following this afternoon's leak.
Set to debut at the New York Auto Show, the GLE is essentially a facelifted M-Class which adopts the company's new nomenclature.  As a result, it has a familiar design but features a new front fascia with a revised grille that is flanked by restyled headlights.  The rear end has also been "updated cautiously" as it has new LED taillights and a sportier exhaust system.
The AMG variants are a tad more aggressive as they distinguished by a sportier front bumper, a single bar grille and 20-inch lightweight alloy wheels with a titanium grey finish.  The high-performance crossovers also have a rear diffuser and a four-tailpipe exhaust system.
The interior largely carries over but drivers will find a new multi-function steering wheel and a freestanding infotainment system.  There's also a revised color palette - that includes ginger beige, espresso brown, saddle brown and porcelain - and an extensive assortment of trim.  Speaking of the latter customers can order aluminum, carbon fiber, piano black, brown ash, brown eucalyptus and brown burred walnut - just to name a few.

Under the hood, an assortment of engines will be available including:

• A twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 with 333 PS (245 kW) and 480 Nm (354 lb-ft) of torque
• A twin-turbo 4.7-liter V8 with 435 PS (320 kW) and 700 Nm (516 lb-ft) of torque
• A 2.1-liter four-cylinder turbodiesel with 204 PS (150 kW) and 480 Nm (354 lb-ft) of torque
• A 3.0-liter V6 turbodiesel with 258 PS (190 kW) and 620 Nm (457 lb-ft) of torque

Buyers looking for something more powerful can opt for the GLE 63 AMG which features a twin-turbo 5.5-liter V8 engine that develops 557 PS (410 kW) and 700 Nm (516 lb-ft) of torque.  It enables the crossover to accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 4.3 seconds before hitting an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph).

The GLE 63 AMG S goes one step further as it produces 585 PS (577 bhp / 430 kW) and 760 Nm (561 lb-ft) of torque.  Thanks to the extra oomph, the model runs from 0-100 km/h in just 4.2 seconds.
Customers can also order the GLE 500 e 4MATIC plug-in hybrid which features a 3.0-liter BlueDIRECT V6 engine, an 8.8 kWh lithium-ion battery and a seven-speed 7G-TRONIC PLUS automatic transmission with an integrated electric motor.  This setup enables the crossover to produce a combined maximum output of 442 PS (325 kW) and 650 Nm (479 lb-ft) of torque.  Despite being relatively powerful, the model returns 3.3 L/100 km (71.2 mpg US / 85.6 mpg UK) and can travel up to 30 km (18.6 miles) on electricity alone at speeds up to at 130 km/h (80.7 mph).

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2015 Dodge Durango R/T unveiled with modest updates

2015 Dodge Durango R/T

Dodge has announced a series of updates to the 2015 Durango R/T.
First and foremost, Dodge is responding to customer demand by offering optional Radar Red Nappa leather seats on the model for the first time.  The seats will be part of the Premium Nappa Leather Group package which costs an additional $1,195.
Additional changes are limited but the 2015 Durango R/T also features restyled 20-inch alloy wheels with a high-gloss Granite Crystal finish.
As a refresher, the Durango R/T has HID headlights, LED daytime running lamps and monochromatic paint job.  The crossover also has a sport-tuned suspension, a 20mm reduced ride height and a 5.7-liter HEMI V8 engine that produces 360 bhp (268 kW) and 390 lb-ft (528 Nm) of torque.

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Official: 2015 Porsche 919 Hybrid LMP1

The covers have just been lifted on the 2015 Porsche 919 Hybrid LMP1 car before this year’s World Endurance Championship gets underway. While the 2015 919 Hybrid looks remarkably similar to last year’s model, it does benefit from an array of upgrades.
Most significantly, the 2015 Porsche 919 Hybrid LMP1 roles to the eight-megajoule category with power from its energy recovery systems rising. What this means is that the 2.0-litre turbocharged V4 engine delivers 500 hp of its own accord with this power sent to the rear wheels. The electric motor drawing power from the two energy recovery systems provides an additional 400 hp to the front wheels. A liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery is also part of the powertrain.

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Beyond the powertrain advancements, the 2015 Porsche 919 Hybrid is more rigid than last year’s entrant and also adopts a number of suspension and aerodynamic tweaks. Two 919 Hybrid’s will be fielded throughout the season but a third example will race at Spa-Francorchamps on May 2. The first of the three will be driven by Timo Bernhard, Brendon Hartley and Mark Webber, the second by Marc Lieb, Romain Dumas and Neel Jani and the third by Earl Bamber, Nico Hulkenberg and Nick Tandy.

Discussing the improved car and the LMP1 program generally, board member for research and development at Porsche AG Wolfgang Hatz said “The LMP1 programme at Porsche focuses on extensively networked cooperation between the engineers who work on our innovative drive system concept.
“To this end, we need substantial expertise within the company. The tremendous pressure to perform in the top LMP1 category means our development specialists for production cars learn a lot in a very short time. On the other hand, young engineers receive top-quality training at turbo speed, and this knowledge can later be applied very effectively in series production. Learning from the race track for everyday roads is a tradition at Porsche. Therefore it makes perfect sense to create at least a partial link between our Le Mans prototypes and our motor racing history by means of the colours we use,” Hatz said.

Official: 2015 Toyota TS040 Hybrid LMP1

The 2015 Toyota TS040 Hybrid LMP1 racer has been revealed ahead of the World Endurance Championship starting on April 12.
Powering the new Toyota TS040 Hybrid LMP1 is the same Toyota 3.7-litre naturally-aspirated V8 engine joined with a potent electric motor. The powertrain delivers in excess of 986 hp and unlike the recently revealed 2015 919 Hybrid from Porsche, the Toyota TS040 falls into the 6 megajoule category rather than the 8 megajoule category.

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Two different variants of the Toyota TS040 LMP1 are being produced. One will be dedicated to the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the high-speed straights of the La Sarthe circuit while the other will be used for the other races throughout the season. This second setup is dubbed the sprint package and provides higher levels of downforce.
Driving the #1 Toyota TS040 Hybrid throughout the season will be Anthony Davidson, Sebastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima. The second car will then be piloted by Alex Wurz, Stephane Sarrazin and Mike Conway. Kamui Kobayashi will act as the test and reserve driver.

Discussing the car, Toyota’s Hisatake Murata said “We have put huge effort into upgrading the whole car, including the powertrain, where we have made improvements in most areas. This means that total maximum power is over 1,000PS and the performance of the powertrain has been considerably enhanced. Our development means we will achieve the maximum hybrid energy more consistently than last season.
“Therefore we fully expect to see a performance improvement from the hybrid system, especially over race distances, and at every circuit. Our 2015 upgrades are another step towards producing ever-better hybrid cars and, once again, components and techniques from the TS040 Hybrid will be utilised to improve Toyota road cars,” Murata said.