A biweekly roundup of automotive news, good, bad and just plain weird:
Mid-engined Corvette might get twin-turbo
Ford was able to launch their Ford GT supercar without a single leaked rumour or image. Chevrolet doesn’t seem to be having the same luck. In addition to spy shots showing a camouflaged model running through its paces, there are now full CAD images hitting the internet of the twin-turbocharged powerplant that could be the mid-engined Corvette’s new heartbeat.
The V-8, which could be either 4.2 litres or 5.5 litres in displacement, seems to share some basic layout with the twin-turbo V-6 currently found in sportier Cadillac products. Parts sharing is not unusual in the GM universe, and would help keep the Corvette’s title as an affordable supercar.
However, is a mid-engined Chevrolet performance machine really a Corvette? ‘Vette buyers are an enthusiastic and loyal lot, and I’m not so sure they’d be ready to leap for an R8 clone. And a mid-engined car would cost a great deal more to produce than the current Corvette.
We’ll have to see if we end up with two Corvettes, or if Chevy moves its flagship upmarket and lets high-performance variants of the Camaro take over the reins.
Subaru continues to break sales records
Once a niche manufacturer that sold jumped-up little buggies that were both surprisingly rugged and rattled like two maraca players getting into a fist-fight, Subaru has now thoroughly entered the mainstream. Yes, there are still a few things the company does differently (a horizontally-opposed four-cylinder engine, for instance), but overall you’d be hard pressed to explain to a Martian why a Forester is much different from a Honda CR-V.
Even so, Subaru still has a brand image as outdoorsy and quirky, and looks just that little bit different for people that would rather not drive the same thing as their neighbours. As a result, Subaru is experiencing their 12th consecutive record sales month, and their best year overall, both North and South of the border.
I’m sure they’ll throw themselves a huge office party with a gluten-free cake. But here’s why Subaru’s sales triumph might matter to you. If you’re looking to buy a new one, you might have to wait a while. If you’re looking to trade up from a Forester or similar, however, your late-model Subie might be holding its value even better than usual.
Throw in what looks to be a solid ski season and Subaru’s coming three-row crossover, the Ascent, and Subaru might be leading the charge into 2018. I just wish all this success would mean they’d bring back the WRX hatchback.
Porsche’s Mission-E to get 3 power levels
Before we delve into the latest Tesla news, here’s what’s going on with Porsche’s anti-Tesla. The Mission-E is going to slot between the Panamera and 911 in size, making it roughly a rival to the BMW 3 Series (at least in footprint).
However, compact EV packaging means the Mission-E should have about as much space as the larger Panamera – note how cavernous the storage in a Model S is. Pricing is still up in the air, but expectations are in the $80,000 range, before options. Do remember that Porsche’s option list is borderline outrageous. They are the Whole Foods buffet section of car companies.
Reports are indicating the Mission-E won’t be a single model, but will be split between three power grades and prices (pretty typical for Porsche). Horsepower will be either 402 horsepower, 536 h.p., or 670 h.p., and range will increase with power.
Given that Porsche products like the 911 and Cayenne now feature badging that is a little bewildering (nearly all 911s are turbocharged, but only the most expensive models are called Turbos), we can only imagine what the marketing department is going to come up with. A 670 h.p. Mission-E Turbo S? I wouldn’t be shocked if they did.
Tesla roadster shot into space?
It’s hard to know exactly what to think about Tesla these days. On one hand, the company did deliver tens of thousands of their Model S and X through 2017, and the straight-line performance of those two vehicles is astounding.
On the other hand, the company continually misses targets, produces occasionally mediocre build quality, and then CEO Elon Musk gets on Twitter and calls a public transit advocate an “idiot.” As much as I like the Model S, Tesla as a company does a great deal to make itself hard to root for.
Even so, it’s fun to watch the brash upstart of the automotive world keep surfing along and churning out machines, always looking as if something’s about to short out. The Model 3, their much-touted mainstream model, is finally starting to come out in the U.S. market, and independently reviewed models report that it’s well-built and performs nicely. Deliveries are behind schedule, but if anything, that just adds to the demand.
Musk is also promising a pickup truck in the near future, something the size of the Ford F-150. He also seems to be planning on firing his personal original Tesla Roadster into deep space, atop his Falcon Heavy rocket.
Well that seems a bit supervillian-y. As I said, Tesla remains the best show on automotive TV.
Watch this space for all the best and worst of automotive news, or submit your own auto oddities to [email protected].
